New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-01
War and an Extra Session

QlSCuSSlOu III W Sl9llAli ,, wa
ditions under which American merchant
men should be armed.
The President asked Congress to APP
prove the exercise by him Of his constitu-
tional authority "to supply our merchant
Ebips with defensive arms, should that be-
come necessary" 1t is already necessary
10 arm such American ships as venture
into the German war zone. The German
government has declared its intention to
sink such vessels on sight and to deny to
Americans travelling on the high seas
the protection guaranteed by international
law to neutrals and non-combatants. The
murder of American passengers on the
Iaconia has now proved even to the most
inveterate optimists in Washington that
Germany meant what she said.
The crime of the submarine commander
who sank the Laconia is bluntly justified
by the Chancellor of the German Empire.
In a statement nicely timed to interpret
Germany's latest massacre of Americans
Herr Won Bethnrann-Hollweg said yester-
day: I'VE regret the rupture with a
nation which by her history seemed to be
predestined surely to work with us, not
against US. But since our honest will for
peace has encountered only jeering on the
part Of our enemies, there is no more
going backward There is only going
ahead possible for US"
= Germany will Ego ahead" Congress is
right, therefore, though somewhat late, in
authorizing American merchant vessels to
arm and in empowering the President to
fit them out with guns fore and aft. 1t
will be right also in giving the President
whatever other powers he asked for, if
thew are reduced TO concrete terms. He
will soon need them and many add
tional powers.
We are about TO engage in a real war
with Germany, because Germany is not
going to let Us indulge in any make-believe
war. Under these circumstances the
powers asked for by the President on Mon
day, however they may be interpreted,
have become puny and unimpressive. They
will not suffice to defend American rights.
They will not suffice to conduct war as 1t
ought 10 be conducted.
The only objection which could properly
he made, in our opinion, 70 the granting of
the powers which Mr.. Wilson asked was
not that they were too large, but that they
were too elusive and indefinite. Their in
defniteness would have left it open to the
President to conduct war on miniature
scale if he could find way TO do it. He
might have been tempted under such
grant TO engage in some semi-pacifc en-
terprise like armed neutrality. With
Congress exiled from Washington, he
would have been left to experiment unre-
strained with unwarlke substitutes for
war, leaving Germany 70 reap all the bene-
fits of our failure TO treat her as a
real enemy.
There is far less prospect now than
there was two or three days ago Of such
a fantastic misdevelopment of American
policy. Armed neutrality would certainly
be blunder and fzzle. A nation cannot
expect TO get something for nothing, any
more than an individual can. If the things
we have at heart are worth fighting for
they are worth fighting for with our last
ounce of energy. II they are not worth
fighting for, it would be cheaper and
honester 70 withdraw our objections TO
Germanys campaign Of submarine muir
der and ask the Kaiser 10 send back
Won Bernstorf.
IL the President should now ask Con-
grcss 70 declare war against Germany
as we think he ought 10 do-disquiet in
Congress over the programme which he
announced last Monday would cease. If
Congress should declare war on its own
initiative, debate over the necessity Of
imposing limitations on the powers which
The President asked would lose all its sig
nifcance. A declaration Of war would
harmonic all differences between Con-
press and the President. 10 would also
solve the extra session problem, for an
extra session would become unavoidable.
That is the important thing 10 under
stand in considering the objections which
have been made W the passage Of the
armed merchantmen bill, in the form
drafted By the President. The Trbune's
oppogition 10 that bin and Republican OPP
position IN Congress 10 IL we're due 10 the
feeling that its passage might be used as
a prctezt for refusing 70 allow the new
Congress 10 assemble and do It's necessary