Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1904-10-27
EXECUTIVE USURPATION.
Mt in a Republican Congress TO Oppose
a Republican Prssid ut.

Secretary of War William II. Taft,
speaking Tor the Administration at the
Union League Club meeting on Thurs
day night, quoted from Judge Parker's
letter of acceptance this, and proceeded
to criticise it:
ALREADY the National Government
has become centralized beyond any
point contemplated by the trainers of
the Constitution. How tremendously
all this has added to the power of
the President! 1t has developed from
year to year until it almost equals that
of many mOnarchS."
Then Secretary Taft has this COM
ment TO make:
In what respect does the Executive
to-day exercise any more power than
he did in the time Of Washington and
Jefferson? 1t may be that the PreSi-
dent of the United States exercises
more power under the Constitution
than many monarchs. If this is true
to-day, it is because the Constitution
builders put the instrument into force.
But if it were otherwise, if there has
been an encroachment by the EXecu-
tive on the legislative and judicial
branches of the Government, why does
not the Judge point out where these
usurpations are, so tha4he may prom
Use to the people that urder his admin
istration such usurpatiSns will not be
cOntinued!'
Again continues Secretary Taft:
The possibility of III proper limita-
ton of executive poweYby Congress is
real, but the danger that the Executive
will usurp the functiohs of the Legis-
lature is mere hObgoblin, because the
Legislature has always at its command
that which in ENGLAND won from the
most arbitrary kings liberty for the
peOple-the power over the pubic
purse. Mere inaciion by Congress
would render the President powerless.
Judge Parker'S assertion as to the
Capitalization of power in the Govern
ment is most abundantly warranted by
abuses too VIGOROUSLY patent to need
specification. Not a few adminiStra-
tons have seen this question under dis
cussion in Congress, ands before the
people on the hustingS. 1t is by no
means a new question. 1t was last
most seriously debated during the adj
ministration Of President Grant. New
I'll UelOIS INC HtSs>tloAi VI >Ni'. Ga
iZation of power assumed so grave an
aspect as under the administration
Of Mr.. Roosevelt. Since the day he
took the oath of office. after the death
of William Mckinley, Theodore ROose-
welt has bent every energy OF an eX-
ceptiOnalIy energetic nature to pre- mot-
ing his own succession, and in the pur-
suit of that object he has time and
again transgressed the legitimate
sphere of his executive functions.
Mr.. Taft was in the Philippines
when Mr.. Roosevelt was bossing his
Republican Congress. and there were
things about Congress he didn't see.
There were Republicans in that Con-
gress who several times evinced symp-
toms Of revolt, but the power of the
Executive was quickly brought mo
play and the would-be party recalci-
trants were incontinently whipped into
line.
1t is the veriest idle twaddle to speak
in this connection of the Legisla-
ture" having the power to make the
Executive powerless. What is the pow
err Of the Legislature worth so long as
It is uneXercised when it most needs to
be exercised! Dlu hepuDlicdi IoH-
2",Ss ever dare to oppose Republican
E.xnrutiye? If il has ever been criti
cised by Republican members. it has
been by indirection, with the final re-
suit that the vote of the Republican
Legislature has been with the Execu-
tive. The Republican Congress has
done President ROosevelt's bidding alb
jectly and servilely, the while its i'll
dividuals in private criticised and even
cursed his fatuous laundering.
Congress may. indeed. under the