Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-10-17
Executive UsurpatlOn
G. w. JOHNSON, Sec'y.

Major J. A. Randle, general mana
| ger of the Monterey and San Catalina
Railway, writes that the action of the
Harrison administration in overruling
! the law of 1883, which puts lead-bear-
ing silver ore on the fire e list, will "de-
stroy millions of dollars worth of
trade with Mexico and force that coun-
try to go to Europe for supplies" "All
the railroads of Mexico except one."
he continues, ARE owned and operated
by Americans; and nine-tenths of the
mines are controlled by Americans.
With millions of dollars invested in
these enterprises, they are forced to
abandon their own country and to car
ry the great and growing trade of Mex
leo to Engls
President Harrison is directly an
swerable for these ruinous results, the
more SO because they follow an at
tempt on his part to usurp the law
making power that the Constitution
vests in Congress only.
The country already knows how in
decent was this usurpation in the
Pension Office. 1t has been not less
indecent in the Treasury Department,
though there it is not SO generally un-
derstood because the technicalities of
the tariff are less readily yapprehended.
For the sake of his "polcy," the Pres
ident is attempting to take from the
free list articles placed there by law,
and to impose on other articles higher
taxes than are imposed by law.
This is usurpation; not the less
usurpation because the new legislation
Executive Department attempts to
enact is called by it an ''order" or u
"ruliDg' instead of a statute.
That it is attempting in this case
to enact new legislation, imposing tax
es not imposed by law, is shown con-
clusively by the fact that the Repub-
last year proposed to enact as law tho
very "policy" the president ia now
pursuing. In the fiftieth Congress
Senator Edmunds reported that the
act of 1883 exempted from taxation
ores 10 which the value of the silver or
gold was greater than the value OF the
lead. There never was any doubt OF
the meaning of the law, aud in re.
sponse to the demand of a syndicate Of
speculotars who wish to corner lead
in this market, the Senate last year
proposed the repeal of the clause ex-
empting such ores from saxation. The
amendment to this effect failed, but
Mr.. Harrison, coming into the Execu-
tive Department, usurps power to re-
peal this clause of the law of 1888 by a
Treasury "order."
In attempting in the case of pensions
to overrule and suspend old laws and
to enact new ones to fit his "policy" he
learned that public federation of any
such policy has limits which are soon
reached, and he will be forced to learn
the same lesson when he attempts to
alter. enact or repeal taxation laws at
bis pleasure. If he continues this pol
icy he will invite Impeachment. He
must change it. He cannot rely for
immunity in usurpation on the fact
that the present Congress is Republi-
call. His policy will soon change the
complexion of Congress, and while no
one in the Democratic party wishes
him to force an issue of the executives
power to change existing laws by
construction, his policy is too
dangerous to be tolera ble. He must
call halt in the Treasury Department
as he has been obliged to do in the
Department of the Interior. He must
adapt his "policy" to the laws. To
attempt TO adapt the laws to his "poli-
cy', is usurpation Of the iaw-makipg
power that can bring nothing but dis
aster to the country and ruin to his
administration.-Re