101
Press Releases, vol. XVIII, p. 99
President
Roosevelt to the Speaker of the House Of Representatives (Bankhead )
WASHINGTON, January 6, 1938.
MY DEAR MR. SPEAKER:
In response to your request for an expression
of my views respecting the proposed resolution calling for a referendum vote as
a prerequisite for a declaration of war, [38] I must frankly state that I
consider that the proposed amendment would be impracticable in its application
and incompatible with our representative form of government.
Our Government is conducted by the people
through representatives of their own choosing. It was with singular unanimity
that the founders of the Republic agreed upon such free and representative form
of government as the only practical means of government by the people.
Such an amendment to the Constitution as that
proposed would
[38] "Resolved by the Senate and House of
Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled
(two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That
the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the
United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as a part of
the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the
several States.
"ARTICLE
"'SECTION
1. Except in the event of an invasion of the United States or its Territorial possessions
and attack upon its citizens residing therein, the authority of Congress to
declare war shall not become effective until confirmed by a majority of all
votes cast thereon in a Nation-wide referendum. Congress, when it deems a
national crisis to exist, may by concurrent resolution refer the question of
war or peace to the citizens of the States, the question to
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DOCUMENTS
cripple any President in his conduct of our foreign relations, and it
would encourage other nations to believe that they could violate American
rights with impunity.
I fully realize that the sponsors of this
proposal sincerely believe that it would be helpful in keeping the United
States out of war. I am convinced it would have the opposite effect.
Yours very sincerely,
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT