The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-20
SAYS WAR IS BEING MADE
Declares the President Has USurped Powers of Congress
Regard for Nations Honor, is His Contention Worth More Than Regard for a Nations
 Property.
Advertiser Bureau.
Colorado Building, Waahfnrfnn nan 10


 Washington, Dec ls.
 The last speaker for the Democrafis in the Senate on the Panama imbroglio was Senator. Pettus. a
 The venerable Alabamian handled the Flaw of the case" and he did 1t in man ner that for personal and mental ex- ploitation of power, caused his auditors to look at him in wonder.
 The oldest senator In the body, his voice rang out full and strong without a culver. The way he thundered the doc trtnes of the grand old founders of the republic and rained the logic of appli- cation to the present situation. was as refreshing as a shower to bad and dry atmosphere.
 Sometimes the senator's robust cres- cendo of declamation sank to an under tone of admonition, as he held up to shame and scorn latter-day disregard of common honesty between nations as well as men. He quoted vattel, Kent, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson and George Washington, and his conclusions from the sentiments of all of them was that the honor of nations is worth more than the property of nations.
 As Applied to Spooner.
 Pausing in the course of his speech and looking to where Senator Spooner sat, MT. Pettus went on very solemnly. Mir. President, I know there are those whose lcgic is so sharpened that they can prove any proposition in law neces- sary to sustain the administration. The Master has given them wonderful intel Iects, but I fear some times they are in the situation of a great lawyer in Alabama, one, of the most learned men the United States has produced. of whom 1t was said that his intellect had become 50 sharp that he did not know the plain truth when he met 1t in the public road.' Senator Pettus concluded his speech as follows:
 ''The United States Is q wonderful pow CT and perhaps the strongest nation, talk ing 1t In all it's parts, that ever existed on earth. We could almost feed the world, if the crops of the world outside the United States failed. As var power 1t is just about beyond calculation. Then we have a population all over the United States more than ready to go into any war Congress chooses to declare We have a militia which with little train ing, could keep mankind off the United States part of this continent. We have a navy, not equal in number of vessels to those of several of the other large pow CTS. but it has never been wanting when the time came, and 1t has grown, and 1t is growing like a boy grows between 14 and 16 The Navy is growing every day, and it is your purpose, MT. President, and my purpose, and the purpose of all these legislators. to make it grow. and we ought to make it grow. What for? To put our heel down on little powers like Colombia? It was never thought of.
 Colombia's Helplessness.
 '"We could send our militia down there without a regular officer and do anything we pleased with that country. I doubt If A single brigade of the regular army could not handle that country without any trouble in the world. Now. have we been entrusted to us by our Master that we should abuse 1t like bullyV
 ''I fear we are doing it. l fear we have gotten too large to be just and the people. the country, fear 1t. Whenever this nation gets too large to be just, it will be too large to be respected by It's own citizens. I admit that you have a perfect right to declare war and to make war on Colombia if you want to do 1t. When I say perfect, mean according to the laws of nations and according to the constitution of the United States, but who ever heard the President of the Unit ed States could make war without the authority of Congress? War is being made. According to the Presidents own declaration, he Is making war on the Re- public of Colombia without any authority from Congress, both by the navy and the army, and for the purpose of securing that few miles of land through that country. God forbid that Congress or the people of the United States either should ever approVe such war.