Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1920-05-07
KNOX CHARGES
PACT COERCION
Says Wilson Keeps Nation at
War to Force Ratification.
OFFERS A PEACE RESOLUTION
Declares He Entertains Only SYM
pathy for President in His Illness,
but That the Country Must
Have Peace.

Washington. May 6.-Opening. de-
bate on his resolution to declare the
state of war with Germany and Aus
uia at an end. Senator Knox, Penn
syIvania. declared in the senate that
President Wilson was arbitrarily
maintaining that the nation technical
~ was at war in order to coerce the
senate into ratifying the treaty of yey-
saiIles.
There was no excuse whatsoever
for greatly prolonging the war beyond
the signature of the armisdee." the
senator said, "and the only explana-
ton for so doing was the deliberate
aim to retain all those autocratlc COM
pulsory powers with which the exec
utive had been endowed for the prose
cution of the war in order that they
might be used for other purposes.
THE welfare and safety of the ma
ton iInperatively demand that we
know we have peace. The whole world
seethes with revolution. Our own ma
ton is in ferment and toll. Force and
strife are rampant and threaten the
destruction not only of our property,
but of our free institutions, and even
of our lives. And yet we stand, and
have stood for months, as a rudderless
ship laundering in the trough Of ire
mendous seas"
Sympathy for Wilson.
Declaring that he entertained only
sympathy for the president in his i'll
ness and sympathy for the country.
which must suffer under him because
of it," Senator Knox said it was an
unwelcome task, ito judge one who
has fallen in public esteem" He
added: The course of the president
ever since he cruised to Europe to
participate in the peace conference
leaves no chance for doubt that he
will continue hereafter as heretofore
10 thwart. so far as he is able, every
attempt on the part of the senate, the
congress or the people to take any ac-
ton Immediately or remotely affect
ing, in however slight degree through
change or modification, the provisions
of the treaty of Versailles as it came
to us fresh from his signature
Power of Congress.
The senator said congress had the
power to "unmake" any of its acts and
consequently had the power to repeal
the resolutions declaring state of
war with the imperial German govern
ment and with the Austro- Hungarian
empire
Supporting his contention that inter-
nationally the nation actually and le-
gally is at peace. Senator Knox said
that although America probably woul
secure practically all desires from Ger
many without ratifying the treaty of
Versailles, a supplemental treaty with
Germany should be concluded evils
dom requires the negotiation of sep
arate treaty between the United States
and Germany" he said, (which should
provide reciprocal rights and obliga-
lions between us and that country
alone"
Summing up his arguments that the
war was at an end, Senator Knox said
Il. The war is at an end by virtue
of the armistice of November II, 1918.
and of amendments and renewals
thereof, such arnistice being. in fact,
equalization ending hostilities by
virtual surrender of the enemy.
80. The war is at an end by the
silent cessation of hostiIities, which
concluded the war in fact.
"3. The war is at an end because
the government against which we
specifically declared war has ceased
TO exist.
Il. The war is at an end because
We. together with our associates, rego-
tiated sritn the people whom re had
been fgEting treaty Of peace which
provided that the war should terni-
nate and diplomatic relations be re-
suned when the treaty came into
force"