Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1917-04-05
Congressman Nelson's Defense
Hartford, S. D.


Max Hagar, Baraboo, desires the
following inserted in this paper. The
has to do with a reply from Con-
gresham Nelson of Minnesota on the
stand he took on the armed neutrality
question. The article in part says:
While most of the press Of the
state and nation are condemning and
denouncing you and your colleagues
in the House Of Representative and
, the famous Twelve Small Men" in
the u. S. Senate for voting against
Armed Neutrality" a monstrous alb
surd,ty-ninety-nin millions of the
great common people are deeply re-
GREETING that you were not in the
majority.
| The American Society of Equity
has gone on record as firmly opposed
to the policy of militarism and naval
ism and the hysteria of preparedness
that is outdoing any other nations on
earth
What is the use of wasting twenty
or thirty million dollars on great
battleship that a little ten thousand
dollar submarine or a two thousand
dollar mine" will put to the bottom
Of the ocean,
Congressman Nelson's reply in part
follows;
Delegated War Power, He Says
A study of the provisions of the
bill reported to the House, together
with the discussions upon it, clearly
disclosed the fact that it delegated to
the president the power to make war.
(a) 1t was unmistakable that the
bill gave the president power to place
American guns and gunners upon
American vessels, and Senator Lodge
admitted that this gave to merchant
ships the character Of vessels of war
(b) It was never denied that the
president was given the power to arm
with guns and equip with gunners a
merchant vessel carrying ammunition
and contraband consigned to bellig-
erent, clearly an act Of war.
(c) 1t clearly gave the president
the power of using our navy, our
dreadnaughts, cruisers, torpedo boats,
air ships and submarines to convoy
these merchant vessels loaded with
munitions and contraband of war.
(d) Moreover it clearly gave him
the power general and indefinite but
certain to use our navy to convoy
even English and French ships if
Americans were aboard, no matter if
they carried munitions and contra
band.
In short, the power conferred upon
the president by this bill was prac-
tically unlimited If the provisions
were to be carried out they could re-
suit in nothing but war Indeed, SEN !
ator Lodge so declared.
Germany Retaliates, He Says
England is trying to starve Ger
many to death, mothers and the chill |
dren; Germany retaliates by trying
to starve England to death, mothers
and children; and we, in order to !,
enforce national honor and national |
rights, are permitting the beef trust |
and other food trusts to starve Amer
lean women and children in order
that they may make a big profit in
sending contraband upon vessels,
armed and conveyed by Uncle Sam
through zone of blockade at the
risk of involving us all in this world
war.
Who can read the future in the
event we plunge into this war? To
whom has Providence disclosed the
exact number Of American boys that
will be butchered on land and sea?i
Who has counted the billions that
will drain the resources of the coun-
try to set afoot war navy and war
army? Who can foresee the terri
bic suffering that will come to a large
part of our population, whose hearts
will be rent because of their devotion