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Show 'U Sc. fl Jj l!VES END 1 STATE Foreign Relations Committee Reports on Measure Calling For Peace With Germany SAYS "ADMITTED FACT" WAR IS AT AN END Indications Point To Solid Democratic Vote Against Resolution.. WASHINGTON, April 6. The majority ma-jority report of llto house committed on foroign relations regarding the resolution res-olution declaring tne state of war with Germany at an end was itroduced today to-day by Chairman Porter, accompanied by a special rule providing for nine hours' debate under which it will be taken up in the houso Thursday. The minority report, prepared by Representative Repre-sentative Flood of Virginia, ranking Democratic member of the commu-toe, commu-toe, will be introduced tomorrow. There was some debate in the House today on the peace matter during which it was indicated that tho Democrats Dem-ocrats would voto almost solidly against the resolution. Representative Venule, Democrat, Mississippi, attacked at-tacked tho constitutional power of congress to take such action, characterizing charac-terizing it as an attempted usurpation of the treaty-making functions, while Representative Mondcll, Republican leader, asserted that as congress had he .power to create a condition of war, L it had the power to end It. "Duty of Congress." The majority report recited a number num-ber of authorities on international law to support the committees contention that there were three methods of terminating ter-minating a belligerent status by treaty, by conquest and subjugation of one combatant or "by the mere cessation cessa-tion of hostilities so long continued that it Is evident that there is no intention in-tention of resuming them." It has become "tho plain duty of congress" to declare "tho admitted facts" that the war with Germany was ended, the report said. "There has been," It continued, "a complete suspension of hostilities on both sides without any intention of resuming them. Congress is clearly exorcising powers which are within Its constitutional rights in recognizing and declaring that the war is at an end. Ao, by the resolution of April C, 1917, congress officially recognized the fact that war had been thrust upon u ?, so now it becomes tho duty of congress to give official recognition to the fact that tho war is ended. Moreover, More-over, the general welfare of tho United States imperatively demands thqt all uncertainty upon this subject shall cease, and that the extraordinary war powers of tho government shall be v.i-cated'and v.i-cated'and set aside. Powers On Force. "Tho laws conferring extraordinary powers upon the president for the duration dur-ation of the war are still in full force and effect and constitutional rights still are suspended, Many of these laws are extremely drastic and could be justified only as war necessities, but since the war has, in fact, long since ceased, the justification for those laws no longer oxlsts. "Tho effect of this resolution on all of the war legislation Avill be precisely precise-ly tho effect that tho ratification and proclamation of tho treaty would nave had. Laws that wero to bo in force for tho period of the war would have ceased with the president's proclamation; proclama-tion; under this resolution they will cease with the date of its passage. On the other hand, laws that were to continue con-tinue in effect for a time after the 9 ratification and proclamation of the treaty of peace will continue in effect for the specified time after the passage pas-sage of this rosolution. The resolution, resolu-tion, therefore, has no effect upon existing ex-isting laws other than the effect that the ratification and proclamation of the treaty would have had." 00 |