New Britain herald., 1917-10-06
SENATOR REPLIES
TO HIS CRITICS
La Toilette Makes a Speech De-
Tending His Action on Vote
QUOTES P0LK'S POLICY

XOV4uO VulA ~ l " II ~
Says People of This Country Must BE
Silent While Government Are Doing
Things Affecting Lives and Happi-
ness of Sovereigns.
Washington, Oct 6.-Senator La
Toilette, whose expulsion from the
senate for disloyalty has been urged
in various petitions, replied to critics
of his course in the war today in a
He asserted that the war party be-
sides carrying on campaign of 'libe1
and character assassination' against
members of congress who voted gainst
the war, was attempting to suppress
discussion of war issues and intimi-
date the people themselves by invad-
ing them into Jail.
The senator quoted at length from
Mexican war speeches of Lincoln,
Clay, Webster and Sumner in sup
port of his defense of the right of a
icy of the government and dwelt at
length upon the constitutional duty
of congress. rather than the presi-
dent, to proclaim the nations pur-
poses in taking up arms. He made
no reference to the inquiry ordered
yesterday by the senate into his
speech before the non-partisan league
at st. Paul, and dealt with criticisms
of himself only generally.
'Six members of the senate, and as
I recall, about 80 members of the
house, voted against the declaration
of war" he said. "Immeditely there
was let loose upon those senators and
representatives a flood of invective
and abuse from newspapers and indi-
viduals who had been clamoring for
war, unequalled. I believe, in the his
tory of civilized society.
"Prior to the declaration for war,
every man who had ventured to op-
pose our entrance into 1t had been
condemned as a coward or worse, and
even the president had by no means
been immune from these attacks.
Since the declaration of war the tri-
umphant war party has pursued those
senators and representatives, who
voted against war. with malicious
falsenoods and recklessly nbelous at
tacks, going to the extreme limit OF
charging them with treason against
their country. 4.
'It Is not claimed that the senators
who opposed the declaration of war
since that time acted with any con-
certed purpose either regarding war
measures or any others. They have
voted according to their individual
opinions, have often been opposed to
each other on bills, and according to
my recollection, have never all voted
together since that time on any single
proposition upon which the senate
had been divided"
Senator LaFollette declared that II
he alone had been made the victim
Of these attacks he would not take thu
senate's valuable time for their con-
sideration.
But sir" he continued, 1T is not
alone the members of congress that
the war party in 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 well-being, their
happiness and their lives. Today and
for weeks past honest and law abid-
ing citizens Of this country are being
terrorized and outraged in their
rights by those sworn to uphold the
laws and protect the rights of the
people. I have in my possession nu-
merous affidavits establishing the fact
that people are being unlawfully ar
rested, thrown into Jail, held in
mt {o ho
eventually discharged without ever
having been taken into court, because
they have committed no crime. Pri-
vate residences are being invaded,
loyal citizens Of undoubted integrity
and probably arrested, cross-examined
and the most sacred constitutional
rights guaranteed to every American
citizen are being continually violated
'It appears to be the purpose of
those conducting this campaign to
throw the country into a state of ter
ror, to coerce public opinion, to stifle
criticism, and suppress discussion OF
the great issues involved In this war
Besides quoting at length from the
American statesmen who opposed bit
terly President Polk's policy in the
Mexican war, the Wisconsin senator
gave extracts from speeches by Burke
Fox, Lord, Chatham and others in the
British parliament attacking Great
Britain's war upon the American col
onies. He said he did it to show thai
the principle of free speech was nc
new doctrine born of the constitution
Of the United States
In support. of his assertion that
congress shaold speak for the coun-
try in declaring the purpose of war
the senator cited precedents at great
length.
1T would be bad enough if the
constitution clothed the president with
any such power" he said, "but tc
exercise such power without consti.
tutional authority cannot long be toll
Grated if even the forms of free gov
ernment are to remain. We know thai