The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-12-16
ROOT EXPLAINS
FULL POSITION
He Disarms Criticism by Ere
vising His Treaty Doc
trine Speech.
SOME FEELING AROUSED
TENDENCY TO LEGiSLATE BY
CONVENTION DENOUNCED
INFORMATION FROM ROOT IS
WELL RECEIVED.
Publishers Press.1

I1uDi1SherS' Press
Washington, d. c. December 10
Raymond, the Staff Correspondent of
the Chicago Tribune today sent the
following to his paper:
There has been good deal of a
row in congress and throughout the
country over the. speech made by
Secretary Root in New York, Tues
day night and its answer by Judge
Brown.
The secre tary has informed all those
who have called upon him in regard
TO 1T that his position on the relations
between the federal government and
the state has been wholly misundcr.
stood He did not mean, he said, to
advocate the idea that the federal gov.
eminent had the power, or should have
the power, to override the states when. |
ever anything concerning the common
good of the union was in question
On the contrary, the secretary, who
is an acute lawyer, and a great stu.
dent of the constitution, intended that
his remarks should be in the nature
of an appeal to the states for concert |
ed action on all questions wherein |
the rights and privileges of the I'M
ion were concerned. The secretary |
did not propose to evade or defy the /
constitution, as result of which the
federal government is government |
of specifically delegated powers only, /
while the constitution reserves to the /
states all rights, powers and privil I
eyes not granted to the federal gov
eminent in so many words.
ExnIapafion nie cr;fic;ex,
With this explanation to the pacific
and inocuous character of the secre.
tary's speech-an explanation which
is the more necessary because of the
fact that an ordinary reading of the
speech would convince any one that
the secretary meant exactly the OPP
posite-it is believed criticism will be
greatly modified and die down.
Secretary Root, as he now says, in
tended to call attention to the ten
lency which is so apparent in the
direction of the Capitalization of pow
er in the United States government
and it was his aim in the speech mer-
Ely to stir up the states in such way
is to induce them to make more use
If their own powers and to prevent
he concentration of governmental
work at Washington. s
Secretary Roots speech, however |
S merely putting into words a theory
which has been allowed to grow UP
'apidly in the state department of
ate. This theory is, in brief that the
United States through the president
md with the consent of the senate
nay pass treaty with any foreign
on any subject which con
,erns the people of the two nations.
md that when the treaty is properly
atified it is binding upon the people 1
If the United States. the constitution
II the laws of any state to the contrary
Treaty Making Doctrine Alarms.
There are plenty of men in the state :
department. and elsewhere in the gov :
rnment who take the ground that :.
reaty making power is necessarily as :
road as the right of self-protection !,
nd that the federal government, hav !,
ng been given the right to make !.
reaties, may deal with the foreign
ations without regard to the limita- :
ions of the American constitution.
5hich are thus supposed to concern
ederal government in its domestic !,
Citations only.
1t was this startling doctrine created
nd fostered by the bureaucrats of the \
tate department, which was RESPONSE
lie for the stand taken in the first {
lstance in regard to San Francisco
chools, and which may, before long L
ecome equally responsible for an