The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-11

The friends of the Senate charge that the political methods of the President are those of a political boss. And they are. His friends deny 1t, but his friends have the Washington habit, which is to deny everything I never in my life saw so much mutual conf dence as there Is here, and I never as the Washington correspondents are Yet if you go up to man high or low, and say abruptly to him: 'I see you satd---." he won't let you finish. T didn't" he exclaims. Then if you tell him what you heard he had said. he will proceed to a refutation of the lie" so elaborate that he soon makes plain that he did say snbstan- tially what you heard he had said. The trouble is that correct reporting isn't always true reporting; the fact may be only half truth
 It is a fact, as we found last week. that the President Is in combine with the combine in the House. He made a "deaf' with the Speaker. Not content with the constitutional meth cd of recommending legislation. he had recourse to an understanding (most' informal. of course, but defln- ite) with Mir. Cannon to use their united powers to jam through" cer- tain measures. Now this is a political tAiCbho0s anu Oaas kNOL ludt dll QcdtS are bad: the character of a deal de- pends upon the character of the con- tracting parties and the terms of the contract. But I think this deal was bad because the Speaker is the boss of combine which practically wipes out self-government in the House. The liberation of that body would that is in any man who is in posi- ton to try it. Yet one of the terms of the 'dear' between the Speaker and the President was mutual sup port In return for the Speakers SUD- port of the Presidents bills. the Presi- dent was to uphold the boss and the combine in the House.
 Is this the whole truth? What is the Presidents view?
 "Efnciency," is his answer, in brief. A man has not only to be good. but to do good. It Is not sufficient to criticise and fight; one must win bat ties and get things done. There Is to our case:
 The House of Representives is a
 numerous, unwield1y body. Left to itself it might do nothing but talk itself to death" Organized so that one man can speak of it, and drive 1t, "a herd of wild horses" to action, the House is fairly effective instrument; 
 Senate. In other words, a boss and combine are more convenient than a deliberative body. You hear some thing like this in boss-ruled cities from defenders of the boss; and an American who had business with the Russian government reported back that an autocracy. was mot so bad as people think" But convenience isn't safe criterion for representative democracy. Dispatch isn't what we are after; is it? As understand 1t, we are trying for self government, free and freely representative, and "our" House of Representatives is neither.
 Then make 1t SOL says the Presi- dent. in effect. That is your busi- ness; not mine. I am as much re- former as ever. but am also the re- sponsible head of a great nation. and I must accept the machinery as l find it. Oh, I must improve 1t here and there, as can. and as I do. but my first and my almost sufficient duty is to make it turn out good goods. This is job enough for one man. If you think the House as it is or