Daily Kennebec journal., 1895-09-20
PRESS COM NJ EMS.
The Presidents Responsibility.
New York TT'bune.)

There Is growing cvidou o that the all
ministratlon is seriously considering
another issue of bonds. The Tribune
earnestly urges the President, for the sake
of tho welfare aud honor of our common
country, to revise most carefully such i'm
pressions as he may have formed. With
all due respect for his opinions 1t must
be urged that further i4sue of bonds
does not at present appear to be necessary,
or calculated to afford any permanent
benefit. The President well lknows that
it will be extremely unpopular with o
large proportion of his political friends.
He may rest assured that, for different
reasons, 1t will be most offensive to intel
ligent business men of all parties
1t is not yet proved, to the minds of
such men, that bond issue has any other
reason or excuse than to force upon the
country continued endurance of u tariff
which has by no one been more sternly
denounced than by the President who re
fused to sign it, and which, by falling to
yield enough revenue, has afforded con
elusive reasons for its modification which
the President did not fores,c. He cannot
avoid weighing this later reason when
Congress assemblies in December, for the
condition of the treasury and the need of
larger revenue will compel that Congress
to place before him some plan for relief
But 1t would be infinitely more worthy
OF his high trust, aud moro creditable To
him as u leader to meet at once and vol
unfairly the conditions he will be obliged
to meet next winter He has power either
to call Cong ress together, that it may pro-
vide relief without further borrowing of
money, or by formal announcement to
make 1t certain that he will not seek by
executive veto TO defeat such measures for
relief rs may be judged necessary by u
Congress fresh from the people
The President presumably thinks that
the revenue law which he refused to sign
should not now be essentially changed.
But large majority of the peoples rep
resentatives, eected within the last year,
think otherwise This Is government
of the people, and large measure of re
spect for their latest decision is always be
coming in the executive Yet in this case
far stronger reason for such respect
exists In the fact that the country is in n
grave difficulty, from which it cannot be
extricated except by legislation of some
kind. II the Congress recently elected
should pass next winter measures which,
in harmony with the latest elections it
judges necessary for the relief of the ma
tion, the President will have TO take tine
responsibility of all disastrous conse-
quences IT, resisting the latest expression
by the people, he defeats those measures
by his veto. Seriously considering this,
he must realize that he cannot afford to
bring disaster by refusing a remedy be
cause, though desired by the people, it is
not exactly the one he would have pre-
ferred
The same difficulty attaches to refusal
to call Congress together, in order that
some measure of relief, either by some
form of popular short term loan or by in
creasing revenue, may be devised. The
plain people are sure TO say that his Oh
stinate determination not to permit the
reoontly elected representatives to alter
criticlse or investigate his policy had nc
higher than partisan or personal motives
and was, in fact, an effort to defeat tbt
Will OF the people. 1t will even be sup
posed oy many that his own relation.
with prominent stock operators ane
hnanclers and bankers Influenced hin
more than any regard for the prosperit,
and honor of theacountry. The presiden,
simply cannot afford to incur such criti
cism. at the same time t,k,n, ali 49,, ra
sponsibility for consequences which ma,