Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-01
IL. S. AT WAR;
TILL SENATE ACTS
President Will Not Proclaim
Peace Until Treaty Is
Ratified.
RESTRICTIONS CONTINUE
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


The Senate of the United States is
today the most powerful institution
in the American government.
1t alone can say when many of the
wartime restrictions. including the
prohibition regulation which has just
gone into effect, can be removed.
A proclamation Of a state of peace
depends upon the exchange of rati-
ncations Of the peace treaty
Until the Senate has ratified the
peace treaty President Wilson will
not proclaim that America has emere-
ed from a state of war
Forecast by Mr.. Palmer.
This action is forecast by Attorney
General Palmer himself. AS the prin-
cipal law officer of the government
has rendered Judgment that it will
be unlaw fuI to trade with the enemy
until peace has been proclaimed. All
the penalties Of the trading with the
enemy act remains in force until the
peace treaty has been ratified. Like
Wt1e al OtHSt iuSAouEcS W tOBc pHTaBe-
ology would seem to Indicate that a
proclamation Of a state Of peace ie
necessary before restrictive provisions
are removed will be wiped OF the
statute books only when the Senate
itself has removed the single obstacle
TO Decentralization Of the peace
treaty which President Wilson is
bringing back.
Demobilize in Five Weeks.
In the ordinary course Of events
!, the present dry spell would end in
about five weeks. For It is esti
complete in that time. But to re-
move the ban on the sale OF liquor
requires proclamation that the war
has ended
If Mr. Wilson takes the position on
one subject that the state of war ts
not ended until ratiications have
been exchanged. he cannot very well
take another attitude on the same
question when applied to another set
of laws.
Having been advised by Attorney
General Palmer that a proclamation
of state Of peace depends upon the
ratification of the peace treaty. Mr..
Wilson is most likely to follow that
line Of policy. SO the Senate will have
to. bear the responsibility for any de-
| iASS lHCfUSHI 10 inc EaJlHCdtlOn Oh IHS
peace treaty. President Wilson 10 ex-
pected to tell the people OF America
that action by the Senate alone can
bring them all the fruits of peace and
particularly the removal OF all the re-
strictions unavoidably imposed by the
war
The situation with respect to pro-
hibitipn Is particularly affected by
any decision by the President to with
hold his proclamation of a state of
peace until after the Senate has act
ed. The law by which the entire
contains this language:
After June 80, 1919. until the con-
clusion of the present war and there
after until the termination Of de-
be determined and proclaimed by the
President Of the United States, etc,
it shall be unlawful to sell for bev-
efage purposes, ETC.
The trainers Of this law obviously
contemplated a situation N which
q treaty of peace would follow the
ending OF hostilities. and that con-
cetvably the armies would not be
demobilized until after the war was
formally ended. American military
demobilixed In the Spanish American
war until after peace had been signed
with Spain.
Mr.. Wilson would not now argue
that a state OF war between the
United States and Germany came to
an end with the armistice. for there
was no assurance on November IL,
| last. that hostilities would not be
recommended.
Indeed. two weeks ago, WREN 1t
seemed that the Germans might re-
| fuse to sign the treaty. preparations
were begun for q military advance
| by the American army Of occupation.
Germany 10 not obligated to carry out
her agreements, so far as they affect
the United States. until the treaty
has been formally ratified by the Sem
| ate.
Rehabilitation itself may end by
| the time most OF the countries in
Europe have made formal peace with
Germany. but technically the United
States government will not consider
the war over until the constitutional
powers Of the Senate have been exer
cised.
Copyright. 1872