The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1917-03-22

dent of the United States to take our
navy and sail it straight into the port
of Bremen and lombard the German
fleets assembled in that vicinity. What
else? Why do we attempt to confer
power in the breadest and most com
prehensive language which the Eng
lish tongue can utter?
challenge any senator to suggest
any phrase. or any term that would
give the president more complete pow
er over instrumentalities and methods
than the phrase which is found in this
bill Mr.. President, as was so well
said by senator who preceded me, l
citizens on the high seas, and | am
willing to do it. want to protect
on the high seas, and | am willing to
do it. / am not willing, however, and
we might just as well reach the real
question, to go to war at this moment
because an American citizen has met
his death upon a British ship loaded
with arms and munitions for the
British army. | 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 and sincerity, but | am not
willing to give the president the pow
er to do that thing. ! am not willing
to give his the power to make war ON
Germany, or on Great Britain either,
for such reason. grave and deplor-
able as the acts of these belligerents
may have been.
It is for congress always to deter
mine the character of an act and to
declare to the world whether the act
i is sufficient TO bring on war. ! make
no distinction between making war
and declaring war. There is a techni-
cal distinction. Many wars have been
fought without any declaration at all.
But am speaking of a state of war;
and we are attempting in this bill, and
/ believe it to be the purpose of those
who employ this language, to give the
president right which he has not un.
der the constitution in order to defend
or protect our rights upon the high
seas. They are honorable rights.
want to maintain them.
But there is notion apparently in
the minds of great many people that
There is a freedom of the seas. There
lis not such thing as the freedom OF
The seas. We have not the freedom 81
1.-The seas, and no other nation in the
world has the freedom of the seas in
thine of war. Have we freedom &c sail
into a German port with our cargo;
Have we the freedom of the seas tha'
lperrnits us to send our vessels into tho
20. is of Norway and Holland? No
Have we a freedom of the seas that
will enable us to pass safely Through
The cone which Great Britain has
Iplanted with mines? No. Mr.. President
We have no more freedom of the seas
against Great Britain than we have
freedom of seas against Germany. Bel
Ilieerency always interrupts the free
dom OF the seas.
l am not attempting to say tina
Great Britain has interfered with the
right of freedom on the seas in The
same way that Germany has, but an
saying that our freedom is denied. This
interruption exists, and our commerce
is curtailed and restricted.
Mr.. President, | do not intend t
consume the time of the senate Or &c
lay the disposition of this bill by eX
pressing my profound devotion Il
IPeace. That devotion has been de
Iscribed in terms so much more beauLi
ful and graphic than | can collmau(
that l must forbear; but | want to tx
lrress my devotion 70 that provision o
the constitution which gives TO III,
congress of the United States tho rieh'
to determine whether the relation O
this country to another shall be tina
Of peace or wa.
| believe it to be the only guaranty
CT permanent and honorable peace.
believe it to be more necessary for the
preservation of the rights and liber
ties and the welfare of the American
people than any other provision il
that immortal instrument, of which
Gladstone said that it was the mos
wonderful ever struck off at a giver
time by the brain and purpose of man
deplore any attempt to invade tn,
rights of the congress of the United
States, to establish these relations be
tween our republic and the countries
of the world.
We are drifting away from the de
mocracy of our forefathers, and we
are atoning now for some of the sins
of recent years. We ought to hold fas
to this safeguard of liberty and free
dem and peace and honor; and l fol
one am not willing to give my vote t.
a measure which evidences the mos
serious and determined inroad upor
cur fundamental privileges. am no
III favor of the drift elsewhere, of Civ
ing the right to declare war to one
man. That is the difficulty with Ger
many now. She has developed a IS