Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-05-05
KNOX PRESENTS
H|SARCUMENT TO
DECLARE PEACE
In an Exhaustive Speech He
Says Congress Has Power
to Unmake Its Acts.
INTERNATIONAL COURT
is URGED BY SENATOR
Asserts President Seeks to Retain
War Powers for Other
Purposes"

VIVA AVWCAS LUZ OLuST
Purposes"
Opening debate on his resolution to
declare the state OF war with Ger
many and Austria at an end, Senator
Knox. republican, Pennsylvania, de-
clared in the Senate today that Presi-
dent Wilson was arbitrarily main
tanning that the nation technically
was at war in order to coerce the Sen
ate into ratifying the treaty of Yer
sailles
There was no excuse Whatsoever
for greatly prolonging the war be-
yond the signature of the armistice."
Senator Knox said, land the only ex-
plnation for SO doing was the de-
liberate aim to retain all those au-
tocratic compulsory powers with
which the executive had been en-
dowed for the prosecution Of the war
In order that they might be used for
other purposes.
~Whole World seethes..
The welfare and safety Of the ma
ton imperatively demands that we
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 prop
erty. but Of our free institutions and
even of our lives. And yet we stand.
and have stood for months. as a rud-
derless ship, laundering in the trough
of tremendous seas
I'VE must not dare longer to de-
lay return to the order Of govern
ment OF peace: we must not hazard
a further postponement in turning
our undivided deliberations to our
homo problems. They are great
enough to tax the utmost wisdom
which We possess. AZ q preliminary
step the executive must be returned
to his peacs-tfme powers and prerog-
not question this"
Has Sympathy for President.
sympathy for the President In ,Iie
illness and "sympathy Tor the conn-
try which must suffer uuders him be-
cause OF it." Senator Knox said 1t
was an unwelcome task .tp Judge one
dS. wnS has s,sn in tR. s:S GnIr :.
thFsstsnsd the nattsn y must s. met
forSfronted and that ahe who ven
tured to intervene against the safe
and wise course nust step aside or
The courss Of the FfesidAnt ever
since he cfuised to tBpfops 70 pArtici-
pate In the peace confArence,- oontin-
ued the former S1cf etAry OF State.
leaves NO chance for doubt that he
will continue hereafter. - herstofere.
attempt on the part Of the Senate. the
Congress or the people to take any
action, immediate or remote. AFFECT.
ing in however slight degree.
through change or mobilization. the
as 1t came to us fresh from his sigma
ture.
tions. rights and duties OF positions.
oaths Of office as affecting the mem-
to bring into contempt. He has con-
1ured up every power within his do
nestle domain in his effort to compe,
this Senate to surrender Its Will ana
iudrment to him. to become the mere
automatons to register his mandate
to Approve this treaty in its last min
ute Of detail as he sent 1t to US"
Idle to Pass Resolution.
Senator Knox said 1t would be idle
to pass any resolution looking to the
immediate establishment Of peace that
did not contemplate the unqualified ac-
ceptance of the treaty il that resolu-
tion required from the President the
der to secure peace. He argued that
If any resolution was to be effective
it would have to be self-operative.
Launching into a thirty-thousand-
word discussion of his resolution. the
senator said Congress had the power
seauently had the power to repeal the
resolution declaring a state Of war
with the imperial German government
and with the Austro- Hungarian en-
pire.
dirArfAd 0RainEi
the imperial German government.
Senator Knox said that government
had ceased to exist and with 1t the
enemy named by Congress. He ar
gued furthes % that the nnac..d war: 50 1a1 r.s as
ended by the silent cessation" Of
hostilities.
Germany Comedies Capitulatf0n.
Supporting his contention that in
ternationally the nation actually and
legally is at peace, the senxror dis
cussed the terms and effect OF tho ar
mistice, declaring that by this docu-
ment Germany had conceded its
He contended also that
of the treaty Of Versailles
by Germany and the allies made peace
for the United States.
There Is everywhere outside Of the
United States itself, with all Of the
great powers. including ourselves
Isave only Russia), peace from the
recent conflict" said the senator. The
powers say 1t. the Germans say it.
Internationally. therefore. we are
at peace. Our late allies and Asso-
ciates say we are at peace. Our erst-
while enemies say we are at. peace.
Our national executive, with a stub
born irresponsibility. continues to de-
clare we are at war But as prac-
tical matter the only war which he
wages is against American cftizens
and American industry. With Ger
many he wages no war.
Having thus in law and In fact in
ternational peace. having nothing left
but a domestic status Of war created by
4 legislative declaration Of war, with no
hostilities heretofore or now existent or
possible in the territory over which this
paper status exists. it is not only legally
sound, but economically. morally and
necessary and indispensa-
BILE that we at once repeal the declAra-
tion Of war and 80 Immediately end the
iespotic war powers with which
administration con-
tinues to misrule this great people"
Opposes Versailles Treaty.
Reiterating opposition to the treaty OF
Senator Knox said 1t was al
most universally discredited. and that
the Senate reservations did not Ameri-
canize the league Of nations. but merely