The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-10-06
Ia TOILETTE SPEAKS.
Defends His Attitude of Opposition to
America In War.

! Washington, Oct. 6.-Senator La Fol-
lette. whose expulsion from the senate
for disloyalty has been urged In various
petitions. replied TO critics OF his course
! in the war today i'm a long and carefully
prepared speech.
| La Toilette asserted that the "war
party" besides carrying on a campaign
| of libel and character assassination"
lagainst members of congress. who voted
lagainst the war, was attempting to sup
| press discussion of war issues and in
tImdate the people themselves by in
| vading their homes and unlawfully
throwing them into Jail.
The senator quoted at length from
Mexican war speeches of Lincoln, Clay.
Webster and Sumner in support of his
defense of the right of a member of
congress to. assail the policy of the gov
ernment and dwelt at length upon the
constitutional duty of congress rather
than the president to proclaim the ma
tons purposes in taking up arms. He
made no reference to the inquiry order
ed yesterday by the senate into his
speech before the Non-partisan League
at St Paul and dealt with criticisms OF
himself only generally.
Alleges Invective and Abuse.
six members of the senate, and as
! recall. about fifty members of the
house voted against the decision of the
war" he said Immediately there was
let loose upon those senators and rep
resentatives a flood of f-invective and
abuse from newspapers and individuals
who had been clamoring for war. un-
equalled. | believe in the history of CIV
ilized society.
Prior 20 the declaration Of war every
man who had ventured to oppose our
entrance into it had been condemned
as a coward. or worse, and even the
president by no means had been i'm
mune from these attacks. Since the
declaration of war, the triumphant
party has pursued those senators and
representatives who voted against war
with malicious falsehood and reckless
libelous attacks. going 10 the extreme
limit of charging them with treason
against their country.
Claims No COllusion.
1T is not claimed that the senator's
who opposed the declaration of war
have since that time acted with any
concerted purpose. either regarding war
measures or any others. They have
voted according to their individual opin.
ions, have often been opposed to each
other .on bills, and according to my
recollection have never all voted to-
gether since that time on any single
proposition upon which the senate
had been divided"
La Toilette declared that IL he alone
had been the victim of these attacks. he
would not take the senate's valuable
time for their consideration.
But. sir. he continued. it is not
alone the members of congress that the
war party i'm this country has sought
to intimidate. The mandate has gone
forth to the sovereign people Of this
country that they must be silent while
those things are being done by their
government which most vitality concern
their wellbeing. their happiness and
their lives. Today and for weeks past.
honest and law abiding citizens of this
country are being terrorized and out
ragged in their rights by those sworn to
uphold the laws and to protect the
rights of the people.
Says Homes Invaded.
Il have in my possession numerous
affidavits establishing the fact that
people are being unlawfully arrested.
thrown i'm Jail. held incommunicado for
days. cnly to be eventually discharged
without ever having been taken into
court. because they have committed no
crime. Private residences are being
invaded. loyal citizens Of undoubted
integrity and probity arrested. cross
examined and the most sacred ccnstitu-
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