Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-05
DECLARATION OF WAR DELAYED BY
LONG DEBATE IN CONGRESS
Continued from Psse One

| Continued from Pase One
| OF the Foreign Committee. argued agains
| party control OF the time. lie opposed Civ
| ing up any OF the debate time allotted him
| by virtue of his position to Republican
members In favor Of the bill.
| Debate. however. started promptly a.
| 1880 after the brief wrangle over division
| OF the time for discussion. Speaker Clarl
surrendered the chair to Representative
| Fitzgerald.
FLOODS APPEAL.
Chairman Flood of the Foreign Afrair.
Committee. stirred the House to unusua
depths. lie said-.
War is being made upon our country
and It's people. our ships are being
sunk. our noncombataut citizens. in
cluding men. women and children
being foullN murdered our merchant
men are denied freedom of the seas
Under such circumstances there il
hut one course for the Government tn
pursue. and that is to go to defense
Of its people and honor of the nation.
There is no choice as to our course.
We are compelled 10y the act of the
German Imperial Government to enter
into this most colossal war
We shouic take our stand by the side
OF the allied nations which have been
lighting humanity's battles for tw, ana
sian mlitarism shall be crushed and
the world shall be delivered from the
threat and danger Of the Hohenzollern
dynasty
THERE Is 80 PEACE
Representative Segel. from a race for
thousands Of years taught to love peace,
added this.
come from people that for thousands
OF years har" been taught to love peace
| cannot shut my eyes or close my ears
TO the fact that though We cry peace
fermany answers by warring against
us.
The time has come for American citi-
zenship to realize that with the COM
mon benefits and opportunities which
this country affords them comes the
common duty and obligation to serve il
in every way in its hour of danger
Let us give notice to the world that
III this republic of ours at least that
we are all American citizens OF rank
and quality. whether Ihat citizenship be
lately acquired or whether ii that
by birthright and that in .the defense
of our flag and country we recognize
no distinction Of wealth or position:
and thar We shall be guided i'm our ac-
.tions with the one common thought Of
victory in the conflict we arc entering
We are great nation" eaid Representa-.
tive Harrison. Democratic leader on the
committee. We glory in its history and
priceless heritage. ] refuse t. believe that
We have degenerated in our national ideas
that we have forgotten the teachings of our
fathers, and are not now willing to fight
for those principles they so rouragcously de-
Tended and upheld in the early history of
- country He added:
We are going 10 war in defense of
our fundamental rights and for pres
ervation of the rights OF humanity.
the charge that We are going to
wage war FOR profit in the interest of
munitiOns-makerS is as deSpicable as
It is un-.tmerican. and it is unworthy
Of any American who loves his country
better than he does the land of an in.
sidious foe.
II there be in this body or elsewhere
citizens who object to the course we
are embarkng on ! suggest they ad-
dress themselves to Kaiser Wilhelm.
Rethmann-Hollweg. the Reichstag and
the author Of that remarkable sample
Of diplomatic kultur. the Zimmerman
note
Representatives Cooper and stafford of
Wisconsin, and Brtten of Chicago. began
tie pacifist opposition to the bin during
Floods speech.
They asked If the President when SEEK
ing armed neutrality had not stated he
did not want war
We are not going to defend an armed
or any sort of neutrality" Flood retorted
We are going to fight"
Didn't Great Britain's mines sink the
Evelyn Cooper asked
Great Britain has not taken an American
llfe during the war" replied Flood. The
Evelyn was sunk by a German mine in
German field, near the German coast"
Denouncing preparedness advocates for
their interference with pacfist meetings
cooper. one of the two members of the
House Foreign Affairs Committee who
voted against favorable report on the war
resolution, criticized action taken in Phila-
deiphia and Baltimore. He said:
In Philadelphia. the very cradle Of
liberty. the police prevented 1000 men
o. ana women who We're opposed to war
from meeting in a theatre there They
denied them admittance.. because they
were opposed to throwing this country
INTO war. In Baltimore meeting of
paclfists was mobbed because those
there did not want war. Attempts are
being made to deny pacifists the right
OF free speech.
NEAR.CLASH IN DEBATE
When war comes we must all stand
united Cooper said in conclusion but /
shall not vote TO plunge this nation into
war"
Representative Harrison declared Coon
,rs speech would have been fitting for the