The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1906-08-17
POWER OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE.
subservient Congress- Has Sold Birth.
right TO People TO Trusts and
Corporations.

II viii be some time before we
know the good or bad effects OF the
uilroad rate regulation. the meat in
spcction and the Panama canal bills.
There is not much doubt that the two
first named bills will have to be passed
upon by the supreme court before We
know where We are at, so far as in.
lorsng that legislation the voters at
the next election will have to vote
bindly. The railroads evidently be-
lieye that they have not much fear
from rate regulation as far as any re
duction Of rates IS concerned, or the
price OF their stocks would not be 50
strongly maintained, The beef pack
ors profess TO be more than satisfied
with the meat inspection bill as they
may well be. considering that a Re
publican congress so kindly put the
cost on the American taxpayer. Re
garding the building 6 the Panama
canal. no one but the engineers will
know the progress that IL being made
and all the people Of the United States
will be sure Of Is that the annual bills
will be paid for by them and that the
cost will be increased $4,000 600, or
more, by the decision Of the Repub-
lican congress that all the supplies
must be bought Of the tariff-fostered
trusts unless the president decides the
price charged is cXtortlonate. That
Of course the president will not be
called upon TO decide, for the trusti
and combines will keep Just within
what might be looked upon as eXtor.
Tomato. Thus all the proposed reform
and remedial legislation that has been
hcralded with such n strenuous -four
Ish Of trumpets and beating Of tom
toms dwindles down TO Il mess Of pot
taEe for the people They may not
have sold their birthriGht, but It looks
vastly possible that the Republicans
have mortgaged II for them and that
the trusts and corporations expect to
foreclose in due time
The congress has taken most rad
ical position on placing in the hands
Of the president the prcrogatiycs OF
power and has declared for ccntraliza-
ton In the federal government of SOY.
arcIgnty more than the old federalsta
under Hamilton urged or desired. In
the hands Of patriot the increased
power Of the president may do no
harm and may be Of service In con-
trolling congress and the bad elements
Of his party But II a tyraut, or an
ambitious creature of corporations
should be elected chief magistrate and
should desire to perpetuate his public
service, II would be quite difficult to de.
pose him by constitutional methods
The president now has the army, the
navy, the militia. the office holders
q vast swarm Of them a. hiS heck and
call He has power to secretly inquire
into the doinEs OF corporations that
operate outside Of one state. He has
all the machinery Of the fcdral courts
the attorneys and United States mar.
shals whose deputies might be in.
creased without end, to indict and
punish such as might not bow submis-
sivcly TO his sovereign will or dis
gorge assessments that might be levied
against such corporations and indiyid-
uals as might Intentionally or careless.
ly have broken or evaded the law
Even many Of the federal judges
would not be independent Of him or.
at least, enough would be found to en-
force the law with an eye to their own
advantage.
Such in brief are the conditions that
now confNmt us, through the constant
subserviency of Republican congress
to an executive clothed with vast pow
er. II commenced with Mckinley I'M
der the absurd scare of the war with
Spain, and has been gradually grow
ing until II has become a menace I'M
der Roosevelt. The latter may be a
patriot though most people doubt 1t
and think him consumer with ambi-
tious projects. He has declared he
will not be candidate for third
term and for their own ultimate saliva.
ton, the people must take him at his
word.