New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-10
DEFENCE OF PRESIDENT.
Continued from first page.


Of the government when you ought to he mixing
with the masses of your party in order to ind,
by contact who is the. candidate who can in
duce the wings of your party to flap together
some safe sound, neutral candidate. who can be
held up TO North Carolina a trust buster
and TO Wall Street as q man entirely devoted
to the business interests.
HAD COURAGE TO ENFORCE LAW.
Senator spooner discussed the Northern Sc
cur!ties case, declaring that Theodore Roosc-
welt had the courage TO enforce the law re-
gariless OF whose toes trodden on. He
referred to James j. HILL president of the
Great Northern Railway. "a master mind
Of transportation and man of unquestioned
integrity; then referring TO Mr.. Germans re-
cent compliments to Mr.. Hi he said:
The Senator's tribute TO him. [ thought. was
rather intended to touch. not too gently, tne
pocketbooks OF the Coterie which Mr.. Hill rep
resents But ! fear those gentlemen VIII not
come forward with any unseemy haste until
the Senator can show them that ne mas oehl mo
him candidate and a party which VIII act 10
gether TO enact such legislation as they may
desire. is your safe. judicial man TO De more
complacent TO the corporations who Vlolate the
law than has been Theodore Roosevelt? That
is the natural inference from your arguments.
Mr.. Srooner discussed at length the decision
OF the Interstate Commerce Commission on the
strength of which Mr.. German had recently
criticised the President. paying Mr.. German the
compliment of asserting that he did not believe
that were the senator IlOID AafS Idhu AitoiuSii'
he would have had anything more TO do with
such a decision than had Theodore Roosevelt
Mr.. Spooner asserted that the commission was
within its province In rendering the decision. az
fecting combined and domestic railway
tariffs. and that. If the Supreme Court sustained
the commission and the law found TO be
bad. the remedy lay with Congress.
PENSION ORDER DEFENDED.
Discussing the recent pension order. Mr..
Spooner said that so far from being violation
OF the law, II was an amelioration of the regula-
ton OF 1893 which declared that every vet
eran. honorably discharged should. attaining
the age OF seventy-fve, receive a pension Of Sl2
month, whereas the Ware order merely estab-
lished the age of sxty-two "evidential proof.
subject TO rebuttai." Unless the contrary APP
pears the regulation reads. Declaring the
Lochren order TO have been more far-reaching in
effect, Mr.. Spooner addressed himself TO Mr..
German and demanded why the Senator from
Maryland had left. or had gone 10 sleep on the
watch tower when that order was issued" The
Democrats had remained silent when the Loeb
rem order was issued under a Democratic ad-
ministratior. and now. under a Republican ad-
ministration. used this order TO awake the
echoes, to create the idea that the President was
unsafe"
Mr.. Spooner read the law, than which he de-
clared. there never palmer. There never
was an act which left more clearly TO the de-
partment, without light or leading the regula-
tons for its enforcement than that who's left
TO decide what shall be considered due proof
The Secretary OF the Interior and him alone"
Mr.. Spooner declared Il was a missioner 10
col this service pension act 1t was a dis
ability act precisely the Mexican War
pension act "A eervice pension law would
give q pension foT service. This gives a pen-
sion for disability Whether IL be the disability
Of age or otherwise."
Mr.. Overnlan interrupted "a ask r. IN TIRE
opinion of the Senator from Wisconsin II was
not remarkable that this order should have been
issued just after the sulfoway hill had been in
troduced. Mr.. spooner declared that the order
had no reference to pending legislation In Con-
gress such suggestions might be used on the
stump TO excite suspicion or distrust but they
we're not argument. He defended Commissioner
Lochren and the Cleveland administra ton
against the Democrats who cast reflections on
them He said that II had developed from ex-
perience with nearly two hundred thousand
cases that it almost impossible for old sold
iers who had reached the age OF seventy to
earn living by manual labor. and that this
law was intended to save the soldiers from the
poorhouse. to spare them the bitterness Of actual
dependency. and that Congress had intended 10
make the law most liberal when enacting IL"
He declared that the Mexican pension act rro-
ceeded on tho assumption that when a man
had reached the age of siyty-two he was en-
titled 10 a disa bty pension. snd on no other
ground could the action OF Congress in thus
discriminating against the Mexican War vet
terans who were not sixty-two years old he de-
Tended. He cited the army law which permit |
ted the retirement OF officers at sixty-two. and
compelled It at siXty-four. and quoted death |
statistics TO show that the death rate increased !
with giant strides after the age OF fifty.
PRESIDENTS DEVOTION TO Law.
Concluding. Mr.. Spooner said:
and be has demonstrated many good qualities |
he has demon strated above all else. his I'M |
faltering devotion to law. If man ever occu- |
pied the White House who has walked conscious |
OF his oath to see that the law was faithfully |
enforced, that is Theodore Roosevelt. You |
criticise him for his action in the coal strike. |
A man never did wiser thing. I'm my estima- |
tion than did he In inaugurating that arbitra- |
ton. lie did not usurp his functions Presi- |
dent. lie plainly Informed the men whom he |
called to the White House that he had power |
President He did not send troops into |
Pennsylvania 1 suppose your calm President, |
your safe President, your judicial minded PTesi- |
dent. would have felt constrained 10 sit I'm the |
White House, silent and unTnoved by the suf- !
ferings OF the country Not so. thank Godi |
with Theodore Roosevelt He, the individual |
who happened TO be in the White House sought |
TO remedy the situation, and succeeded. Had |
he not, there would have been millions of So |
cialists made in a week and mobs, made up of |
men whose wives and families were dying of |
cold and exposure. would have thronged the |
streets Of our cities and torn down buildings |