The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-08
Senator Dolliver Set Right.

Referring to a recent editorial article
In THE Sun, wherein the Senators were
adjured to follow Mr.. ROOSEVELT rather
than Mr.. LONG in the matter Of judicial
review for administrative rate fixing,
the eloquent Mr.. DoLLIvER said In his
speech Of Thursday:
Only this morning a famous newspaper printed
an extract from tho Presidents message and de.
nounccd the amendment OF my honorable friend
the Senator from Kansas on the ground that IL was
in violation Of the Presidents views and attitude
on this question. . . . Tho newspaper TO which
alluded q moment ago printed an extract from
one OF the Presidents speeches. and followed 10
with a denunciation OF tho amendment which my
friend the Senator from Kansas introduced yeSter-
day, leaving the impression upon the public mind.
with a curious mixture OF sincerity and satire. that
tho President OF the United States had either
changed his position or had never occupied any
such position as he would be put In by the amend
ment Of the Senator from Kansas"
We do not know what the eloquent
Mr.. DoLLIvER means by "a curious mix
ture of sincerity and satire" We make
no defence against the charge Of candor,
but if there was satire in the reproduction
of the Presidents own admirably clear
presentation of his idea Of the proper
scope Of judicial review, as contained in
his speech at Raleigh, we can only say
that the satire was unconscious.
There is, however, in Mr.. DoLLIvER's
treatment Of the Presidents previous
Ntterances on the subject what we shall
venture to call, without the slightest
intentional di%srespect, a curious mixture
Of inaccuracy and evasion.
Inaccuracy because Senator .DoLLIvER
speaks in one place of the passage THE
Sun reprinted as being an extract from
the Presidents message" whereas it is
not fro n any Of his messages, but from
aspeech delivered to the people, in which
he expressed, without the restraints of
documentary form, exactly what was
in his mind regarding court review;
because, in the second place, Mr.. DOLL
YER speaks of THE Sun as having de
nounced" the so-called Long amendment,
when in truth we have not denounced
it, but only exhibited it in comparison
with Mr.. RoosEvELT's u~tterances, and.
IA lllV lIlllu pluNCf pCNDbSC lIC llluhCo III
remarkable statement, unsupported, we
believe, by any evidence, that Mr.. RoosE-
vELT's responsibility for the so-called
Long amendment is such that the enact
ment of the amendment would put him
in a position" either consistent or incon-
sistent with his previous attitude.
Evasion, because in his attempt to
,ho.,, h., n;tnti,n, frn,, NJ pnpurrrrr'.
writings and speeches that the President
has all along occupied a position" con-
sistent with the so-called Long amend
ment Mr.. DoLLIvER avoided the repro
duction of that very extract from the
Raleigh speech which formed the text
of our remarks, and consequently of
his own. If Mr.. DoLLIvER had printed
this extract along with the others which
he incorporated in his speech he would
have illuminated the pages of the Con-
gressiondl Record with the important
fact that President ROOSEVELT said at
Raleigh less than six months ago:
But in my judgment the most important thing
TO do Is to give to this administrative body power
to make Its findings effective. and this can be done
only by giving 1t power where complaint is made
OF q given rate as being unjuS, or unreasonable.
II 1t nnds the complaint proper. then Itself TO M a
maximum rate which q regards as Just and reason.
adle. this rate to 60 into effect practically at once.
that is. within a reasonable time, and to stay in
effect. unless reversed BY The courts.
e earnestly hope that we shall see a law giving /
this power passed by Congress-"
We assure the eloquent gentleman
from Iowa that this effort to set him right
is as replete with friendly sincerity as it
is void of humorous intention. Follow
ROOSEVELT, we say again, not LONG and
DoLLIvER!