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Show PEACE BY RESOLUTION. According to an Associated Press dispatch from Washington, tho foreign affairs committee of the house has no intention of reporting out a concurrent concur-rent resolution declaring peace with Germany, a plan proposed .by Senator Lodge, it being agreed that tho passage of such a. resolution would have no force or effect. As a joint resolution would require the signature of the president, that method of declaring peace will also have to be abandoned, because such a resolution is certain to be vetoed, and for the reason that it could not be passed over the executive's execu-tive's head. It is a doubtful expedient at best. The framers of the Constitution Constitu-tion deliberately denied to congress the power to make peace. In the convention of 17S7 there came up for consideration the report of a committee giviug congress con-gress the power to make war. The journal of the convention and Madison's Madi-son's notes of the debate show the following fol-lowing proceedings, the peculiar spelling spell-ing and abbreviations being preserved: "Mr. Madison and Mr. Gerry moved to insert 'declare,' striking out 'make' war, leaving to the executive the power pow-er to repel sudden attacks. "Mr. Sherman thought it stood very well. The executive shd be able to repel and not to commence war. 'Make' better than 'declare,' the latter lat-ter narrowing the power too much. "Mr. Gern' never expected to hear in a republic a motion to empower the executive alone to declare war. Mr. Elseworth There is a. material difference differ-ence between cases of making war and making peace, it slid be more easy to get out of war than into it. TVar also ia a simple and overt declaration; peace attended with intricate secret uegotiations. "Mr. Mason was agst giving the power of war to the executive because not safely to bo trusted with it, or to the Senate because not so constructed as to be entitled to it. He was for clogging rather than facilitating war, but for facilitating peace. lie preferred pre-ferred 'declare' to 'make.' "On motion . to insert 'declare' iu place of 'make' it was agreed to. X. H, no; Mass., abst.; Cont., no; Pa., ay; Del., ay; Md., ay; Ya., ay; X. C, ay; Geo., ay. ' ' On the remark by Mr. King that 'make' war might bo understood to 'conduct' it, which was an executive function, Mr. Elseworth gave up his objection and the vote of Cont. was changed to ay. "Mr. Butler moved to give the Legislature Leg-islature power of peace, as they were to have that of war. "Mr. Gerry 2ls him. Eight Senators Sen-ators may possibly exercise the power vested in that body, and fourteen if all should bo present, and may consequently conse-quently give up part of the U. States. The Senate are more liable to be corrupted cor-rupted by an enemy than the whole Legislature. "On the motion for adding 'and peace' after war: X. H. no, Mass. no, Ct. no, Pa. no, Del. no, Md. no, Ya. no, X. C. no, S. C. no, Geo. no." |