The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11
THE PRESIDENT AS A BOSS.
Accused Of Using Political Methods to Accomplish Things-He Does-B
the Cause Of the Trouble in Washington--That is Due to the
Suspicion That He Represents Public Opinion.

WQb bHik--IOT on0 brleI rornent-Of brtD-
cry; cash bribery with noney-in
report (trnoed to two pretty good all.
thorities) OF moro corruption with moro
mining stock, and tho interest consed.
A rebellion In the House against the
speaker-boss persists. however, and while
the Senate seems to me to chat along.
serene, sure and as beautiful as over,
tho lookouts In tho Press Gallery swear
they can see signs Of commotion in thu
depths even OF the most dignified legts-
lative body on earth. What is the natter
Let's double on our track and see IL we
can see.
Tho White House still ,s tho storm
centre. We supposed this to be duo
to the fact that the President was tho
President. but the friends OF the Sem
ate complain that Theodore Roosevelt
Is more than President. He Is. The
President is a good deal more than the
executive head of the government: he
Is a powerful branch of tho Congress.
His friends reply that the Constitution
made him n part OF the Legislature when
1t provided that he might recommend
legislation. That is so. But the Constitu-
ton does not say that the President may
compel legislation, and the President Is
compelling legislation.
Nov" say the friends of the Senate.
such encroachment by the Executive
upon the Legislative branch OF the gov
ernmen Is q crack In the Constitution"
They are right. There is a crack
in the Constitution. But 1t isn't n
new crack. President Mckinley worked
through this crack. So did Lincoln. All
Presidents. from as far back aa the first
Adams, lave compelled legislation; and
all over the country governors and
mayors are called upon to Jam bills
through legislatures and councils. and
they do jam 'em through" and wherever
they do that. there we AVE executive
encroachment upon the Legislative branch
of government. 1t Is too bad, but this
crack is as old and as wide as the crack
In Liberty Bell at philadelphia.
But who cares? You do. and some
constitutional scholars mny; but our
United States senator's dom They en-
croach themselves. The Senate Is forevA
interfering with the President, encroach-
ing upon his purely executive functions.
Nor is that all. The State bosses in tho
United States Senate are tho very men
who call upon their governoss =. homie to
encroach upon their Legislatures. and
lam bills through" The only one among
them all that has q clean record In tins
respect is Senator Aldrich. and in Rhode
Island his Legislature has ere5roached
upon the executive to such an extent
that the governor there is powerless. alb
solutely, except as he happens ALSO to
belong to the boss.
These State bosses rule in their"
States, and they hold their seats in
"our" Senate by encroaching upon both
the executive and legislative branches of
all government, city, State and nation.
They are themselves the biggest crack
of all in our constitutional form of gov
eminent. For no constitution provides
for a boss. and yet there they are: AID
rich, Platt, Elkins, etc. President Roose-
welt may he a dangerous man. but 1t
isn't the Constitution that he e%ndangers.
What 1t Is then?
Good government? So they say. The
friends OF the Senate charge that the
political methods of the President are
those of a political boss. And they arc.
His friends deny 1t. but his friends nave
the Washington habit. which is to deny
everything. I never In my life saw so
much mutual confidence as there is here.
and never saw reporters so completely
trusted as tho Washington correspond
ents are. Yet If you go up to n man.
high or low. and say abruptly to him: IT
see you said" he ont let you finish.
II din't,' he eXclaims. Then IL you tell
him what you heard he had said, he
will proceed to a r%efutation OF "the lie''
so elaborate that he soon makes plain
that he did say Substantially what you
heard he had said. Tho trouble Is that
correct reporting isn't always true re-
porting; the fact may be only n half
truth.
1t Is a fact, as we found last week,
that the President is In a combine with
the combine in the House. He made a
deal with the speaker. Not content
with the constitutional method Of recon-
mending Legislation, he had recourse 10
| "a ~ upderSfn " live fvuoc% q IL for,,,,I aE ne
course. but Definitely with Mr.. Cannon
to use their united powers TO Jam
through" certain measures. Now this is
n political method. and bad. Not that all
deals arc bada the character OF a deal
depends upo the character OF the con-
tracing parties and the terms of the
contract. But I think his deal was bad
because the speaker is the boss of n
combine which practically wipes out
self-government in the House. The liberia
ton of that body woNld seem to be u
Job worthy of the best that Is in any
man who is In a position to try 1t. Yet
one OF the terms of the deal" between
the speaker and the President was mu-
tual support. In return for the speakers
support of the Presidents bills, the Presi-
dent was to uphold the boss and the COM
bine in the House.
Is this the whole ruth What is the
Presidents view?
Efficiency" is his answer, in brief.
man has not only to be good, but to
do good. 1t is not sufficient to criticize
and fight; one must win battles and get
things done. There is the philosophy of it.
Now apply it to our CASE:
The House of Representatives Is n nu-
merous. unwieldy body. Left to itself.
1t might do nothing but talk itself to
death" Organized SO a one man can
speak for it. and drive it. "a herd of wild
horses" to action, the House is a fairly
effective instruments; much more so, for
example, than tho Senate. In other
words, q boss and combine are more con-
venient than a deliberative body. You
hear something like this In hoss-ruled
cities from defenders of the boss; and an