peated acts
of war against the Government and the people of the United States of
America, therefore be it

"_Resolved_, By the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled, that the state of war between
the United States and the Imperial German Government, which has thus
been thrust upon the United States, is hereby formally declared and
that the President be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to
employ the entire naval and military forces of the United States and
the resources of the Government to carry on war against the Imperial
German Government; and, to bring the conflict to a successful
termination, all of the resources of the country are hereby pledged by
the Congress of the United States."

Senator Stone, chairman of the Senate committee, alone opposed its
adoption. It was at once reported to the Senate, only to meet
objection from Senator La Follette, who demanded the "regular order,"
that is, that the resolution, under the rule any member could invoke
in order to postpone the consideration of important legislation, be
withheld for one day. His objection came when Senator Hitchcock, who
was in charge of the resolution, asked for unanimous consent to a
suspension of the rules for its immediate consideration. The Senate
was obliged to submit to the Wisconsin senator's obstructive tactics;
but Senator Martin, the Senate Democratic leader, rather than permit
any other business to be transacted, promptly obtained an adjournment
till the next day. It was determined that the Senate, on reassembling,
should sit without rest, recess or intermission, and without
considering any other matter until the war resolution was passed.
Senator La Follette and other pro-German pacifists in the chamber were
barred from interposing further obstacles, especially as the new
cloture rule was now operative.

The Senate assembled on April 4, 1917, in serious mien to carry out
its task of passing the resolution before it could adjourn. It was a
day of speechmaking and of historic utterances characterized by a
moving earnestness of conviction. Orators of patriotic fervor came
from senators who had before condemned any declaration of war as the
greatest blunder the United States could commit. Others recounted the
crimes of Germany against civilization, and, in face of these deeds,
condemned any national unwillingness and cowardice to retaliate as
showing a national degeneracy that was