The Grenada sentinel., 1906-10-06
DOWNFALL OF REPUBLIcANIsM.
Executive Usurpation All Tending In
That Direction.

The Republican campaign this fall
has deteriorated, as far as issues are
concerned, into blind pool" Secre'
tary BOnaparte, fresh from a con-
ference with President Roosevelt, de.
claring that the only issue is that the
voters blindly elect a congress who
Will be subservient to the president.
The Will Of the voters, through their
representatives in congress, on pend
ing issues Of tariff revision, protec-
t1on to trusts, extravagant apprOpria-
tlons, the necessary amendments to
the RAILROAD rate regulation law and
other reforms, is to be only what
the president says, and he has de-
clared he favors a "stand-pat" pol
Icy. The Republican party has come
to pretty pass when one man pow.
er is the issue, and the executive
branch of the government is to DOM
mate the law making branch, just
fresh from the people. Is the Re-
publican party afraid to appeal to the
voters on the issues it has created? :?
ana must 1t take shelter behind Pres
ldent Roosevelt, who is tickle as the
WIND, changing his policy with every
adverse current? The constitution
makes congress, not the president,
the law-making power, and only gives
to the president the right to recon.
mend Issues for congress to deter.
mine.
The Republican political machine Is
so inherently dependent upon patron.
age, and being built from the head
down, instead of from the people up.
wards, 1t is a bold Republican con-
gressman that dares to defy the chief
dispenser of political favors, so most
or them cringe to the despotic dicta-
ton of the president. 1t will be
remembered that President Roose-
welt threatened to withhold patronage,
such as appointments of postmasters,
from congressman, if it pleased or
advanced his interests to do so, and
this threat has had the result of max
ing many Republican congressman
vote against their convictions, and In
some cases against the demands Of a
majority of their constituents. It
was so in the statehood matter, when
many followed the president to their
own political undoing.
1t is true that some senators, and
the senate, as body, have defied the
president, but the senate has CO.
equal powers over appointments and
treaty making, and cannot so easily
be domineered over, through the pow
er of patronage. Making the presi-
dent the sole issue of the campaign,
and throwing all real. political issues
into blind pool from which they
may or may not emerge, as the presi
Dental temper may dictate, is dan
gerous experiment for the Republic |
an party. Many voters feel they have
been going it blind long enough, and |
are anxious to instruct their repre-
as they have the right,
On what course they shall take on GER
ain issues that the voters think of
Importance. That such instructions
IN the tariff and ship subsidy, etc,
would run counter to the president
loes not appeal to voters to leave
such issues in the pool to be fished
)ut if ever in the far distant future
If this executive usurpation is al
owed to be persisted in, and is sue
accomplished by the election
II a subservient majority to congress,
S anything more certain that it will
end to the downfall of representa-
i've government, which is all that Re-
,ublicanism stands for?