The Days of a Man 1:1917 



As for the President, the progress of events, espe- 

 cially the wanton sinking of the Ancona, had irrevo- 

 cably pushed him farther and farther from his former 

 position. Of that he gave no definite outward sign, 

 however, the unavoidable breaking of diplomatic 

 relations not being necessarily a prelude to war. But 

 the Sixty-fourth Congress being about to pass out of 

 existence, he asked for virtually a free hand in deal- 

 ing with foreign affairs during the nine months which 

 would precede the convening of the next body, in 

 order to avoid the necessity of summoning it even in 

 a possible crisis. This request would have been 

 granted but for the opposition of a dozen Senators 

 Willful whom he characterized as ''willful," but who in my 

 Senators judgment were perfectly right, as under our Con- 

 stitution Congress must be consulted in any serious 

 international matter, and it alone has the power to 

 declare war.^ 



The President then issued a special call for April 

 18, a date soon changed to April 2. 



This month of March was a very eventful one in 

 my personal history. 

 Emergency Ou the Qth Came telcgtams asking me to go East 

 to advise with the Emergency Peace Federation, an 

 unendowed group then recently organized in New 

 York. The movement had its rise in "a sense 

 of the pressing need of deliberate, balanced, con- 

 structive discussion of the issues confronting our 

 country." 



Upon my arrival, March 17, it was decided to form 

 an unofficial commission to investigate possible 



'The "willful twelve" were Clapp, Cummins, Gronna, Kenyon, Kirby, 

 La Follette, Lane, Norris, O'Gorman, Stone, Vardaman, and Works. 



C 714 ] 



Peace 

 Federation 



