The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-16
nncon,r Convincing Areumcnt.


In some of the newspapers. notably those
which favor the recognition of the indie
pendence OF the Cubans, Senator Blooms
speech on Tuesday against the position
taken by Secretary Olney, that the power
TO recognize the independence of the Gu
bans is in the President is. in fact solely
an executive function, is described as
strong, able and convincing.
Senator Bacon is a man of ability and
is well qualified to make strong and
able speech on the question as to whether
it is the function of the President or Of
congress to recognize a new state but
we question very much whether he is cap
able Of making n convincing speech in
support OF his position that it is the ex-
elusive function OF congress to recognize
a new state
We have not yet seen the whole of Sen
ator Bacon's speech, but we are free to
say that the parts we have seen do not
justify the statement that his speech
against the position taken by Secretary OIL
ney was convincing. We have seen
enough of it, however, TO lead us to be-
lieve that. however certain he is that the
President ought not to have the sole right
to say whether or not a new state shall
be recognized, he is not so certain that the
President hasn't that right
Among other things, Senator Bacon is
quoted as saying that if the President had
the sole power of recognizing or refusing
to recognize a new government, no mon
and that there is not to-day a constitu-
tional monarch that Yields such power.
But because it is a great power, which
is claimed to belong exclusively to the
President, it doesn't follow that he hasn't
that power Therefore it is not an ar
gument to assert that the President hasn't
the power because it is greater than any
power exercised by any constitutional
monarch. The question at issue is not
whether the power is greater than the
President ought to have, but whether he
has it. Secretary Olney states as a fact
that the President has it, and he cites
numerous presidents to sustain his posi-
ton. Senator Bacon says he hasn't 1t, be-
cause it is a greater power than any con-
that Senator Bacon's argument isn't a
convincing one, however strong ana able
it may be.
No bill can pass the House unless the
speaker is willing it shall pass. That is
a great, an extraordinary power. Senator
Bacon would probably argue that the
speaker hasn't any such power, because
he ought not to have it, and because it
is greater than that exercised by the
speaker of the parliament of any consti-
tutional monarchy. But. as a matter of
fact, the speaker does have it. He ap-
points the committee on rules, of which
he is member, and that committee makes
only such rules as he desires. A bill can
not be called up unless he recognizes some
member for that purpose. If he refuses
to recognize anybody, that settles the fate
of the bill for the time being.
big delegation of members of the
House went to Speaker Reed the other day
and asked him to permit the Nicaragua
canal bill to be called up. He declined the
request, saying that other bills had been
given preference over it. That bill will
not be called up unless the speaker
changes his mind in regard to it,
No, we do not see that Senator Bacon
made a convincing argument to the effect
that the President hasn't the sole power
to recognize a new government. He may
be able to do so if he can find that the ma
jority of the precedents sustain the posi-
ton he holds. lie hasn't done that yet.