Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-05
FRYES PLEA FOR AMERICAN SHIPS

I
The President of the United States is
nothing more than an elective trustee or
agent, chosen by the people to administer
certain well-defined and specific trusts for
them and as their representative.
The Burdens Of the once Increased.
| The successful administration of execu'
| tive authority up to the present time is due
to the efficient safeguards placed about it by
the trainers of the Constitution, and to the
| wisdom ana patriotism of those whom the
| people have from time to time invested with
| the powers of this great office. 1t has worked
| we'll for 100 years in the past but with the
extraordinary growth of the country the Ia
| bors of the office have increased, and this in
| crease has been in a direction which could
never have been intended by the founders
of the Government and which was hardly
known in the time of Washington and MS
| immediate successors.
Under existing conditions our future de.
| velopment as nation will tend still further
| to enlarge these burdensome features of the
office, and in view of the natural limitations
| of human endurance, and the capacity of
the human mind. unless some change is
| early character and to relieve it from the
unnatural growth OF later years, the time
| will come when the duties oil the Chief Ex-
| ecutive will exceed the capacity of any one
man to properly administer.
The Remedies That Are Proposed.
1t is not difficult to ascertain the remedies
| for this overwhelming increase in the duties
| of the Executive. The first and most obvi-
GUS remedy is either repeal or material
| modification of the act of 1886, already re-
ferred to.
The time is not far distant when, instead
of e5,OOO, we shall Rave 10000 postofflces,
and at the present rate of increase 10000 of
All of these should be devolved on the Post
master-General. If Congress will not repeal
the act, itinust at least limit its operation to
offices having higher compensation; or,
Presidential postmasters to more than four
years, since the appointment and confirma-
tion of l0,00o postmasters during single ad-
ministration would absorb the whole time,
not only of the President, but of the Senate
as well.
Further relief would be secured by the
general acceptance of the principle of direct
Responsibility Of heads of departments.
even in cases requiring the formal action Of
the President. 1t is within the power Of
the President in large measure to delegate
to his subordinateS the control of the de-
tails of the administration.
How the New System Would Work,
Under an improved system such as have
suggested, the President, upon all questions
of pardon. would act on the opinion of the
Attorney General Upon questions of less
important appointments he might accept
the recommendation of the head of the of
the department. in which the appointments
belonged, and leave him to bear the attacks
OF rival claimants. Acts of Congress would
be sent to the Secretary whose department
was affected directly by them. II lie recon-
mended that the act be approved the Presi-
dent would accept his iudgment-unleSsi in
the case of acts of exceptional importance
without fur her inquiry. In the less i'm
portant cases, it would only be where veto
was recommended that the President would
be called upon to make careful study of
the provisions of the act.
With the changes which I have thus
briefly indicated, the elasticity of the Presi-
dental office under the Constitution is ample
to enable it to meet all demands, however
great, that may be made upon it as a conse-
quence of our national growth and develop
Inent. All that We need to do is to cut ont
the extraneous growths which have
fastened themselves upon that office, and
restore 1t to those broader and higher fie Ids
of activity to which 1t was confined in the
days OF Washington.
Miller and Morgan Speak Next.
Attorney General Miller followed Mr..
Tracy, and his address, though read, was
we'll received. His address was more in
the nature of Fourth of July Grafton than
the others. Commissioner of Internal At
fairs Thomas j. Morgan next spoke, ad-
dressing himself to our Indian fellow
citizens.
The three great menaces to our institu-
tions are corruption, violence and indiffer.
ence affecting the ballot. To the two former,
public discussion shows that we are alive.
The last, however. is more insidious and not
less alarming. In some of the older COM
munities. notably in the great cities, a large
and growing class neglect all political
duties. Some think themselves too busy
some affect n lofty contempt for all public
affairs, while others, like Galileo. "care for
none of these things" Such men are no
worthily avoids any other debt or duty
They have apparently no conception of
their obligations as citizens and are un-
worthy of their high privileges.
The man won't do his part in public affairs
who won't vote-ought to be disfranchIsed.
If compulsory education is right why not
compulsory sutfragef Let the man who,
prived of the right to vote. BLESSINGS
brighten as they take their flight"
Free America, Debtor to Prosperity.
This would tend to bring him to a Just
sense of his opportunities and his obliga-
tions. When all our people realize the priv
ileges, the perils and the responsibilities in
cident to our situation; when they realize
that free America, as the heir of all the ages
is, therefore. debtor to all posterity, then will
il come to pass; that, hat esmulating en- the sages,
past, we will hand on the great inheritance
of our free institutions, not impaired
through our neglect, but enhanced by our
labors, to coming generations OF freemen.
The notable speeches ended with that of
Hon. William P. Frye, upon American
Shipping He said in part:
With the sea coast almost boundless, mag
nif1cent rivers, great harbors, splendidiy
equipped ship yards, inexhaustible mines Of
coal and iron, limitless forests enormous
wealth, an active energetic people, skilled
mechanics, q remarkable inventive genius.
we have permitted other nations, our in
teriors in all these regards, to seize upon the
highways of the oceans of the world.
The Protective Tariff Not Responsible.
What has brought us to this humiiating
position? ''The tariff" promptly replies our
Democratic free trader, who seems to think
that all reverses, all pains, short crops,
droughts, cyclones: indeed all the woes that
afflict our people. are properly chargeable
to that ''sum of all vilainies," that "robber
baron who eXtorts tribute from every pas
ser-by." How can this condition be charge
able to the tariff? "Why, it builds up a
Chinese wall around our country;" mo ma
tion will buy of us if we restrict their right
to sell to u.s."
This is simply absurd. and illustrations of
its absurdity are frequent. Take our trade
with the South and Central American
goods valued at $l20, 660825. and Of this
amount little over SM 100000 paid any duty
at all; 671s per cent came in free: 126 per cent
were dutiable. We were their best customer,
purchasing OF them twice as much as any
other country, admitting nearly all of their
goods free, and yet Great Britain buyinQ of
them not one-half as much as we, sold them
more than twice more.
in affirming that this industry has suffered.
not from protection. but from an entire
want OF It. Our coastwise trade emphasizes