New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-11
GREATEST OF LOBBYISTS.
UNPRECEDENTED POSITION OF THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
HE Is USING THE ENORMOUS POWER AT HIS
COMMAND TO COERCE LEGISLATION -
TRANSMISSION OF TIE CoNsTI-
TUTIoNAL LIMITS OF HIS
AUTIIORIT'


TUTIoNAL LIMITS OF HIS
AUTHORITY
lBr TELEGRAPH To TIE TRrBUNr
Washington. Aug. 1.-The universal and
I anxious desire 10 know the worst that can
happen in regard to tariff eg;slaton-the cry
ing necessity for some action to relieve the busi-
ness and industrial int rests Of the country
from agonizing suspense that has lasted for
months and is costing the country millions Of
dollars for every day that it continues-has
diverted To great extent public attention from
/ one Of the most odous, and at the time
| wholly unprecedented. features OF the long
struggle that is still in progress The facts are
we'll understood and referred to daily In the
newspapers well as in conversations between
members Of either branch of Congress. and have
ceased TO become news or to excite general COM
ment The significance Of the facts is obscured
by the overwhelming anxiety and desire for
action.
That the President on the United States has
been ana is virtually playing The role OF lob
byist-a most powerful lobbyist-in behalf
Of the Sugar Trust. the Nova Scotia coal
syndicate and the Juragua and Sigua iron
companies seems To excite no surprise, and
yet it is an Overshadowng and omnous fact
/ All Tn" Influence that the combined forces of the
/ sugar Trust the Dominion Coal Company UIim-
] ltrD ana the Cuban iron companies could bring
! u bear upon Congress 70 procure favorable
| legislation was but as grain OF dust in the
/ balance compared with the weight OF the in
iluence that the President Of thu United States
/ could exert 20 cocrce such legislation through
/ his control and domination of the ajOrty Of
/ IN" Ways and Means Committee of the House Of
/ Representatives.
~ Intelligent; has misunderstood the
meaning Of Nh Clevelands letter TO Chairman
/ Wilson; II was not suggestion. but command
NJ intelligent IAN has misunderstood the purporI
D % q he an
/ conferences between Mr.. Wilson. who heads the
/ House conferrees and President Cleveland and
certain members Of his Cabinet. No attempt Of
Mr Wilson since the publication OF President
+ Clevelands letter of July to throw dust in the
eyes If intelligent men can succeed Everybody
knows what these daily and nightly conferences
are for. and il would be exceedingly difficult 10
max" any intelligent man believe that the recent
sickbed conversion OF Senator voorhees, was not
one of the fruits of these consultations In which
the Executive impressed his views and desires
upon The Chairman of the Ways and Means Com
mittee. and discussed plans TO sap the strength
of senatorial opposition and carry through the
medsur" near and dear to the Executive
heart.
HIS MOTIVES HONORABLE. 40 DOUBT.
Bat all this does not in the least Imply that
the President Of the United States is governed by
corrupt influences OF 10y any but 'he highest and
most honorable motives. He Is simply advocating
public policy which he regards a Of The nigh
est Importance and deslrabiity. and he Is not re-
spOnsiblc for the fact that II Is a policy which,
II adopted. Will be- Of immense pecunary benefit
To certain business enterprises in which his per-
sond and political friends and advisers happen TO
be engaged or Interested. No. as a lobbyist even
President Cleveland does not occupy the position
which certain Senators of the United States are
alleged 10 occupy - have occupied prior TO a
recent Investigation. He ts a lobbyist simply By
force Of circumstances. and solely because he be-
lievcs that certain articles should be placed on
the free list and a certain other article on the
dutahle list IN order 10 promote the public well
fare And Yet It is exceedingly unfortunate that
circumstances have placed Mr. Cleveland in such
a position. that H. represents party So bad
that h" coulc no' II he would refrain from doing
things that non" If is predecessors have ever
felt Obliged 80 do. or If he has - felt he has not
been constrained to parade his doing' before the
country.
Bat there is another aspect Of the case in which
the President ~ the United States appears -
even less advantage-one in which his attitude
and acts appear to be- utterly indefensible ana
iu opposition to the theory and structure of the
Government Unless Mr.. Cleveland's ideas OF
the functions and duties If the Executive nave
uu lergon" a radical change within the last .ew
years. say since he wrote the letter accepting his
first nomination for thu Presidency, his only pea
in defence e his repeated attempts 10 haN' ms
own views rather than the views of IN" majority
which controls the Legislative" department ~ the
Government enacted into law must be plea OF
necessity That Is a bad plea. and IN no degree
mstih.s lr even palllates his conduct whph ~
Undertakes to dictate and control the details oi
legislation through the majority ~ the Ways ana
Means Committee as he Is now doing ana as ne
was doing when ne wrote the letter dated july
10 rn' a ,,its ~ Executive power are clearly laid
/ down and defined In the CONSTITUTION oI 'hc
United states which the PRESIDENT Is S"yIn -
/ .nresorve protect and defend ana no pi'a VI
,ncassity can be accepted fOI n Uansgressloh py
hin, of The constitutional limits OF ms au'hotny.
~ tb.ra oyer was "A time when n" President
/ corl1 tr,narly or safely have avatieI himseIt "t
.,ch plea IL was during the dark years from
1861 r. 1865 when the very He OF the Nation was
- stake and the pressure Of circumstances at
mos, irrasistihle President Lincoln was ire
,u.n,lv embarrassed by the tardiness or indliier-
ono, y Congress In respect II measures NiiIC" He
flt :, m. ~ almost vital consequence 10 the wei
, FAR, Of the country. and yet one may sear'h 'ne
his,,rv Of that period most carefully ana thor-
oughlv and he will not discover SihSie i"S'i.n
I'm which Abraham Lincoln ever stepped ou's'u1
80, 49, h,,nds ~ his constitutional authority ana
moddlod or attempted u NEEDLE with leElSIaa'u"
"r sough, to interfere with the powers ana pferos
ativ.s ~ Congress. His recoininehua'ons W.
ft., ignored hv that body; often were !htl
norrcd and their force and effect impaired .!
I tha lawmaking department OF the "oVethllgn... t.
but ne never tried To set m his judgment asdins'
,h,t ~ q majority I'm Congress lie never en-
/ listed or tried to enlist the ala or tle lea.!"s
committee I'm one branch OF tha' p2hs IN III ,ri,,. {,
combat the leading committee 9t 'r @ 'i.s ~ 80
/ ,hn thor branch to the end that ms own 'ie"S
in regard to the details o legislation nlIen' o p.
vail who can imagine Abranaul i-.n,o',, In ,,r,,,n~
,,r1n~ the most severe stress OF the war: "H'i'';
~ the chairman Of the Committee u ways ai.n
Means such a letter as Grover N'eNeI''lI -,
to the chairman OF that comm ]Gom',',t ~, "details Of
July >. 1894 in order 10 ul''"'o ~
revenue MEASURE ~
po1.xD ny AN EXECUTIVE INJtNCIloN'
circumstances nnw are very ditfereh' lro'"
,vb,t ,hev were during the period ol MI LIN
| coir,s incumbency of the office OF President Inc
country is at peace. and all that the people DE-
mond Of Congress and the Executive ~ rest
from tariff agitation. II there must be legisia .'
ZION I'm order carry out the pitIscs va a. p w.
rs,,'r,,, ,h,t was framed and adopted when the
rrnuntry was at the highest ptch oil prospeIiHi
tt had ever known. the demand was tn"' ~
| should be speedily enacted in order tna' ti'e
,rnr.. being known business and industries
n,rbt revive If that should be possible unde, the
nnw enactment. What has happened NOT .ii.i @
neM ,h a,,n q, tariff bill had passed both houses
and was sent To a Committee OF Conference. nv t
HERMAN of the House conferrees attendeu .ns
orst meeting Of the Democratic conferrees pouiu %
| h, an executive injunction that vlrtuaiiS us us