Smyrna times., 1905-07-05
SHORT, SHARP AND SNAPPY.

dent of the United States without a
competent cabinet, and President
Roosevelt may find this out, by sad
experience, When Secretary Root and
Attorney General Knox were members
of the cabinet they restrained the
President on many occasions when his
impulsiveness and warm heartedness
would have led him to commit indis-
cretions. Both men exercised all
wholesome influence over the Presi
dent. They were big men and he ap
preciated that fact and was often
guided by their Judgment against his
own desires, although Mr.. Roosevelt
was able to assure each of them, when
he left the cabinet, that he had never
had occasion to regret having taken
his advice.
Had Root or Knox been a member
of the Roosevelt cabinet when the
Morton case came up to the President
for decision, the President would have
never made the mistake of forbidding
that Mr.. Morton be called into court
''to show cause" as the lawyers call it,
to prove his innocence as a layman
would express it. If Mr.. Morton was
as stainless as the President believed |
him to be, and he may have been, he
could easily have demonstrated that |
fact to the court and its exhonorat1on |
would have been generally accepted. |
The Presidents attempted vindicatlon |
of his friend and cabinet officer has |
not been generally accepted and it has
resulted, perhaps, in great injustice
to Morton be preventing his proving
his innocence before the proper tribu-
nal.
Moreover, the President has thus
established the precedent of prosecut-
ing corporation and permitting the
officials responsible for the acts of
such corporation to go free. Such a
precedent, as former Attorney Gen
e-al Harmon we'll shows, must make
mockery of all anti-railroad and anti
trust law.
The President has once more flown
in the face of public opinion by ap-
pointing Assistant Secretary of State
Loomis a special ambassador to re-
ceive Paul Jones body and charging
HIM with the delicate task of investi-
eating American diplomatic posts in
Europe. Reviewing in the kindliest
possible terms, Mr.. Loomis conduct as
minister to Venzuela, Secretary Taft said
"But in the very great satisfaction
which we lind in his (Loomis.) com
plete exculpation from all chargess of
dishonesty, we cannot be blind to the
fact that his failure to hold himself
utterly aloof from any participation in
plans for investment and exploitation
have possibly lent color to the asper-
sions upon his character. 1 sincerely
trust that his bitter experience in this
case make it unnecessary further to
!. point the moral that one who occu-
pies the position of Minister of the
United States cannot, afford in any
country to which he is credited. in
!, which business enterprises must be
more or less affected by Government
favor and concession, to make per-
= sonal investments of any sort or leave
the slightest doubt as to the absence
= of all personal interest in any matters
which he may bring before the Govern.
fo fah ho &c In
= the light of Secretary Taft's criticism,
the President can hardly hope to es.
cape severe criticism for the new
Loomis appointment, not only from
his political opponents but even from
his friends.
be The President has determined thai
Z Cinnamon applying for admission a
IA the ports of this country shall b.
a. treated with entire courtesy. TIL
- President will hav e to employ an en-
p tirely new set of immigration official
a to accomplish that end. Even he can
n not make silk purse out of the aura
,Is appendage of hog.
ii. A New York newspaper shows that
ks large number of American women VIII
oI have married titled foreigners. have be
n come the mother of twins. This al
re fords a rational and effective metho
tie of breaking up the custom of foreig
to marriages. Let the news be wideI
a circulated.
by Speaker Cannon has sailed fo
ito Alaska. "Uncle Joe' evidently wa
ed looking for a climate where b
by wouldn't have to cool his fevere
brow with the ice from the waite
Ib- pitcher.
"a Dop anvopa noaoi hlv 1ouIk kba ,.ra