Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-10-06
LaFOLLETTE IN A
Continued from Page One.)

sues involved in this war.
81 think that all men recognize that
in time o rwar the citizen must SUI
render some rights for the public good.
But the right to control their own gov
eminent according to constitutional
forms is not one of the rights that the
citizens of this country are called upon
to surrender in time of war.
"Rather in time of war the citizen
must be more alert to the preservation
of his right to control his government.
He must be most watchful of the en-
croachments of the military upon civil
power. He must beware of those pre-
cedents in support of arbitrary action
by administrative officials which, ex-
cused on the plea of necessity in war
time, become the fixed rule when the
necessity has passed.
f'More than all, the citizen in war
time must retain his right of free
speech. 1 believe I am now touching up
on the most important question in the
countrv-the right Of the citizens to
discuss in an orderly way, publicly and
frankly and without fear, from the
platform and through their publications
every important phase of this war; Its
causes, the manner in which it Should
be conducted and the terms upon which
peace should be made The belief be-
coming widespread in this land that this
most Fundamental right is being denied
citizens of this country, is a fact, the
tremendous significance of which
those in authority have not yet appre-
GATED"
He cited the Paris economic confer
ence as. evidence of what "war' fever
will do. ~" l'n
sympathy with Germany. 4
sTThe allies entered into d compact
! of commercial vengeance to be exeent-
ed against the central powers after
peace shall be declared, he said. u be-
lieve no single act has done so much
to solidify the resistance OF the central
powers and secure the determined sup
port of their peoples as this one act
The people of the central powers reason
that if they are to face 'commerela
slavery after the war, they may as well
die fighting"
He quoted from the speeches and WHIT
inps of Lincoln, Clay, Webster nj Sum
ner to show their vigorous public OPP
position to the Mexican war and.dto
| President Polk IS attitude and policies
In the Clay, Webster Glass. % q
uLincoln, Webster, Clay and SUM
nerU said La Toilette. 0'"What a galaxy
of names in American history They all
believed and asserted and advocated IN
tbe midst Of war that it was the consul
t~utional right and the patriotic duty
of American citizens after the declara
tion of war and while the war was IN
nrogress, to discuss the issues OF the
war and to criticise the policies oppos'
ed to ~prolonging the war
''The right of these men Is exactly
the same as posed by every American
citizen today in respect to the war III
which we are now engaged"
Quoting Lloyd George, La Foilette
showed he had opposed the Boer war
both before and after its beginning; ne
showed how Chatham and Burke op-
nosed the wal on the American colon
les. quoting, he said, "to show tina
the principle of free speech was no ne"
doctrine born of the Constitution OF the
United States"
la Toilette then launched into a crlt
icism of congress for failing 10 exercise
its powers to declare the purpose aho
objects of the war. 0vor
III believe that had congress exer
cised this power we would have avoldeG
he present war; continued La Fol
iette. ~ believe that if we are to ex
tricate ourselves from this war n re
store this country to an honorable ant
lasting peace, congress must exercise II
full the war powers entrusted to 1t pJ
the constitution"
+ He asserted that congress has allowed
the president to abrogate powers no
vested in him. sef
/ Attacks President.
"Today the president is reguiatlni
commerce with foreign nations under a AZ
attempted delegation OF powerrtr9m eeppn
press and regulating it in such a wa!
Io4;n hoard and ticker service were eX