The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1917-01-12
NO SENATORIAL MEODLING

The senate of the United States is
never so impressive as when it is en-
gagged in minding its own business.
President Wilson's note to the bel
Hgerents is none of the senates bust
ness, and we are unable to understand
why Senator Hitchcock has undertake
en- to make it the senate's business.
Senator Lodge was wholly right yes
terday when he protested that the
Hitchcocl, resolution projects con
gross into the field OF foreign negotia-
tons" and also projects congress
into the field Of foreign politics"
The presidents note was an eXeg-
else of unquestionable executive pow
er. He might have gone further if he
chose, and, instead OF merely request
ing the beligerents to state the aims
and objects of the war and define
their terms of peace. have made
peace proposals on his own response
bility OF have offered mediation. Nor
could any of the belligerents have con
strued such action on the president s
part as an unfriendly act.
But other executive powers as we'll
were exercised in this note. The
president warned all the belligerents
that the situation of neutral nations.
if the war continued, might "be rem
dered altogether intolerable" He
further declared that
I'm the measures to be taken to Sc
cure the future peace of the world,
the people and the government of the
United States are as vitality and as di-
reCtly interested as the governments
now at war Their interest. moreover,
in the means to be adopted to relieve
the smaller and weaker peoples of the
world Of the peril or. wrong and VIC
lence. is a quick and ardent as that
of any other people or government.
They stand ready and even eager to
cooperate in the accomplishment OF
these ends when the war is over, with
every influence at their command
These matters are not before con-
gress officially, and it is undesirable
that they be subjected to the vicissi-
tudes of an untimely debate, such as
the Hitchcock resolution has precipi-
tated
Should the situation of the United
States become intolerable by reason
of a continuance of the European con
flict. the last word rests exclusively
with congress through its power to
declare war, but until all the resOurc-
es of diplomacy are exhausted the
question is one solely for the eXecu-
tive to consider.
In respect to any action which may
be taken hereafter to safeguard the
peace of the world. that too, is an ex-
ecutiye matter until 4 formal treaty
has been drawn. Then the senate
comes into the equation and the treaty
must be ratified or rejected. but i'm
til such a treaty is actually presented.
the senate is not concerned with the
presidents negotiations 1t can rati-
fly or reject, but it cannot negotiate.
The presidents note to the bellig-
erents is fait accompli Nothing that
the senate may do will add or sub
tract one word It stands as it was
written, and all the resolutions that
the senate might see fit to adopt in
respect to it could be no more than
the expression of private opinions on
the part of the learned and distin-
guished senators. The president
needs no approval from the senate,
nor could the Hitchcock resolution in
fuence the attitude of the weakest
of belligerents or neutrals toward the
presidents suggestions
All that can come out of it is a mis-
chieyous debate, some of the posi-
bilities of which were realized in
Senator Lodges unseemly attack
upon the German ambassador. In ad-
dition we may expect a long success
sion of embarrassment should an at.
tempt be made at some future time
to demonstrate that the senate had
committed itself in advance to any
treaty for the enforcement of peace
which tho executive negotiated.
Like the Gore and McLemore reso-
buttons. the Hitchcock resolution is a
piece of meddlesome interference on
the part of congress with the prerog-
atiyes of the executive, and while the
motives behind it may be irreproach.
ably benevolent, the fact remains un-
changed. World.