The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-05-07

AOAf III AOAAh
National Capitol time. The Lud-
low proposal,
however, seeks to provide for a ma
tional referendum on the question
of any American declaration Of
war. The president can't declare
war now. 1t takes congress to do
so. Louis aim is to prevent even
the legislative body from going
farther than to submit the issue to
q popular vote.
OF course, the essential argu-
ment against either scheme is that
considerable time is necessary 10
conduct a countrywide referendum,
and that, in an emergency, there's
unlikely to be any time to spare.
The objection also is advanced
that the constitution vests the war
declaratory power in congress, that
it's a power congress can't divest
itself Of without an amendment,
voted by itself and ratified by the
states-mighty slow procedure and
maybe impossible to put through
at all.
Presidential Power
And can the president be forbid
den, by a mere act Of congress, to
employ our army, navy and air
force as he thinks best? No, he
can't declare war, but he can order
our soldiers, warships and aTators
to go wherever he wants them to
go and to start shooting, without
a declaration. Under the constitu-
ton, he unquslifedly is their
commander-in-chief. and their job
is to do exactly what he tells them
to do. So IL doesn't look as if his
authority can be limited without
constitutional amendment. To be
sure, we have neutrality law, but
it's more than doubtful that the
president can't consttutionally dis
regard it in pinch.
True, if the president hasn't as
many troopers and ships and
planes as he wants, congress can
refuse to vote him any more, or 1t
can refuse to vote him the money
to finance the ones he's got. New
ertheless, II he starts an actual,
though undeclared war, with the
forces and cash already at his
command, not many critics believe
congress will have the nerve not to
zee him through.
All the same, the six senators
back Of the referendum resolution
are hollering for action on it. It's
been tied up in the senate's foreign
relations committee, of whose
members a majority don't like it.
The seXtet, though, are determined
TO pry it out, for a ballot by the
whole chamber.
And that half dozen are a pretty
'ormidably scrappy group. It's in
.eresting to analyze them.
The Six Senators
They're Senators Gerald P. Nye
81 North Dakota, Burton X.
Wheeler Of Montana, Arthur Cap
per of Kansas, Robert M. La Fol-
lette Of Wisconsin, D. Worth Clark
Of Idaho and Henrik Shipstead Of
Minnesota.
Partisanly, they're a mixture.
Nye, Capper and Shipstead are
Republicans. Shipstead. however,
has been a Republican only since
the last election Previously to
that he was a Farmer-Laborite.
He topped, saying the Farmer
Labor management had fallen into
bad hands. Originally its policies
we're ultra-liberal. Henrik's views
are yet.
Nye, another ultra-liberal; was
star investigator Of the causes Of
American participation in the last
war. Following his quiz, he intro
duced his neutrality plan, to keep
US out Of the next one.
We were in very pacific frame
Of mind then and Nye's scheme
was enacted into law. It's been
modified since, congress and the
country having turned so sour on
totalitarianism. Enough Of it's left
yet, though, to bother our total
aid-to-the-democracies folk. Sena-
tor Capper's as all-around a lib
eral as there Is in congress, but a
remarkably temperate one, and
q paciflst 100 per cent.
Democrats Are Isolationists
Burt Wheeler and Worth Clark
don't confuse him with Bennett
Champ Of Missouri) are Demo-
Gratis. I don't think it's too strong
10 say that Burt's early record was
downright radical. And, my!-he's
an isolationist. He led the anti
lease-lend campaign.
Although, as Democrat, Wheel
er might be expected TO be pro-
administration, the things he's
said about its foreign policies are
caution to snakes. Worth Clark's