Description:

William H. Taft TLS on War Powers & The Knox–Porter Resolution, Post WWI

2pp typed, measuring 8" x 10.5", New Haven, Connecticut, dated May 6, 1920. Signed "Wm H Taft" and addressed to Gus Karger at the Post Building in Washington, D.C. After leaving office, Taft continued to work against war as president of the League to Enforce Peace, which had been established in 1915. He writes here about his misgivings about Pennsylvania Senator Philander C. Knox's joint resolution concerning the end of the First World War, writing in part:

"…The theory that you can make peace by repealing a declaration of war is about as absurd as anything I know. The declaration of war leads to war, and that produces a status. The only way of ending that status is by agreement between the parties carrying on the war…I believe you can reach an agreement by joint resolutions passed by each side declaring peace conditional upon the other side's passing the same resolution, just as we intended to make our reciprocity agreement with Canada. And then you can have peace by silent acquiescence of both parties in a state of inaction so long continued as to raise the presumption of agreement…But his argument that we have made a treaty with Germany which accomplishes certain things and does not bind us to other things through the agreement of the Allies, seems to me to be ridiculous…" With flattened mail folds and uneven toning throughout. A few spots of foxing. Rust soiling and dampstaining at the upper left corner from removed paper clips. Small holes from where rust made paper weak. Boldly signed by Taft.

Following World War I, the United States voted against ratifying the Treaty of Versailles, and President Harding called on Congress to pass their own independent peace resolution, separate from that proposed by the Leave of Nations. Senator Knox introduced his resolution and it passed in the Senate in late April 1921. In the House of Representatives, Stephen G. Porter introduced a variation on the resolution, and after some delays in negotiations, the Knox-Porter joint resolution passed in Congress on July 1, 1921. President Harding signed it the following day, officially ending the U.S.'s involvement in WWI.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.


Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

May 26, 2021 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000