The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1920-06-07
MASON FLAYS WILSON
FOR MISUSE OF POWER
Executive Influence should BE Less
ened When Used To Prevent
Permanent Peace.

Washington, June CT wish to God
the President had some idea with re-
gard to limitation of executive powes,"
exclaimed Representative William E.
Mason, of Illinois, in defense of the
Knox peace resolution. He said:
This is the law that repeats the
war laws. This is what is wanted.
Ninety-five per cent. of the war legis-
lation ends with war. Ninety-fve per
cent. of the legislation, the drastic leg
islation under which your President
today is arresting men because they
anti work, ends with the declaration
of peace. We waited for the Presi-
dent and the Senate TO ra long year
and a quarter to make treaty oil
peace. We have now reached the time
when we are going to repeal those
laws: and, believe me, the Supreme
Court of the United States will say
that every one of those laws ended by
the declaration of peace by the Con-
gress fthe United States.
1.-THE gentleman says that by ac-
cepting this amendment we admit thai
there is some limitation to congress
sional power. wish to God the
President had some such idea with re-
gard to limitation of Executive power
There is a limitation of our power, II
is quite true. You can not negotiate
a treaty of peace, and neither can he
make a treaty of peace unless 1t is
ratified by the Senate. There is Il
Limitation of power. l am glad for my
party, if they have ever been guilty oil
forgetting the limitations of Legislative
and executive power, that we have
come back to the old lines of Ameri-
canism where, as plain American Con-
gressmen, we admit there is some lin
itation to legislative power. l wish the
President had been born with tha'
idea. If he had any idea of the limi'
tation of Executive power, he never
would have sent our troops into 81
IBERIA and northern Russia, there tC
fight his personal war for the collec
ito nof the debts of the people o
ancient Russia to the bankers o
France and Great Britain. If he hat
any idea of the limitation of EXecu
tive power, he would not keep the PEG
nile of the United States today, tn
women and children, paying taxes oil
their shoes and stocking in order t
maintain $1,000 men in Germany, afte
the treaty of peace has been rejected
We have no more business with on
troops in Germany than we woul
have with them in Great Britain. Ii
had the right to send them there afte
the signing of the armistice; he ma
the right to kee pthem theer after tn
signing of the ancillary convention !
June. 1919, year after the armistic
was signed Now, when the treat
failed of ratification that power ceased
He has absolutely no idea of the linn
tation of the Executive power we col
coded to him during the war. He no
seeks by the control of his party oil
ganization to whip you into line-an
YOU know ito carry out his persons
and selfish desire to continue in III
hands the power he had during tn
war.
DAY after day the Democratic sid
of the House in the last Congress an
in this has been the most subservier
fanny Congress that ever served
waiting for the White House to TAX
snuff before you would condescend
sneeze. You have an idea that 1t
your duty. / am not complaining c
you. but / beg of you not to complai
of me or my party when we, anxiou
for peace, anxious to answer the or
of a hundred million people to give Ii
peace, meet on common ground wit
Senators, agree to their suggestions
and carry out what the people of tn
country want a declaration by tn
war-making power that we are
peace"