Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-10-12
Our Great War Congress.

tionaI spirit il reveals the session of Congress
which ended Saturday is unexampled in Amer
lean history the history of the world Into SIX
stressfuL months it has marshaled laws enough to
make each of a hundred years unforgettable, laws
touching the most vital concerns of our own peo-
pie and the larger destinies of all mankind IL
anyone ever feared that this country taking the
war haIfheartedly that preparations for Its gi-
gantic tasks were moving at too slow a pace or
that democracy would prove incompetent and I'M
equal to a crisis calling for the swift exerton of
concentrated power. let him now mark the record
of the first session of the SixtyFfth United States
Congress and learn what loyal and marvelously
efficient force American democracy has proved
1t was on April the second of this year that
President Wilson in his epOch-marking message ad-
vised that the belligerent status which Germany
had thrust upon be accepted and that the nation
take immediate steps Ito exert all its power and
employ all its resources to bring the Government
of the German Empire to terms and end the war"
Just three days later Congress declared war and
launched promptly upon the vast work of making
America fightingIy effective Our land forces then
were mere handful as armies counted in this
world war The small body of Regulars, it is
true had no superior, for man; the National
Guard contingents recently back from the border
were creditable indeed far as they numbered;
and the excellent Preparedness measures passed
by the preceding Congress stood helpfully at hand
But as for actually raising an adequate army
and putting American forces at the front it was
necessary to begin at the beginning. And it was
for Congress to supply the means and open the way
How we'll and promptly that duty was per-
formed is witnessed by the fact that today have
approximately million men under arms, with mil
lions more registered for service and substantial
number OF perfectly equipped and splendidly eff
cient troops just back of the firing line in France
This remarkable achievement rests primarily upon
the Selective Service law, enacted May is, only
six weeks after the declaration of war. That meas
ure alone would have sufficed to make the recent
session of Congress forever memorable Think what
it meant for a nation whose people wholly
unaecustomed to war discipline and proverbally in
sistent upon individual liberties to step almost
without hesitation into a system of universal liza
biIity to military service! The United States Con-
gress did within six weeks what the British Par
lament took more than two years to do and what
the Canadian Parliament has but recently done
after three years of war participation True,
own lawmakers had the impressive experience of
England to profit by. but that in wise lessons
the fine independence and wisdom of their course.
None but a deeply thoughtful Congress, intensely
loyal Congress and a Congress inspired and sus-
tanned by the peoples will would have taken that
epQehal stride
The Selective Service act furnished the keynote
of the entire session The basic principles threshed
out in that all important piece of legislation served
as a standard and guide for subsequent measures;
and foremost among those principles was the
thought that the American democracy had entered
this war with an eye single to righteous victory.
Hence the test for measure and for every vote
became simply this Will it help win the war? Thus
the Food Control bill, unprecedented though it
and even radical in some particulars, passed
overwhelmingly because it would help win the war.
So too with the Espionage BILL the Embargo bill
and divers other comforting upon the President
powers incOmparably great. few Representatives
and Senators there were who opposed these essen
tiaI measures, contending that they were undemo-
cratic and hazardously dictatOral. But the rank
and file of Congress- like the rank and file of the
people thought more soundly and in effect more
LOYALTY The rank and file realized that in
ferring extraordinarily great powers upon the
President as the Commander in Chief of the Army
and Navy they were in no wise exceeding the
bounds of the Constitution, but merely utilizing its
potent spirit in wise abandoning the principles
of democracy, but merely making democracy equal
to a heroic test Every Government" said Alexan-
der Hamilton, Ought to contain within itself the
means of its own preservation" The majority OF
Congress fortunately perceived that Govern
ment. Constitution, does contain within itself
the means of its own preservation; and they wisely
saw to it that our democracy was made competent
and powerful to defend itself against German
autocracy.
II is not to be wondered that loyal Congress,
guided by this brOad-visioned principle and urged
by emergencies such as the nation never faced be-
fore moved swiftly and surely forward with its
work But the range and magnitude of its six
months accomplishments is truly marvellous. Con-
slider few of its appropriations nearly billion
dollars for the construction of air navy; nearly
two and a half and three billions for loans to
allies: billions for equpping. training and main
tanning the armed forces; many millions TO inaugu-
rate a system of insurance for soldiers and