Evening star., 1921-06-24
Editorial Digest
A Referendum on Warf

One Of the resolutions introduced at
vention. demanding an amendment of
the Constitution which would turn the
! war-making power of the country over
to the people direct, with the proviso
that those who voted for war be drafted
first, has stirred up considerable un-
friendly comment in the newspapers.
] This resolution was yesterday rejected
by vote OF about three to two.
| To submit every declaration OF war
Ito the vote of the people and to COM
pei those voting for war Ito take up the
active prosecution of hostilities before
those opposing should be called upon"
IS another pacifist scheme" says the
Detroit Free Press independently. which
ments providing that "all public i'm
proVements must be paid for by the
people favoring them. and that all crimi-
| nal laws could be enforced only against
| those subscribing to them"
So far Congress has never declared
| war save in response to the expressed
views Of the majority Of the people,"
says the Utica Press independently,
| though 1t admits that cit Is physically
possible that it might be DONE" How
ever. the practical objections to a
| change In the present method are suffi-
cient to condemn it. "Probably a great
| many people would vote against going to
war under any circumstances" the men
| to save their skins and the women to
! save their husbands, the Press believes.
and further the red tape necessary to
| conduct an election might put on the
results until a foreign power could
bring Its battleships and land its
| armies"
| This same argument Is advanced by
| the Kansas City Times independently.
| which remarks that wars will not wait
on referendums." The Times agrees,
too, that Congress never has exercised"
the power to declare war without pop
ular mandate, and never would dream"
of exercising that power. AS to the
principle Of sending the ayes forward
| into battle first, the Times considers 1t
"a complete reversal of the principle Of
equality Of obligation upon which our
whole theory of government and democ-
racy rests"
The theory back of the resolution is
| Fundamentally wrong. the Savannah
| News (democratic) argues, and 1t asks,
concerning the order Of choosing the
| participants, "IS il not certain that all
the towards. all the selfish persons. all
| the non patriots. all the hidden enemies
of the country would vote against war;
| Granting that if the ballot were
given on this question Ito the people
of every nation there is no doubt that
| the possibility of war would be less
ened." the Omaha World Herald Gn-
d,pendenO still feels that under pre-
vailing conditions such a plan is ut
terly absurd" With an enemy ap-
preaching us the nation would be-
| come excited and confused as
crowd" with reason swept aside and
| feeling or impulse" dominating. "un-
controlled force or passion would in
evitably cast the decision"
| This same doubt in the ability of the
people TO make a sane decision is ex-
pressed by the Toledo Blade Gnde-
pendent republican,. which recalls the
case of the German socialists, who
| made a practice for years of grum-
| bling against armameD:S. against
| conscript:on, against drum beat ting
and bugle- blowing and the saber-
| rattling business Of militariSm," but
! who "anSwered promptly and en;hu-
siasticaiiy to the cal! for reserves
when the kaiser calmly proceeded
upon a war Of ineXcusable aggres-
| sion" II concludes:
| "A refere endum on war might be use
full in that it would put the RESPONSE
! bility for the resort TO arms upon the
people who must do the suffering and
| pay the bills. But il would not halt
| the making of war. The masses have
the same psychology as their masters
i or leaders
The FL Paso Times tdemocratic) is
even less patient with the idea for it
| declares that such referendum
! would serve no end but to put this
! country at a disadvantage in a clash
with another nation" Consider" 1t
says, what would happen in the case
Of war with Japan: While we were
we would fight the mikado would be
! occupying the Philippines, Hawaii.
tGuam and other strategic points. thus
! putting us at a fatal disadvantage"