Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-06-24
PAGES.
SUNDAY. JUNE "a. 1900.
M'KINLEY'S USURPATION.

Something like five years ago Grover,
Cleveland. then President OF the United
States. sent Federal troops into The
State of Illinois OF his own motion
against the protest of the Governor of
that State and in defiance OF the limi-
cations of the powers OF the President
as heretofore recognized and observed.
in time of peace. Now, President Nc
Kinley has ordered an invasion of
China, n nation with which the Secre-
tary of State explicitly declares we are
at peace. without authority of Con
gross. Congress alone has the power to
declare war. To invade China, 1t mat
ters not what the pretext, is to declare
war against that nation. Verbal ouib-
bles and halr-splittting cannot conceal
or obscure that patent fact, any more
than 1t can obscure the fact that Mr..
Mckinley is guilty of the fragrant
usurpauon of powers that are explicit
~ vested in another branch of the
Government.
If two years ago the question had
been asked, Can the President OF the
United States send troops to China
without authority OF Congress ?" there
is no intelligent man who would not
have answered in the negative. To-day
IL seems to be taken largely as n mat
ter OF course. So much for Imperlal;,sm
The fact that the troops are sent from
The Philippines makes no difference:
they might equally we'll be sent from
The United States direct. The fact THAT
other nations are invading China Is no
concern of ours; they can create no pre-
cedent for the United States: they can
confer on William Mckinley no power
forbidden him by the Constitution
The fact that American citizens
have been attacked by mohs
gives the President no power TO
oecIare war against China Italians
nave been ma-ssacred by mobs at New
dreams and citizens of Russia and Aus
fT1a-Hungary were shot down in cold
blood by deputy sherifs at HaZlcton.
In neither case was any punishment
an1icted on the guilty. nor was there
invasion or threat of invasion of the
United States If American lives ara
an danger in China, and If war must be
declared TO protect them. the PresI-
dents duty Is plain. Let him assemble
Congress and lay the situation before
1t. 1t could be depended on to do. and
do at once, whatever the circumstances
require. It is Idle to say that There
was not time. The situation was clear
~ developed two weeks ago; qnore time
has been lost in dallying than would
nave been necessary to proceed in ac-
oordance with the Constitution.
1he most dangerous phase of The
matter: Is not that Mn Mckinley sho,,ld
assume to play the autocrat; he has
had taste of power and Is Il Republi-
can: the danger lies in the indifference.
or even minimizing approval, of those
who should know better. 1t is the his
Lofty Oh all governments that they ;re
prone to exercise all the powers that
they can exercise with safety. If MIR.
mckinley Is permitted 10 play the
autocTat he will play 1t, and set prece-
dents for his successors. Fifty wears
ago the President OF the United States
who had presumed to order an invasion
of friendly or foreign country with
out authority OF Congress, would have
been denounced from one end of she
country to the other. To-day the I'm
periaLstc and Tory newspapers in this
country applaud such uSurpationl
1t ds sometimes VOL to bark back for
che cake of comparison. In n few years
we have changed from nation with a
standing army of twenty odd thousand
/, men, to one with nm army of an hun
I dred thousand, and still there Is clamor,
= by certain classes. for an increase; by
the hgh-handed acts OF our presidents,
y hsa come to parr that this army may