TaÌˆgliche Omaha tribuÌˆne. [volume] (Omaha, Nebr.) 1912-1926, 1917-02-28

weight in the serious discus
sions and decisions which have
been influencing the nations
destiny as the janitors who
sweep your halls.
You know, your people are
opposed to Mr.. Lansing's per.
sistent policy Of leading the
country up to war as one 81
the allies-because that is exact
" what Mr.. Lansing has hoped
to do and has striven to dc
ever since he was made Secre-
tary Of State.
And yet you do not enforce
your peoples will.
You have not even asserted
your own rights or protected
the dignity Of the Congress.
Now, then, Senators and Re.
personalities, you are that very
body OF men whom our fathers
made a co-equal branch of our
tripartite constitutional Gov
ernment, and endowed with cer-
tain enumerated powers which
you are sworn to obey and to
maintain and to hand down to
your Successors unimpaired.
And each time you permit
either Of the other two branch
les Of the Government to usurp
Your authority and to exercise
powers which the Constitution
expressly COMMANDS YOU.
AND YOU ALONE, to exer-
else, you betray your trust, inn
peril our institutions and
threaten the Liberties Of your
children who are to be.
The nation has been dragged
slowly toward entanglement in
this insane European war sole
ly because you have not in
sisted, and do not even now
insist, upon exercising your
rightful and sole authority and
powers that you are sworn to
exercise and commanded to
exercise by the supreme, fund.
amental law Of the land-the
great Charter of Free Govern
ment which our fathers drew
up for the protection Of the
land and its liberties through
the ages.
At this tremendous hour, Sc
majors and Representatives, we
appeal to you in the name Of
the whole American people to
resume, manfully and r~esolute-
.ly, your rightful place in the
Government.
The President has come to
the end Of his constitutional
authority with the dismissal Of
the German Ambassador.
That far he had a perfect
right to go, and that is as far
as he has any right at all to
go.
From that moment the Con-
stitution clothed YOU, Senat-
ors and Representatives, with
the SOLE POWER to decide
what next shall be done-you.
YOU, not Mr.. Lansing nor even
Mr.. Wilson, but you, THE
Now, you should do your
duty to your people, like men
who know neither fear OF enc
mics abroad nor Of demagogues
at home.
And your very first anxiety,
and, indeed, your very FIRST eff
fort, should be to ascertain the
will Of the American people.
The man who tells you thar
the opinion Of the country is
united is either a knave or a
fool, and you know it.
There is a wide division Of
public opinion.
There are Americans who do
not believe that it is either
necessary or sensible to involve
the country in war with Ger
many.
There are Americans who
think it is necessary and sem
sible to go to war with Ger
many.
There are Americans who
think we have far more just
causes Of war with England
than with Germany.
There are Americans who
think we have n0 cause Of war
with England at all.
There are Americans who
that other Americans who
voluntarily embark on bellige-
rent ships and voyage into
danger zones have no claim at
to be protected in their fool
hardness.
There are Americans who