Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1941-07-17
Plead For Advisory
Referendum On War


President Roosevelt on May q,
the Minnesota organization of the
Women's International League
for Peace and Freedom dis
patched letter of protest to the
President. The letter signed
by Mrs. Hugh B. Wilcox of Min
neapolis, president of the organi-
zation, copies of which were sent
to all Minnesota members of Con-
gress, referred to the surrender to
fear and the danger of undeclared
war without an advisory referen-
dunn.
The letter to President Roose-
welt follows:
We, the official representative OF
the Minnesota State Branch of the
Women's International League for
Peace and Freedom, have listened
with grave apprehension to your
momentous address of May q to the
whole western hemisphere We fol-
lowed closely your analysis of the
world crisis and your appeals to vari-
Gus sections of the population, not
only in this great country but in the
other American nations, to accept
your analysis and with it your pro-
clamation of an unlimited national
emergency"
Nevertheless, we maintain our dem
ocratic right to differ with your an
alysis and to protest your proclama-
ton which, no doubt, automatically
invokes the almost unlimited emer-
gency powers which Congress has
been persuaded to surrender to you
This action of the Congress was in
deed surrender to fear. We believe
it almost amounted to betrayal of
democracy itself.
One power, however, the Congress
could not surrender-its constitu-
tional power formally to declare war.
We regretfully note these indications
that you may possibly contemplate
undeclared war:
After asserting "Our Bunker Hill
of tomorrow may be several thousand
miles from Boston" and describing
how "our patrols are helping now to
insure delivery of the needed sup
plies to Britain" you promise Gall
additional measures necessary to de-
liver the goods will be taken" Surely
patrols as we'll as conveys mean
shooting and shooting means war.
After Internationally reasserting
the ancient American doctrine of
freedom of the seaS"-the same doc
trine which drew us into the Ma
poleonic wars and into the first World
war-you confidently proclaim that
1--WE in the Americas will decide for
ourselves whether, and when, and
where, our American interests are at
tackled or our security threatened
This may satisfy some who still re-
member that the 1910 Democratic
party platform pledged eve will not
participate in foreign except
in case of attack" but it does not
satisfy us nor, we believe, will il
satisfy the rest of the SO per cent
of Americans who are opposed to
the United States entering this war
In view of these considerations we
demand that Congress reassert its
function as spokesman for the people
by passing Senate Concurrent Re-
solution No. 7. This resolution pro-
vides for an advisory referendum by
the people before Congress shall
authorize or support by appropria-
ton, the use of the land, naval or
air forces, outside the Western hemi-
sphere or the Territorial possessions
of the United States. Such a referen-
dunn should make impossible support
by Congress of an undeclared war.
In conclusion we wish to quote, as
representing a truly statesmanlike