The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-23
Hr yyonaIrs rHEM.'

HE WORRIES THEM.
 It is an exceedingly difficult matter for some of our good Republican con- temporaries to keep their party col lars on straight when the acts and words of their President are up for consideration. That muck-rake ad-' dress put severe strain on them. es- pecially that portion of it which ad- vocates Federal interference with pri- vate fortunes. If Most or Debs had made such suggestion as Roosevelt did no one would have felt any sur prise, for 1t was just in line with their teachings. Perhaps 1t would be unjust to MT. Roosevelt to say that it was bid for socialistic support. but if the same suggestion had been put forth by a candidate for some minor ofice the newspapers would at once have charg- ed that he was pandering to Socialism. The idea that the Federal Government should be given the right to say how much property a man may lawfully own. and how he may devise it is so thoroughly repugnant to the genuine American conception of government that we can only feel surprised that even MT. Roosevelt should suggest it, and we all know that he is given to saying things without apparently knowing or caring what he says.
 Some Republican thick-and-thin partisan papers try to defend his position. by arguing about the dan ger of enormous private fortunes. They may work harm in many cases. but what right has the government to in terfere? And if it is going to inter- fere where will the limit be placed? If one says 1t is wrong for one person to have a fortune of one hundred mill lions another might put the limit at ten millions, and so on down till we would find those who would contend that no individual should be suffered to possess more than one hundred thou sand dollars in property of all kinds. The truth is that the Presidents idea is rank Socialism and many of his sup porters do not hesitate to so speak of 1t.
 But there is another matter which has upset the stomachs of some of our Republican contemporaries. and that was his special message to Congress on the beef trust matter. Two para graphs from a strong editorial in The Indianapolis Star will show how that message is regarded. It says:
 The Presidents purposes Tn the beef trust matter are commendable, and his message to Congress, in its request Tor proper; but his attack upon Judge Humphrey is unjust and outrageous, antagonistic to an upright Judiciary and as dangerous a precedent as It will drive home to many hearts the misgiving, latent in the public mind reassuring evidence of four and a half years, that our strenuous is in peril of overcoming Judgment with rashness and sometimes may need to be overruled by firmer and wiser hand.
 And again:
 The President asks for a law ena- decisions in criminal trials and to this there will be little objection; He
  to the beef packers. and with this ambition the whole country will sym pathize. But when he manifests a dis ordinate opdirr1n department r s of the the Govern ment and comes perilously near to be- smirchin@ the reputation of high minded judge he does violent wrong @ to to principles on which our form of gov ernment is based. A dangerous ten dency in our national life Is the pro- critics to assail the bench when it's de- cisions do not square with preconceiv- ed notions. It Is humiliating to ind this dangerous tendency encouraged and supported by the highest offiacli in the land.
 It will be noted that The Star, which is usually a firm supporter of Roose- welt, manages to chuck in a few com plimentary allusions to his patriotism. bravery and honesty and the like, but the entire editorial might almost be called a denunciation-and a deserved one, at that. There has been much newspaper criticism of Judge Hum- phrey's action in the beef trust cases, and possibly it was deserved. though the legal experts differ as to that. Be that as it may, 1t Is not right or prop CT for the President to denounce judge in a message to Congress. As The Star elsewhere declares, "the mes sage Is omniously dangerous as pre- cedent." and it Is correct in its lam guage. If a President from his safe position in the White House may de- nounce a judge in a public message where will it end?
 The fact of the matter is that this message, like his Socialistic deliver anee, was but another specimen of presidential clustering, going off half-cocked," as the saying is, either not knowing or not caring what the effect of his words will be. or wheth- CT they are safe or dangerous. He has built up such reputation for saying unexpected things that the country has quit feeling surprise at anything he may say. For all that, some of his sayings and acts are none the less embarrassing to his supporters.
 The discouraging statement is made