The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-02-01
Senators Hepburn and Rayner
Express Their Feelings on
the Matter.
HE is CALLED A USURPER
MARYLA AND SENATOR DECLARED
THAT FOR ONCE ALL THREE
DEPARTMENTS OF GOVERN
MENT WERE UNDER ONE HEAD.
Publishers Press1

Washington, Jan. 31.-The senate
today heard two speeches in criticism
of the executive. One was delivered
by Mr. Rayner of Maryland. 1t held
the acts of the president up to the
question and charged that he has
been guilty of usurpation. The other
was by Mr.. Hepburn of Idaho. His
criticism of the president was by In
direction.
Mr. Rayner did not question the
honest motives of the president but
declared that his actions set an ex-
ample that is destructive of our best
traditions, that challenges the law and
ignores the limit of the constitution.
He cited many cases in his charges
that the president interfered with con-
gress whenever its proceedings did
not meet his ideas Of what was prop
en- I'm pursuance of this purpose,
he declared, I'VE have now for the
first time in our history a government
practically conducted in nearly all OF
it's departments. with the exception OF
the judiciary-(and even there the en-
corachment is visible) by the execu-
tive"
He characterized as unprecedented
and deplorable the action of the presl-
dent in expressing to Governor Guild
of Massachusetts approval of the
governors decision not to interfere
with the execution of a murderer.
He denounced the presidents action
on the appeal of Admiral Schley from
the judgment of the court of inquiry
and compared the case to that of
Dreyfus. Admiral Schley shall yet
be heard" he exclaimed. mo such
melancholy page as this shall blur
the annals of our history"
Mr.. Hepburn confined himself to
two subjects, the land policy OF the
interior department and the forest re-
serve policy of the forestry bureau.
He charged that the latter policy had
increased the price of wood 20 per
cent and that of lumber from 81 to So
per thousand feet He declared that
government subordinates had seized
his state and had used it as play
thing. He said that 100000 acres
of land had been withdrawn from
the state and that Idaho had thus
been deprived of 40 schools, 40 chur-
ches and 40 postoffices. I'VE have
been made the plaything of caprice
and for what, Greed Of power
The Idaho senator had not con-
cluded when the senate adjourned.
The remarks of Mr.. Rayner were not
permitted to pass unchallenged. Mr..
Lodge, of Massachusetts, briefly, hut
earnestly defended the president IT
titude in a number of cases. Refer
ring to Mr.. Rayner's assumption that
he would write biography OF the
president, the Massachusetts senator
remarked:
81 haven't any idea but that the SEN
ator and his colleag would be very
glad to meet the presidents biosra-
pher.'' Mr.. Rayner replied that he
would much rather believe, the presi-
dents autobiography.
Mr. Carmack took exception to Mr..
Lodges criticism of Bryans govern
ment ownership proposition. He said
the only difference between Bryan
and the president, was that the former
held that governmental ownership
ought to come if regulation Of rail-
roads failed, while the president held
that it will have to come in case of
the failure of efforts to regulate.