The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-08

dent, but related to the language to be
employer, and surely if congressional
authority is needed, the members or
congress cannot fairly be denied dis
cretlon as to the language to be en-
pIoyed. Every one recognizes that the
giving of authority involves serious
risks
Complete Confidence in President.
The public has such complete con-
fidence in the president that congress
would not hesitate to confer upon him
any power that he could himself use,
but the president cannot ride on the
ships himself, or handle the guns lie
cannot even direct the man who pulls
the trigger.
The expert gunner will be some
5000 miles from washington when he
carries out the authority conferred He
will not only have the experts desire
to test his skill, but he will be under
the immediate direction of ship own
er who may have d large pecuniary in
terest in landing a contraband cargo
The president has not asked con-
greSS to surrender to him authority
TO declare war, is it strange that con-
gress should hesitate to put an expert
gunner in a position where. by his mis-
take, or by a mistake of an interested
ship owner, he may commit an act of
war?
The senate and house did not agree
as to the phraseology of the proposed
bill, the senate wanted to include 9th
ed Observation-Disclosures" which the house
thought too vague a description of
the power conferred. The house also
excepted from insurance, merchant
men carrying arms and ammunition,
and a minority of the house committee
favored inserting this exception in the
paragraph authorizing the arming of
ships
In Sympathy With Houses Action.
1 am heartily in sympathy with the
house in withholding insurance from
ships carrying arms and ammunition
and am also in sympathy with the
minority of the committee in the belief
that the exception should be extended
to the arming of ships as well. The
bill in both senate and house provided
for protection of Americans only
when they were lawfully on ships and
it is for congress to say what is law
full.
In my opinion. a law should be
enacted withholding clearance from
any belligerent ships carrying Ameri-
can passengers to Europe. American
papers of the twenty-fourth of last
month contained the following dis
patch from Halifax. n. s..
ocean barred to women"
Halifax, y. S. Feb. pa number
OF women ana cH1Iuren WHO dTTlNeu
here last night on a steamship from
the United States for Europe, were
taken off today by government au-
thorities under a regulation which
provides that women and children
may not sail from a British port for
England at present.
Three American women aboard the
liner, which arrived iE port last night,
were permitted to continue the voy-
age. Clearance papers were refused
until twenty-five Canadian women and
children had been removed. They
were taken ashore in tugs
Shouldn't Ride on BeIligcrent Ships.
If Great Britain will not allow Brit
ish women and children to sail on a
British ship bound for England. why
should the United States allow Ameri-
can women and children, or even
American men to sail on any belliger-
ent ship going into the danger zone.
1t will be noticed that the Halifax
dispatch says that three American
women were allowed to proceed" OF
course the British officials had no
authority to renfscve American women,
but why should the United States
allow the owner of a belligerent ship
to safeguard a contraband cargo with
American women and children, or
even American men?
And why should our government
permit the United States to be drawn
into this war by the follies of any
American citizen who so disregards
his country's welfare as to travel upon
belligerent ship, whether for pleas
ure or for profit?