Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-27
CONGRESS MUST SHARE
RESPONSIBILITY

MIR. WILSON'S guarded statements to
Af1 Congress accurately represent what
has seemed in the last three weeks TO
be the state OF mind of the people In
at least one respect-namely, that the
majority of them are not disposed to pro-
woke Germany to open war by hasty
and belicose demonstration of force. He
finds that no overt act has been com
mitted. He finds only increasing evil
dence that Germany has been trying out
our patience with pln-pricks that seem
to make certain there is no Intention
on tho part of the German Government
to retreat from it's position. That po-
sition, If maintained. may mean war; uh-
less we are to surrender our right 10
trade with Europe And 1t must be
admitted that Congress and the country
have not met that issue with sufficient
firmness and unity to warrant the Presl.
dent in taking steps that might amount
to making war.
If sending our ships to sea armed or
otherwise protected is tantamount 10
making war, as would seem to be the
view of the German Government, it Is
proper that Congress, which alone has
the right to declare war, should assume
responsibility for actions which it would
necessarily have to indorse later 1t
would be sheer moral cowardice to put
the whole burden on Mr.. Wilson. Ho
seems. in fact, to imply that he would
have taken steps to protect American
ships sooner If there had not been so
much irresolution among congressman
and other citizens. He says:
No doubt already possess that au-
thority without special warrant Of law,
by tho plain implication Of my consti-
tutonal duties and powers but prefer,
in the present circumstances, not to
act upon general implication
Those present circumstances" are
peaceatany-price speeches and propa-
ganda and9th remarkable Inconsistency
in speeches in tho Senate censuring the
President, in effect, for not protecting
our ships and at the same time protest
ing against giving him authority to do so
effectualy.
1t will depend very largely, then, upon
the tenor of the reply of Congress to
the President to what extent protection
shall be afforded to our shipping. Mr..
Wilson leaves no doubt as to the main
fact that I'VE must defend our commerce
and the lives of our people.
Only the method and the extent remain
to be chosen" Congress can thus limit
the extent" to putting one gun on each
merchant ship-a most inadequate de-
fense-or it can put in the hands of the
President full authority to send our mer-
chantmen to sea surrounded with con.
voying warcraft as the other extreme. OF
course, the decision is not so simple as
that choice. The course th~ President
will take may mean either an immediate
! state Of war or it may mean the adoption
of method of armed neutrality which
will be satisfactory for many months,
perhaps until tho end of the European
war He cannot tell. No one can tell.
The best method must be found, and
when it is found it must be a military
secret, to q large extent, as having
broken off relations with Germany it
Is not our place to point out to her the
strong and weak points of our defense.
The President, in this trying position,
is thus compelled to ask that the country
trust him with large enough powers to
meet any sudden swerve toward open war
the situation may take, as well as less
serious emergencies, No one doubts that
the country really trusts him to use dis
cretion. Criticism of him has been that
he erred on the side of discretion and
not on that of impulse. Criticism has
even been heard since his address of yes.
terday that still he does not go far
enough, that he does not say how soon
he desires to take steps to protect Ameri-
can ships and lives. But what criticism
of that sort comes from Congress, Con,
gress can readily silence by taking action
in the five days left to it for action.