The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-02-22
Mr.. Lenroot and War.


gresham, has not heea Known as
strong; in this section of the state,
but it can be said that he has been adj
ganced lot of numbers IN rank by his
virile statement of hundred percent
Americanism when he spoke before the
House OF Representatives on Saturday.
Congressman Lenroot stands out III
bold relief IN comparison with the
wishy-washy action of some of the To-
cal Wisconsin statesmen and his bold
and concise statement of the position
of America in the present world crisis
stamps him as leader Of the people
of the first magnitude. He has brought
prominently two points to- the people
United States is not going to rush hap
hazard into destructive warfare and
the other is that if the United States
goes to war she is going to war to set
tie her own quarrel and not that of any
other nation. A lot of us have tried
hard to say just what the congressman
has said. We may have failed to i'm
Lress this view Of the situation upon
any one but with an audience as wide
as the nation the Superior congressman
has driven home a lesson on the real
position Of the United States. He may
not be standing behind the president
in some things in that he is unwilling
to give to the president the right to
declare war which is constitutionally
vested in congress but he has let it be
understood that as one of the members
of congress he is not going to stand in
the way of proper defense of the
United States and it's institution even
if this may mean a red flash from the
cannon $ mouth. He has properly OBJ
jected to the president usurping the
right of congress to declare war. He
insists if war mus be made, that it be
made with and by the authority of the
congress of the United States. Lenroot
is not pacifst who sits down and be-
means lis plight. Here is what he
says:
In OR love of peace we have been
patient and long suffering. And that
to an extent which has brought upon
us more or less ridicule and contempt
abroad. But there are limits. Some
things are worse than war. We can
not indefinitely suffer our plain and adj
mitted rights to be kicked from pillar
to post, out of consideration for the
straits to which these frenzied COM
batants in Europe find themselves re-
duced. The desire of either of these
combatants to starve the other is no
valid plea in excuse for sinking with
out warning, and with destruction Of
American lives, American ships plying
on lawful and peaceable errands be-
tween neutral ports. -
And continuing he gives the real
ideas advanced for real Americans for
war if it must come and tells just what
sort of a war these people believe
should be fought. He says:
Representing the great American
people Lpre, we will vote to maintain
by force, if need be, our liberties upon
the sea, but that does not mean that
we will tie a general declaration of
war against Germany. 1t does not
mean that we will intervene in the Eu-
ropean war. It does not mean that we
will send over men to the trenches of
Europe. 1t does not mean that we are
to sit If and determine the terms Of
settlement of European questions. 1t
means only that we are going to settle
| our difficulty with Germany by COM
pelling it to respect our rights upon
the sea. If war must come, it will be
war upon the sea, destroying every
| German submarine that we can and pro-
tecting our own ships until such time
as Germany shall cease to be an out
law upon the sea, When Germany shall
again fepect our rights, our quarrel
with it will be over and we will be
ready to make peace with it, regard
less OF European nations or European
| quarrels, !"
And to every word Of it we say
| "Amen''