Year: 1871

From Senator Schurz's Chicago Speech.l


1t was my lot, also, to oppose another
violation OF power for which there wa'
not even the excuse OF necessity.
mean the usurpation of the power tc
declare war on the part Of the Presi
dent in the San Domingo matter. l dc
not propose to speak here OF the policy
of incorporating tropical countries to
our Union. One word is sufficient to
explain my standpoint. The annexa
ton Of San Domingo would undoubted.
ly. in very short time. lead to the an
nexation Of all the tropics north Of the
lsthsmus OF Darien. This would cause
mixed population OF Spaniards, In
dian, and African, who have nothing in
common with US, and would give us a
territory in latitude where our system
of labor is not yet in vogue, and would
necessarily involve us in many difficult
ties, and lead to much military inter
ference and corruption of all sorts. We
would in addition to the South we now
have, and which gives US so much trou'
bic, have acquired another South under
even more favorable terms. Our power,
development and destiny are limited to
the temperate zone, and here must re-
main the centre Of gravity. The &C,
QUESTION OF the tropics would be like
the acquisition Of handsome dress in
tested with the smallpox.


propose to touch only the Constitu'
tional question, however. In the sum.
mer OF 1869 President Grant entered
into TWO negotiations with Baez, Chief
OF the Republic OF San Domingo, OF
which the acquisition Of the republic
was the object. In this measure, no
doubt, the President had the Constitu'
ton on his side; but none OF these
negotiations were OF any effect until
they had been ratified by the Senate.
Now, it was given out that the Repub,
lie Of San Domingo was in danger OF
invasion from the neighboring Republic
of Hayti, and that Baez, who had
reached his place OF power in San Do.
mingo, was in danger Of being turned
out through revolutionary movement
of the people.


Such a revolution would have seri-
ously interfered with the plans OF Presi-
dent Grant. What did he do2 He sent
United States men-of.war to San Do
mingo, under orders 10 protect Baez by
force OF arms against all enemies that
might attack HIM, whether from with.
out or within. In other words, the
President ordered the feet OF the
United States in given case, which he
assumed beforehand, to begin opera
tons OF war against a people with
whom the people Of the United States
are at peace; and he did this in the face
of the Constitution, which declares
Congress, not the President, to be the
legitimate war-maklng power. Senator
Sumner and myself took exception to
the act as an usurpation of one OF the
chief prerogatives OF Congress. Indeed,
the more | studied this question in all
it's bearings, the more deeply was | con-
vinced that through this act the Constl'
tuition was being violated in one OF its
fundamental principles and no prece,
dent could he found in the history ol
the United States 10 excuse this act OF
usurpaton. Let us look at this ques-
ton fairly. The power 10 declare war
is, by virtue Of the Constitution, lodged
with Congress and not with the Presl-
dent and Tor the very plain reason that
the peace Of the land should not be
made the plaything OF single lndlvld.
ual; that war, with all its sacrifices and
miseries, should not be brought upon
the people, except through decree of
the representatives Of the people. 1.-THE
Constitution, when it declares that
Congress shall have power to declare
war, means anything it is not SIM
pie iarce-then it means that the Pres
ident shall not have the power to declare
war, except Congress expressly empow-
ers him to do so. Itis selt-evident that If
foreign enemy should Unexpectedly
invade this country; should our men
Of war be attacked upon the open sea,
the right OF sell defense would demand
retaliation. But when no invasion is
in question and our feet has not been
subjected to an enemy's fire, there eau
be no talk about self.deiense; and il,
under these circumstances, the Presl-
dent takes measuree OF war in order to
take an active pat in the affairs Of
other nations with whom the United
States are at peace, and all this without
authority from Congress, then he as
sumes a power which the Constitution
expressly prohibits him from exercising,
a power which even no monarch OF the
old world possesses, not even the Emperor
OF Germany for even that potentate,
according to the new constitution ot
the emp re. cannot declare war without
the consent OF the Reichstag.


Should we concede to the President
this right, then, indeed, is the peace,
the prosperity and the happiness OF the
American people in the hands OF a
single man then is the United States,
in so far, a monarchy, and, in this res,
pect. one more absolute than the
mightiest in Europe, and this power


THE PRESIDENT HAS CsURPED.


Can a people who have freedom lg'
more such an act, let such an act 90 by
default? The argument with which
the friends of the administration sought
to defend this usurpation were few, pu'
sufficient to prove how hopeless was
such defense. That the President as
sumed a warlike attitude without the
concurrence OF Congress there is nc
denying and it is generally conceded
for the official documents are before the
country; bat it was said that il th'
President entered into any annexation
scheme with a foreign country, tb'
United States acquired certain righ
and title to that land, even though th,
negotiations had not been ratified b!


q - Il