Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-06-27
SEN. KNOX SAYS
THE FOOD BILL is
VITAL NECESSITY

or misuse in export of war necessities.
of which food is the first; what avails
| II to prevent the slow movement or
| war necessities within our borders,
| IL we should neglect the scientific ap-
| plication of every measure conducive
| to abundance and conservation of the
very necessities themselves? The food
| bill should be passed, and passed
quickly. We shall then have arranged
| to keep war necessities from foreign
use against our purpose, at the same
| time giving the President a diplomatic
:! and economic weapon which we can
at any time still further sharpen, If
need be. by discreet application of the
| tariff as we'll We shall have arranged
| to give war necessities the right of
| way in domestic transportation. And
! that, without which the other provi
| slons are but meaningless corollaries,
| we shall have arranged to have the
maximum of that first necessity of
war or peace-food, food for the war
and food. without eXtortion, for the
| American public.
Need TO Concentrate
I'VE are committed by necessity and
| by laws already enacted to the prin-
| ciple OF extreme concentration and
| Capitalization of authority for the
conduct of war. Through bloody years
| of experience our allies have biazed
! the way, and have found in that prin-
! ciple the first essential for their sal
/ walton, through an efficiency and ce-
/ lerity of action to be attained in no
other way. We should not be faithful
to our trust If we did not heed that
| lesson
The Senate is united in the ma
/ tional aim-complete and speedy vic
| tory in the war. 1t has shown itself
united in the principle of concentrated
and centralized authority essential to
/ the attainment of that aim. Upon con-
| stitutional grounds there need be no
/ qualms The Constitution imposes no
! limitations upon the power OF self
/ preservation. If we now delay in an
other application of the same princi-
/ ple at a time when every day is of
| tragic Importance. why shall we
do so?
THE President has selected six men,
/ each eminent in his field. as an adVis-
/ ory commission to the Council of Ma
| tional Defense. The Council of Ma
/ tional Defense consists of heacs OF
| the Departments of State. War, Navy.
! Commerce, Labor, Justice. Through
! the advisory commission and its aux
! iliary personnel ii is sought to place
! at the disposal of the President and
/ of his Council of National Defense the
/ wisdom, experience and skill of the
and scientific talent of the country, as
! is being patriotically and unselfishly
done. These arrangements are more
| or less informal.
Critical Time
"At this critical time. when COM
| mon council and universal co-opera-
! tion are declared by the President to
! be absolutely indispensable, the EX-
: ecutive should be glad to have like
! ture governmental experience, the
/ close touch with the people, and the
/ trained judgment of the Congress, If
| only this could be done in a pratical
| way Now not at all, but very few
| representatives of the business world
/ could be called into council If eNpedi-
! tlon and efficiency were to be attain
! ed. Just so. not all, but very few
( Representatives of the Congress could
regularly participate in council as to
! the day-to-day conduct of the war If
they were to constitute anything but
a very unwieldy body.
| "Rehection brings conviction of the
! impra ctica bility of that idea as hith-
erto developed. 1t violates the prin-
ciple of concentration and centrali-
cation of authority in wartime as
| contemplated by the Constitution and
1 as demonstrated by the experiences
of our Allies to be vital, in an extreme
measure, to successful combat against
Prussian militarism. Not as, sep
| arate body, but as participants in
council with the Executive. should
| the Congress be represented in the
| conduct of the war. Only In this way
will unity of direction he preserved
In this way only can the Congress
| remain in helpful touch with bNecu-
| tive deliberations.
No Need to BE Afraid
"If any one shall still be appalled,
at the concentration and centraltza-.
tion of authority which we are lega-
lizing, let him remember that Ameri-
! ca has been ineXorably drawn INTO
the whirlpool of the most appalling
and catastrophe crisis that mas ever
visited the world. If we are giving
IegisIative sanction to startling in
novations, we are compelled by
novelty of horror and of menace hith-
erto undreamed of.
.yye need not he afraid of Prussinn-
izInE the United States. NOT rormS
and names, but results, are the
criteria OF human institutions. II Is
not its efficiency, but its intoleraole
purpose, its unconscionaole means,
its cynical and brutal materalism, It's
medieval sophistries that have made
the name OF Prussianism abhorred.
| "Does any one still ask why Amerl-
ca is at war? Let each. If he Will
! answer according to his favorite
! phrase, according to the phase or the
| question II may please him at the
moment to emphasize. He will do no
harm so long as he remembers that
behind all nice phrases back or
all congratulations and altrutstic
Oscillations stalks this stark fact:
America is in this war to defend It's
honor, it's liberty and it's life once
and for all time from menace by the
Germanic power. That power STANDS
forth as a nation drilled for genera
tions in a religion of dominion by
force, a nation that has learned to
laugh at justice and good faith. whose
conscience has been made callous to
the most horrible cruelties. 1t is not
so much forms OF government as the
spirit and aims of governments and
peoples that count. Such a nation
must unlearn the long lesson of Prus-
siansm.
"Unbounded hostile design and un-
bound power leave no room in the
world for free men. The people who
A stand for n civilization of freedom of
Justice and of law must stand to-
getber now or perish one by one
-