Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-03-09
DON'T "KAISERIZE"
u. S. A. SAYS lOWAN
CUMMINS' FIGHT ON NEUTRALITY
BILL DUE TO FEAR OF AN
AUTOCRAcY.
Especial Correspondence. ]

Washington, D. c., March 8-Iowa's
senior senator stood with the little
band whose chief was generally recog
nized to be Senator LaFollette of Wis
consin, In the dramatic struggle which
led to the death of the armed ship bill
in the closing moments of the sixty.
fourth congress. Senator Cummins
facing an overwhelming majority OF
democratic and republican members
whose bitterness has had no parallel
since the days of slavery, stood on
the floor of the senate late Saturday
night and challenged the right Of the
president to dominate not merely the
ordinary legislative functions but the
vital power of declaring war, vested
by the constitution in the congress
alone. His speech, unlike those of
many of the majority faction, was con.
sistent with his previous views.
Il want to protect the lives of
American citizens on the high seas, he
said, toward the conclusion Of his ad-
dress, "and I am willing to do It, I
want to protect American property on
the high seas, and am willing to do
1t. am not willing, however-and we
tion-to go to war at this moment be-
cause an American citizen has met his
death on a British ship loaded with
arms and munitions for the British
army. l understand perfectly that
there is in the minds Of some senators
the thought that we ought to do that,
and do not question their patriotism
or sincereity, but am not willing to
give the president the power to do that
thing. l am not willing to give him
the power to make war on Germany.
or on Great Britain either, for such a
reason, grave and deplorable as the
acts of these belligerents may have
been.
ut Is for congress always to deter
mine the character of an act and to de-
clare to the world whether the act is
sufficient to bring on war. make no
distinction between making war and
declaring war. There is technical
distinction. Many wars have been
fought without any declaration at all.
But l am speaking Of state OF war:
and we are attempting In this bill, and
l believe it to be the purpose OF those
who employ this. language, to give the
president right which he has not I'M
der the constitution, in order to defend
or protect our rights on the high seas.
They are honorable rights. ] want to
maintain them.
"But there Is notion apparently IN
the minds OF "a great many people
that there Is freedom OF the seas.
There is no such thing as the freedom
of the seas. We have not thei free
dom of the seas. and no other nation
has the freedom of the seas in time OF
war. Have we freedom to sail into a
German port with cargo? Have we
the freedom of the seas that permits
us to send our vessels into the ports OF
Norway and Holland? No. Have we
a freedom of the seas that will permit
us to pass safely through the zone
which Great Britain has planted with
mines? No. Mr.. President, we have
no more freedom Of the seas against
Great Britain than we have against
Germany. Belligerency always inter
r,1pts the freedom of the seas.
"I am not attempting to say that
Great Britain has interfered with the
right of freedom on the seas in the
same way that Germany has, but am
saving that our freedom Is denied. The
exists. and our commerce
Is curtailed and restricted.