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The Commoner
JAtfUART, 1916
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'Bills Prohibit Passenger Traffic oil
Belligerent Vessels
Senator Gore of Oklahoma introduced the fol
lowing two hills in the United States senate, Jan
uary 5, 1916':
"A bill t(S. 3033) to prohibit the issuance of
passports for use on the vessels of a belligerent
country.
"Be it enacted, etc., That any American cit
izen or other person entitled to receive a pass
port under the laws. of the United States, at the
time of making and verifying an application for
passport shall also make oath, under such rules
and regulations as the secretary of state may pre
scribe, to the effect that he will not during the
time for which such passport is issued or renewed
travel or accept transportation as a passenger
on the vessel of any foreign country or power
which shall be at the time in a state of war.
"Sec. 2. That when a state of war exists be
tween any two or more foreign powers or coun
tries, no passoprt shall be authorized or issued
by the secretary of state, or by any person act
ing for or under him, to any citizen of the United
States, or to any' person owing allegi
ance to the United States, until
such citizen shall have made oath,
as prescribed in the preceding section, that he
will not during the time for which such passport
is issued or renewed travel or accept transporta
tion as a passenger on any vessel of any foreign
power or country which is at the time in a state
of war.
"Sec. 3. That any such citizen or person
falsely making the oath provided for in the first
section hereof, or who having taken such oath
shall travel or accept transportation as a passen
ger on any vessel of any such belligerent power
or.-couutry during the time for which such pass
ppr,t was .issued or renewed, except in case of
shipwreck, or ptherdistresa at sea, shall be guilty
qf, a. felony and upon conviction thereof-shall be
punished by a fine of not less than $1,000 nor
more, than $5,000, or by imprisonment for not
less than one year nor more' than five years, or
Tjoth.
"Sec. 4. That no person owing allegiance to
the United States who shall travel or accept
transportation as a passenger with or without a
passport on the ve'ssel of any country or power
Which is at the time in a state of war shall be
entitled to the protection of this government.
"Sec. 5. That any employee or officer of the
United States whose term cf office is not fixed by
the constitution thereof who shall be convicted
of violating the provisions of this act shall, in ad
dition to the penalties above described, be re
moved from office or from the public service.
"Sec. 6. That the President shall have the
power by proclamation, whenever in his judg
ment the public peace, interest, or safety will not.
be jeopardized thereby, to suspend the operation
of this act as to the vessels of British Honduras
nlying exclusively between that country and the
United States, and the vessels cf the Dominion
of Canada plying exclusively between ports and
places in the Dominion of Canada and ports and
places in the United States, and he shall have
power to revoke such proclamation whenever the
public peace, interest, or -afety require it.
Sec. 7. That all acts or parts of acts in con
flict herewith are hereby repealed, and this act
shall take effect 15 days after the date of its ap
proval by the President.
"A bill (S. 3034) to prohibit belligerent vessels
from transporting American citizens as passengers
to or from ports in the United States, and to pro
hibit American and neutral vessels from trans
porting American citizens as passengers and con
traband of war at one and. tha same time.
"Be it enacted, etc., That it shall not be lawful
for the master of any vessels of any foreign coun
try which is in a state of war, to bring or trans
wort from any port or place in a foreign country
to any port or place in the United States any
passenger -who is a citizen of the United States,
or to receive, accept, or transport from any place
or port in the United States to any port or place
in. any foreign country any passenger who is a
citizen of the United States, except when such
passenger or person has been rescued from ship
wreck or distress at sea. No vessel the master
of which has violated the provisions of-this sec
tion shall be entitled to enter or to clear in any
nort or nlace in the United States during the con
tinuance of such war, and the master of any ves
sel violating the provisions of this section shall
be guilty of a felony, and upon conviction there
of shall be punished by a fine of not less than
$2,000 nor more than $5,000, or by imprison
ment for not less than one year nor more than
five years, or both.
"Sec. 2. It shall not be lawful for the mas
ter of any vessel of the United States or for the
master of the vessel of any neutral country,
while -carrying or transporting as a part of such
vessel's cargo, any article defined as contraband
of war by this act consigned or destined to any
country which is in a state of war, to take, re
ceive, or transport any passenger who is a cit
izen of the United States from any port or place
in the United States to any place or port in any
foreign country, or vice ersa, and the master
of any vessel violating the provisions of this sec
tion shall bo guilty of a felony, and upon con
viction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not
less than $2,000 nor more than $5,000, or by
imprisonment for not less than one year nor
more than five years, or both.
"Sec. 3. Any citizen of the United States who
comes into any port or place of the United States
as a passenger on the vessel of any foreign coun
try which is in a state of war, except in case of
shipwreck or distress at sea, or who shall em
bark in any port or place of the United States on
any such vessel bound for a port or place in any
foreign country, shall be guilty of a felony, and
upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a
fine of not less than $1,000 nor more than
$5,000, or by imprisonment for not less than one
year nor more than five years, or both.
"Sec. 4. It hall not be lawful for any cit
izen of the United States to embark in any ves
sel of the United States or in any vessel of a peu
tral country in any port or place of the United
States bound for any port or place in any foreign
country with knowledge that any part of such
vessel's cargo consists of contraband of war con
signed or destined, directly or indirectly, to any
port or place in any countrv which is in a state
of war. Any person violating the provisions of
this section shall be guilty of a 'misdemeanort
and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by
a fine of not less than $500 nor more thou
S2.500, or by imprisonment for not less than six
months nor more than two vears, or both.
"Sec. 5. The amount of the several fines and
penalties injposed by any section of this act upon
the master of any vessel carrying or bringing any
of said passengers, citizens of the United States,
for any violation of the provisions of this act.
shall be liens upon such vessel, and said vessel
may be libeled therefor in any district court of
the United States where such vessel shall arrive
or depart.
"Sec. C. For the purposes of this act contra
band of war shall comnrise and consist of the
following articles, to wit: Arms of all kinds, in
cluding arms for sporting purposes, and their
distinctive component parts; projectiles, charces.
and cartridges of all kinds, and their distinctive
component parts; powder and explosives special
ly prepared for use in war. gun mountings, lim
ber boxes, limbers, military wagons, field forces,
and their distinctive component parts; clothing ,
and equipment of a distinctively military char
acter; saddle, draft, and pack animals suitable
for use in war; articles of caran equipment and
their distinctive component parts: armor nlates;
warships, including boats and their distinctive
component narts of such a nature that they can
only be used on a vessel of war: imnlements and
apparatus designed exclusively for the manufac
ture of munitions of war, for the manufacture or
renair of arms, or war material for use on land or
sea .
"Sec. 7. The secretary of commerce shall
have power to prescribe and enforce suitable
rules and regulations as to the entrv, clearance,
and manifests of said vessels, nr other matters
nncessnry to carry into effect the provisions of
thta net.
"Sec. 8. All acts or parts of acts in conflict
with this act are hereby repealed.
THE BILLS EXPLAINED
- Senator -Gore made the following explanatory
remarks after the introduction of the above bills:
Mr President, the two bills just introduced
seelc to accomplish the following objects: First,
to prevent the issuance of passports for use on
belligerent ships; second, to withdraw protection
from American citizens who persist in traveling
on tho vessels of belligerents; third, to prevent
belligerent ships from entering or clearing in
ports of the United States if they transport Amer
ican citizens as passengers to or from such ports;
fourth, to prevent American vessels and neutral
vcbscIs from transporting American citizens as
passengers and contraband of war at one and the
same time upon ono and the same voyage. '
Under existing laws, both national and Inter
national, every American citizen has the legal
right to travel upon any passenger vessel that
sails the sea. Ho has the legal right, not tho
moral right, to run the risk of involving this na
tion In war and entailing the sacrifice of millions
of lives and billions of tronsure. So long as tills
legal right exists It must be defended by our gov
ernment at whatovor cost. We can not suffer
the rights of our citizens to be invaded or vio
lated with impunity. Only the government of the
United States can withdraw or suspend this
right without the forfeiture of our prestige and
self-respect. I believe the government should
suspend this right. No single citizen should bo
allowed to run the risk of drenching this nation
in blood merely in order that he may travel up
xm a belligerent rather than upon a neutral ves
sel. We have a statute now which provides that
under certain circumstances an American citizen
expatriates himself and under other circum
stances ho forfeits tho right to tho protection
of the government. These precedents Justify th'e
proposed legislation. During the Busso-Japan-eso
war Great Britain ordered her subjects not
to travel on belligerent ships.
We ordered American citizens to leave Mexico,
to leave tholr homes, their business, and their
property. If any American citizen, without re
gard to his own safety and the safety of his coun
try, persists in traveling upon belligerent Instead
of neutral vessels, the government should ordeV
him to stop or else oblige him to go at his peril.
This action voluntarily taken by our government
would not bo incompatible with national honor.
To this extent at least pride and patriotism
should take counsel of prudence.
The other bill suspends the right of belligerent
vessels to enter or clear if they persist in trans
porting as passengers citizens of tho. United
States and denies clearance alike to American
and neutral vessels if they seek to transport
American citizens as passengers and contraband
of war as defined by the declaration of Londbn
at one and tho same time.
Reasoning Without
Logic
The Washington Post, quoting an argument
made in favor of preparedness, says that the fal
lowing sentences sum up "The whole moral ar
gument for preparedness."
Here are the two sentences so highly recom
mended: "So long as right and wrong exist in
the world, there will be an inevitable conflict be
tween them. The rightdoers must be prepa-ed
to protect and defend the right as against the
wrong." The conclusion which the Post draws
from the language is not a necessary conclusion.
It is simply an opinion: and it does not prove
that the contest between right and wrong must
be fought out by physical force. There was a
time when differences between individuals were
fought out, but now they are settled by courts;
it is not now necessary that each individual shall
go about armed and prepared to protect and de
fend the right as against the wrong. Every ptep
in human progress is a step away from contests
fought on the brute level. Why, then, should
anyone believe that war and preparations for
war must go on forever?
It-is true, as the Post says, that the claims to
Universal Brotherhood are not everywhere rec
ognized; that all racial prejudices are not abol
ished; that self-control can not be regarded as
absolute. But the world has made progress to
ward peaceful settlements, and our country has
led in tho peace propaganda. There is every
reason, therefore, why this nation should uofc
abandon its ideals and turn back to slaughter
house methods. ' -
W. J. BRYAN.
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