The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-08-30
Presidential Potency.

Secretary Taft, in his Montpelier
speech, administered very decisive
rebuke to the democratic stumpers
and organs who are specially devot-
ing themselves to attempt to main
tain their charges against the presi-
dent Of gross violation of the fed
leral constitution and ,usurping pow
Ter. Secretary Taft suggested that
the president had already been in Of
flee three years and had shown no
such reasonable intent except in the
ldisordered imaginations of demo-
cratic statesmen like Watterson and
Joe Bailey. The democrats, indeed,
sRhave sought to construct a charge of
treason and usurpation on the ground
Eof the presidents action with re-
sspect to the protection of our canal
;right-of-way interests on the Isthmus
sof Panama, the appointment of the
anthracite coal strike commission and
some other acts With respect to the
commission Secretary Taft said:
Nothing has commended him more to
the people of the United States than his
action in this matter, and to make 1t the
basis for an attack upon him only shows
how ridiculously short of material his enc
Emies are. VIII Judge Parker say that he
was not right in what he did? Would
Judge Parker have done the same thing?
u think not I think not because I think
slle has shown himself tfrnid In meeting
1ssues that we may infer he would have
Sheltered himself behind the plea that as
ghe had no constitutional power as presi-
dent to do what was done, he did not feel
si,,-fj a4I to- Io{,, IL tat
The president has, indeed, recog-
fnized the necessity for presidential
action In emergencies, notably when
congress is not in session. Thomas
Jefferson thought that it was neces-
ssary to secure American control of
the Mississippi river and It's mouth
lat the Gulf Of Mexico, and he ordered
Jour ambassador in Paris to begin ne
Sgotiations for the purchase of Louis
lana, and the deal was completed,
faltho Jefferson admitted that he
could find no express authority in
the constitution for acquiring for
seign territory and annexing it, but
the transaction advanced the good of
the country and congress must least
behind them metaphysical subtleties''
and "ratify it, pay for it,
President Buchanan sent an envoy
extraordinary, on the warshlp Min
nesota," to cooperate with England
iand France in China in securing "just
concessions to commerce which the
nations Of the world had q right to
expect" The concessions were OBJ
tained by such display Of force on
the ground of the public good, altho
Buchanan had conscientious scruples
about his constitutional limitations
He urged congress to give the presi-
dent permanent power to send a war
ship to ports where outrages on
American citizens had. been com
United, as at Panama in 1856, to pro-
tect them as European governments
would do, as to their own citizens
He lamented the fact that he could
not, without transcending his consti.
tutional power, direct a gun to be
fired into a port, or land a seaman
or marine to protect the lives of ou1
.countrymen on shore or to obtain re.
dress for recent outrage on their
property"
Under ste influence of what many
of our fellow citizens call democratic
principles" the democratic party ir
1900 denounced President Mckinley
for sending a United States force tc
Peking to call China to account fo1
the cold-blooded massacre of many
American citizens in that country by