The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-12-14
CRITICS OF THE PRFSIDFNT.

sAEH Ia aAAA AAAAA ~ faaaAAsAN
some quarters where we should last
look for unfair comments on the PresI-
dents message, or for covert santago-
nIsm TO his present policy, there have
been complaints that the President did
not lay before Congress his instructions
TO the peace commissioners and pro-
pose scheme OF government FOR the
philippines. Nothing could be more
unreasonable than this demand; moth
Ing would have been more Improper
than for the President to lay before
Congress the negotiations with Spain In
their then unfinished condition. or to
make recommendation regarding re-
probabilities that we shall assume II
treaty be completed in accordance with
the Presidents instructions, and II that
treaty shall be ratified by the senate,
and IL that ratification shall be made
effective BY the passage by the house Of
appropriate legislation.
It Is the prerogdtiye Of the President
10 negotiate treaties; they do not be-
come effective till ratified by the senate,
which has absolute discretion, and has
on more than one occasion ratified parts
OF a treaty and refused to assent to
other parts. If an appropriation Of mos
uey be required the favorable action OF
the house is also necessary. 1t Is an alb
surd suggestion that the President
ought to submit the unfinished negotia-
tIons 10 Congress, and It would not have
occurred 10 the most captlOus critic, but
for the fact that the beginning OF a ses-
sion II Congress happened to come
while the negotiations were in progress;
but this fortuitous circumstance does
not AFFECT in the least the law or the
proprlety OF the case.
When a treaty has been negotiated
the President viii submit It 20 the SELF
ale. II it shall require the appropria-
tlon OF $20.OOO.0OO the President VIII ex-
plain the necessity to the house, and
not I'LL then will there be anY occasion
for the Presidents discussing the sub
feet Of the acquisition Of the Philippines
and the proper administration OF them.
yUnseemly complaints are being made
that the President Is governing the
country without Congress; that he Is
committing the country to fixed poll
lev of expansion. But 1t must be adj
mitted that the President has tried TO
disposition Of the Philippines was not
settled by the protocol because the
President had not then taken public
sentiment. There ls reason to believe
that when the peace commissioners
went abroad they were without specific
Instructions on this head, but since then
the President and the cabinet who were
far from unanimous in August, have
reached a conclusion. which they have
every reaeon in the world for bringing
into harmony with public sentiment so
far as 1t can be ascertalned What else
should the President have done? Should
he have summoned a special session OF
Congress and asked It to agree on the
terms of peace to be proposed to Spain
20 be discussed and wrangled over Tor
weeks and probably months before the
demands of the United States could be
formulated? Not even In a republic
can diplomatic business be transacted
upon the town meeting basis. After
treaty has been drawn there Will be
ample opportunitS for discussion. ana
there Is precedent for rejection; further
than that the executive cannot take the
legislature into its confidence without
making the country ridiculous.
The complaints now made OF Presl-
dent Mckinley were made OF President
washington By the opponents OF the
Jay treaty and Of President Lincoln by
the radicals OF his party In regard 10
The recognition Of reOrganiSed state
governments. The President must have
a discretion and he must have couraae
10 use It; to assume the responsibility
md take the risk Of defeat in Congress,
Congress mag Overturn his action. but
he cannot walt to get Congress together
aud leave mdttets in Its hands While It's
members areitliscusslng and perhaps I'LL
clustering over question of the rela-
lions Of the nation to a foreign power
Newspapers that are showing signs OF
delnentin over the proposal to appropri-
ate the Philippines are printing alarm
ing dispatches from Washington about
the decreasing power OF the house OF
representatives and the absorption OF
power by the executive. including the
senate. There is no basis for this what
ever. All legislation, all appropria-
tons of money. require the action of
the house, and there is Just enough
jealousy of tine senate In the house to
make II quite certain that the house
will not vote anything merely because
the senate had done so. The house Is
not and never has beenbshy OF assert
ing Its prerOgatives and precipitating 4
deadlock with the senate. The senate
has been able to acquire b good deal OF
power over the President BY its right to
reject or confirm his nominees; the
constitution gives II a leverage upon
him which the house has NOT. But this
IS purely problem in civil service adj
ninlstration and has no bearing on our
foreign relations; no trace Of connection
with the negotiation of treaties or the
80 Gnntn
We should like TO test the good faith
OF these alarmists regarding the Presi-
dents use OF his prerogatiye. He used
Il last summer when he listened to the
overtures OF Spain and suspended MILL
tary and naval operations. Congress had
directed him to use the army and navy
for the expulsion OF Spain from Cuba.
When very little had actually been ac-
cornplIshed In that direction he discon-
tlnued the use OF the army and navy
and reso.ted to negotiations. VIII these
gentlemen pretend that the President
Ought to have summoned Congress to
consider the proposition to discontinue
the war and in the meanwhile nave
completed the conquest Of the Spanish
Islands? II he did not exceed his pre-
rogatlve In suspendlng hostllitleS he
hns not done so since.
When MS agents nave HebuthhVHu q
treaty he will. in nccordnnce Win tAe
constitution, ask the senate 10 ratiiy II,
and II the senate does that he VIII ask
the house to vote the money needed to
carry out the terms OF the treaty, and
in connection Herewith he will recon-
mend other legislation demanded by
Oh. acquisitions. II Is puerile impa-
titnco TO criticlse him for not being
premature.
An EntrrprISIng Druggist