The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1915-03-12

so pertinent to the times to the
war" now waging In Congress. that
am constrained to ask that you fay-
or your many readers with perusal
thereof. II contains facts which
should be known by every one fol-
lowing the debate now on. and also
stamps Hon. Robert LaFollette as no
party's man, but ever and always, an
AMERICAN, first. last, and all the
time;
"The bill for government owned
ships to aid in carrying our products
to foreign markets has been buried
under mass of bitter partisan dis
cusslon This has been cleverly man
aged by the Republican senator's who
are hostile to public ownership Of
any public utilities,
"One after another they have
pounced upon the President and the
policies of his administration with a
fury calculated to fire party feeling
and carry some Republican senator's
Of progressive tendencies into oppo-
sitlon TO the bin as an administra-
tion measure,
Hence, day after day the bill is
/ ignored. while the tarln and currency
the war tax and business depression,
idle mills and idle men, the Presi-
dents indianapolis speech, his hos
ulity to business manifested in leg
is lation, his surrender to monopoly
In naming captains of finance and in
dustry to administer the laws enacted
TO regulate monopoly, these have
furnished the principal subjects for
discussion and for slashing criticism
in the long hours Of this dlibustering
debate
"A few statesmen of the archaic
type have spoken against the bill.
/ No one lisetned, and no one will ever
read their speeches. For the most
part they were a product OF anoher
age. II was almost pathetic to wit
ness their efforts, as they stolidly
toiled through masses of wornout ar
guments and absolute facts against
government ownership and operation
of public utilities. But at least these
elder statesmen had the merit of
+ rranEness and sincerity in opposing
/ the bill.
But mark the course Of their
more astute colleagues. speak now
of those distinguished opponents OF
the bin who with superior skill and
cunning spent little time arguing
|againt government ownership, but
with great show of mingled wisdom
and mystery, in throaty and awe in
spring whispers, admonish us to be
ware OF war! war! war.
1T was just before the beginning OF
the debate on this bill that these
same senators were arraigning the
/ President for his Mexican policy OF
'watchful waiting It was stigma
tilcd as puerile and cowardly. The
echoes of their censure have scarce
. Is died within our ears. 1t seems
but yesterday that they were denoun-
cling the President because he would
not make war on Mexico, to protect
the dear property rights of big Amer
lean business. And today these same
senators profess to believe and
would have the country believe that
back under cover, behind this bill
the President has some dark and sin
lister plan to force war with the
allies.
IF war is lurking anywhere in this
proceeding it must be behind the bill
1t is not written in its terms. It can.
not be found within it's four corners
"Ah, but say these suspicious gen.
tlemen, this bill by it's terms gives
the government the right to buy YES.
sells as well as to build vessels in
which to carry our products to the
waiting foreign markets. How many
merchant vessels owned by German
companies have taken refuge in oul
harbors? As Great Britain com.
mands the sea they cannot escape
capture were they to venture forth
while the war is on. Naturally the
German owners desire to sell sucl
vessels.
And now note carefully:
For one hundred and twenty-five
years the United States has main
tanned the odctrine that neutral ma.
ton has the right to buy merchant
vessels as it has the right to buy mer-
chandise Of the citizens of any coun-
try in time Of war as in time OF
peace; that is a sovereign right which
inheres in every government, and, as
asserted by Caleb Cushing, attorney
general in 1854, in. this we have the
support of the authoritive writer's on
the public law of Europe
"The decision Of our Supreme
Court, the opinions of American jur-
lists, and the policy of our Depart
on 9 w cue