Congratulations are in order in respect of Senator Lee of Utah, who is now calling for bringing back into use the little discussed constitutional war power known as the letter of marque and reprisal. These letters, granted by Congress, are in effect licenses for private individuals to conduct war on behalf of the United States. It’s Senator Lee’s idea that they are a perfect instrument to deploy in this era of drug cartels and asymmetrical warfare.

We agree. The Sun has been one of the few, if not the only, newspaper to endorse the use of letters of marque and reprisal. They are the second war power granted to congress in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution. That section grants Congress such powers as to declare war, raise an army, provide and maintain a navy, and “grant letters of marque and reprisal.” We granted letters of marque against the Barbary Pirates, back in the day.