Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-02-27

thorize a provisional army, to arrest and
expel aliens, TO authorize the defense
of merchant ships against French war
vessels, and to enable the president TO
borrow money. On July z, 1898, Presi-
dent Adams approved an act reciting
that since treaties repeatedly had been
violated by France, just claims for
reparation refused and a system 'oB
predatory violence" had been pursued by
the French government, the United
States were "of right freed and exon
Grated from the stipulations of the
treaties" and that these compacts
should not henceforth be regarded as
legally obligatory on the government or
citizens of the United States.
ACTUAL MARITIME WAR
Later that year further provision was
made for augmenting the army and
George Washington accepted the chief
command. The attorney general held
that the acts of France and the legisla-
tion by congress gave him the opinion
that there not only existed IAN actual
maritime war authorized by both ma
tons"
The difficulty with France was not
settled for many years. Thirty years
after France agreed to pay 25,0O0,OOO
francs to satisfy American claims, al
though many years before that time her
depredations on American commerce and
American reprisals had ceased.
The acts of congress in 1898 were in
the aggregate somewhat like the bill in
troduced in the senate Saturday by Sem
ator Fall. The president then was au-
| thorized to instruct and direct COM
manders of United States war vessels
| to seize and bring into any port of the
! United States any armed vessel found
| lowering on the coasts of the United
States and committing depredations on
American ships. They also were tn
structed to retake any captured Ameri-
| can ship. Another act authorized mer-
chant ships to be armed and to take the
Communication with France was forbid
den and French vessels were prohibited
| from entering American ports.
| When word reached the capitol that
the president would address congress
| the senate judiciary committee was in
session considering one of the armed
neutrality bills proposed by the depart
ment of justice. 1t would make il
| lawful for the president to employ land
and naval forces to enforce any or all
obligations imposed, by thes United
| States, by the law of nations, by treat,
| les or conventions to which the United
| States is party. or by the statutes OF
| the United States
| Senators admit confusion as to just
| what power the measure would extend
1t is probable the authority the presi-
| dent asks will be embodied in a sepa-
rate joint resolution.
| The resolution introduced Saturday
| by Senator Fall and now before the for
| eign relations committee, would author
| ize the president ito instruct and direct
| the commanders of the armed vessels be,
| longing to the United States to extend
/ protection to the vessels and property OF
! the citizens of the United states and to
| seize, take and bring into port, or to de-
| stroy if unable to seize, any such armed
! ships of either of the central powers
| and particularly of the imperial German
| government, which shall have com
mitted or which shall be found threat
| ening to commit depredations on the ves-
sells belonging TO the citizens of the
| United States or their property; and
/ also to retake any ship or vessel of any
| citizen or citizens of the United States
| which may have been captured by any
| such armed vessel of the central powers
/ or either of them"
! II also would provide for defense OF
/ vessels against search and seizure and
| i'm the event of a declaration of wal
| against the United States or of immi-
nent danger of war before the session
| of the next congress. would authorize
| the president to raise an additional army
of 500, 900 men.