Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-07-31

Capitalization of Power.
1t will be some time before we know
the good or bad effects of the railroad
rate regulation, the meat Inspection 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 as far as endorsing that
legislation the voters at the next cleo
ton will have to vote blindly. The
railroads evidently believe that they
have not much to fear from rate regula-
ton as far as any reduction of rates is
concerned. or the price of their stocks
would not be SO strongly maintained.
The beef packers profess TO be more
than satisfied with the meat inspection
bill, as they may well be. considering
that a Republican Congress SO kindly
put the cost on the American taxpayer.
Regarding the building of the Panama
Canal. and no one but the engineers
will know the progress that is 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 $40,000OO0
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 extortionate. That, OF
course, the President will not be called
upon to decide. for the trusts and COM
bines will keep just within what might
be looked upon as eXtortionate. Thus
all the proposed reform and remedial
legislation that has been heralded with
such a strenuous flourish of trumpets
and beating of tom-toms dwindles down
to a mess of pottage for the people.
They may not have sold their birthright,
but it looks vastly possible that the Re
publican leaders have mortgaged 1t for
them and that the trusts and corpora
tons expect to fOreclOse in due time.
The Congress has taken a most rad
ical position on placing i'll the hands of
the President the prerogatives of power
and has declared for GENERALIZATION In
the Federal government of sovereignty
more than the old Federalists under
Hamilton urged or desired In the
hands OF a patriot the increased power
of the President may do no harm and
may be of service in controlling Con
gress and the bad elements of his party.
But If a tyrant or an ambitious crea-
ture of corporations should be elected
chief magistrate ard should desire to
perpetuate his public service, it would
be quite difficult to depose him by con
stitutional methods The President
now has the army, the navy, the militia,
the oflice-holders-a vast swarm of
them-at his beck and call. He has
power to secretly inquire into the do.
ings of corporations that operate out
side of one State He has all the ma
chinery of the Federal courts, the at
torneys and United States marshals,
whose deputies might be increased
without end, to indict and punish such
as might not bow submissively to his
sovereign will or disgorge assessments
that might be levied against such cor
poration and individuals as might In
! tentionally or carelessly have broken or
evaded the law. Even many of the
Federal judges would not be indepen-
dent of him or, at least, enough would
be found to enforce the law with an
eye to their own advantage
Such in brief are the conditions that
now confront us, through the constant
subserviency of a Republican Congress
to an Executive clothed with vast pow
er 1t commenced with Mckinley I'M
der the absurd scare of the war with
Spain and has been gradually growing
until it has become a menace under
! Roosevelt. The latter may be a pat
riot, though most people doubt it, and
| think him consumed with ambitious
projects He has declared he will not
| be a candidate for a third term, and
for their own ultimate salvation the
| people must take him at his word.