Chapter 13

La Follette Speaks against the War - 1917

Summary
     In this chapter, set in the tumultuous days before the U.S. joined WWI, La Follette, a senator in Congress, goes against the rest of the nation and opposes American involvement in the war. It was a difficult position to take because so much of the country, including President Wilson, had suddenly become pro-war thanks to the German warfare on the seas that affected U.S. ships like the Lusitania, as well as the Zimmermann note. He quickly became "a national pariah" (212).
      On April 4th, Congress met to debate America's involvement in WWI. Many pro-war speakers delivered their speeches to thunderous applause, stating reasons such as nationalism and the protection of democracy everywhere, while few anti-war men spoke, explaining that it would simply "turn into a rich man's war and a poor man's fight," and that going into war without a referendum would not be democratic at all while Congress attacked them and called them traitors (213). Finally, in the late afternoon, La Follette took center stage and "dissected Wilson's case for war and defended his own actions" (217). He talked about all the other options they had, and how pointless it would be to go to war because the U.S. had nothing to do with the causes. At the end of his long speech, he acknowledged that he knew he would lose, but that "the sovereign power of the people never dies," and it would "have expression" again one day (218). He was again met with insults and abuse, and after the resolution passed and America joined WWI, he was criticized even more, but he survived. If only Congress had known the tragedy they were voting for at that moment. Maybe they should have listened a little more closely to La Follette.

Reflection
      I enjoyed reading about all the speeches the Congressmen made, because they each made sense in their own way, even the pro-war ones. I agreed with the opening speaker who urged that a nation would be forgotten if they let another force it off the seas, and securing the world's peace is an important matter, but something that really struck me was the "rich man's war" and "poor man's fight," because it does accurately represents all wars (213). It really is "idle to talk of war upon government only" (217). I liked when La Follette questioned if the U.S. democracy truly was impressive enough that they felt they should go help other countries with theirs.
      I didn't think they treated him very fairly; they weren't thinking reasonably, they were too caught up in the emotional pull. It's not right to hang a doll of him with "Traitor" written on it in public - I don't think he was a traitor at all.