The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-10-06
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hold the laws and protect the rights
| of the people. / have in my posses
| sion numerous affidavits establishing
J the. fact that people are belng un'
| lawfully arrested, thrown INTO Jaii'
held incommunicado for days, only 10
he eventually released, without ever
having been taken into court, be-
cause they have committed no crime.
private residences are being invaded
Ioval citizens of undoubted integrity
and probity arrested, cross-exam lneu
and the most sacred constitutional
rights guaranteed to, every American
citizen, are being continually VIC
lated.
at appears to be the purpose OF
those conducting this campaign 10
throw the country into state OF ter
ror. to coerce public opinion, TO suns
criticism and suppress discussion Vi
the great issues involved IN this war.
II think that all men recognize
that in time Of war the citizen must
surrender some rights for the puonc
good. But the right to controi tneiI
own government according TO consul
tutional forms is not one OF the
rights that the citizens OF this coun-
try are called upon to surrender IN
time OF war.
"Rather in time of war the citizen
must be more alert to the preserVa-
tion of his right to control his gov
ernm ent. He must be most WATCH
full of the encroachment Of the mill
tarv upon civil power. He must be-
ware of those precedents in support
of arbitrary action by administrative
officials. which excused on the plea
of necessity In war time, become the
fixed rule when the necessity has
passed.
"More than all, the citizen in war
time must retain his right OF free
speech. 1 believe / am now touch
ing upon the most important ques-
ton in the country-the right OF the
citizens to discuss in an ORDERLY way
publicly and frankly and without rear
from the platform and through their
publications every important Phase
of this war; it's causes, the manner
in which it should be conducted and
the terms upon which peace should
be made. The belief becoming wide
spread in this land that this most
fundamental right is being denied
citizens of this country Is fact. the
tremendous significance on which
those In authority have not yet ap-
preciated."
He cited the Paris economic con-
ference as evidence OF what war
fever" will do.
"The allies entered into a compact
of commercial vengeance to be exc
cuted against the central powers
after peace shall be declared" he
said. 81 believe no single act has
done so much to solidify the resist
ance of the central powers and secure
the determined support of their
people as this one act. The people
of the central powers reason that If
they are to face commercial slavery
after the war they may as well die
fighting"
He quoted from the speeches and
writings OF Lincoln, Clay, Webster
and Sumner to show their vigorous
public opposition to the Mexican
war, and to President Folks attitude
and policies.
Lincoln, Webster, Clay. Sumner"
said LaFollette. What galaxy of
names in American history. They
all believed and asserted and advo-
Gated in the midst of war that it was
the constitutional right and the patri-
otto. duty Of American citizens after
the declaration of war, and while
the war was in progress, to discuss
the Issues of the war and to criti-
cize the policies of those seeking to
prolong the war.
THE right of these men is exactly
the same as possessed by every
American citizen today in respect to
the war in which we are now en-
gagged"
Quoting Lloyd George, LaFollette
showed he had opposed the Boer
war, both before and after it's begin
ming; he showed how Chatham and
Burke opposed the war on the Amer
lean colonies, quoting, he said, ito
show that the principle Of free
speech was no new doctrine born of
the constitution Of the United
States"
LaFollette then launched into
criticism of congress for failing to
exercise it's power to declare the
purpose and objects of the war"
II believe that had congress exer-
cfsed this power we would have avoid
ed the present war" continued La Fol
lette. 81 believe that If we are to ex-
tricate ourselves from this war and
restore this country to an honorable
and lasting peace, congress must ex-
! ercise in full the war powers entrust-
ed to It by the constitution"
He asserted that congress has al
lowed the president to abrogate pow
ers not vested in him
To-day the president is regulating
commerce with foreign nations under
an attempted delegation of power
from congress and regulating it in
such a way as to involve us in serious
difficulty II not actual war with HN-
land and the Scandinavian countries"
he said.
The president under his constitu-
tional authority gets no power 20 de-
clare the objects and purposes OF any
war in which the country may be en-
,a1y Nv ~