The Saint Paul globe., 1904-12-31
WONDERFUL sELF-REsTRAINT

Secretary Shaw, like Warren Has
tings,- must be surprised at his own
moderation. He has actually consented
to wait to obtain the opinion of Attor-
ney General Moody before putting into
effect the ruling on the drawback on
wheat desired by the millers. We cannot
understand how gentleman who is so
thoroughly in harmony with the gen
eral policy of this administration of
making one man or set of men judge.
jury, prosecutor and executioner in the
same case could stay his hand when a
tempting opportunity offered.
Here is Mr.. Shaw thoroughly con-
vinced that he has the power to apply
the drawback privilege Immediately.
Here he is under conviction that he
can give to any law any Interpretation
that pleases him and make it immedi-
ately effective. Here he stands before
the country in a position higher than
the legislature and above the courts.
He says openly that If the attorney
generals opinion should be favorable to
his contention, he will stretch the
drawback privilege s'to cover other
commodities than wheat" 1t is really
astonishing that gentleman so dow
cred with privilege should calmly ap-
peal to the attorney general for any
opinion or authorization whatever.
Facts like these begin to make US
realize just how fast we are moving. 1t
would appear that Secretary Shaw pro-
poses to take into his own hands the
entire Interpretation and operation of
our tariff laws as far as they can be
affected by the drawback privilege.
The effect of this might be made very
wide. 1t could be applied to secure the
free entry of almost any raw material
whatever, to be used in manufactures
destined for foreign trade. 1t could be
used to put millions of dollars into the
pockets of some favored class, while
ton of the tariff tax. Certainly the ma
ton is moving at rapid rate toward
absolutism when such notion can be
seriously conceived by some OF the high
officers of the government.
AS We have said, we are amazed that
a man with such a conception of his
own office should wait on the attorney
general or anybody else. 1t is a piece
of good fortune for the country that he
does recognize any halting place in the
exercise of his imperial powers. He
now waits an opinion from Attorney
General Moody. The attitude of that
gentleman is wholly uncertain. He may
retain some respect for the statutes of
the United States and the powers of
congress, or he may follow the lines
laid down by this administration and
decide that the opinion of an executive
officer rises superior to the acts of the
people. If he should do so, if he should
authorize administrative officers to
construe laws absolutely contrary to
their plain meaning and the intent of
those who enacted them, then we shall
have passed pretty well away from the
regime of government by the people.
We are no alarmists and have firm
faith in the American people. Yet it
would be folly not to perceive the fam
ily resemblance between the present
policy and views of the administration
and those gradual assumptions of pow
er by exactly parallel means that have
cost the lives Of all the great repub-
lies in history, and masked the ap-
proaches of absolutism until it was too
late for the people to regain their pow
er without an effort which, through in
dolent neglect and the pandering to
their greed for money, they had lost the
strength to make.