The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-06-30

| IKE InS MIUOM Kept ldNclil- anu yet,
watch dog that he is, under his ad-
ministratio we have had the two
billion congress.
The American house of representa-
| tives ought TO be the greatest political
| delibera tive body in the world, but for
| eighteen years it has not been delib-
| erative body at ALL According to the
genius of our system. which is but the
| English system transplanted, the
speaker of congress should be to the
house what the vice president is to the
| senate. a presiding officer only. James
/ Hamilton Lewis suggests that il is in
| the power Of the house of representa-
| tives to take a speaker without its
membership, and it is worth the trial,
| if thereby government could be
restored TO the representatives of the
people. something they have not enjoyed
since the speaker seized upon, and has
| exercised without successful question,
| the autocratic powers of a car. No
bill can pass congress to which the
speaker is opposed. 1t is scarce eX-
/ traYagance to say that no bill is lost
/ in the house that the speaker actively
| favors. The British parliament would
not endure such a despotism single
/ day. And ii is that very thing of one
man power that has made the United
/ States SeudlC lIC IultI
of this country.
Who pays any attention TO the work
| of the house? 1t only sits to cut out
/ work for the senate and agree to what
/ ever the senate is resolved upon. In
| stead of using the purse to govern the
| country, the house is but the purse
holder for the senate. When the rate
bill was in the house last congress it
did not create ripple. In the senate
/ it kept the country in storm perpetual
| for months. The committees of the
house should be appointed as they are
in the senate, and the speaker should
be reduced to the position of mere
presiding officer, just as is the vice
president.
Uncle Cannon may be the next presi
dent. National conventions are mighty
uncertain assemblies. Cannon is from
the state of Lincoln and in many re-
spects he is suggestive of Lineoln-his
plainness, his simplicity, his democra-
cy. There ought to be a constitutional
amendment making ineligible to the
presidency everybody but the molly
| coddles-that is to say, nobody that has
| the least disposition to open pandora
| boxes, or fire off unloaded pistols. or
rock loaded skiffs ought to be presi-
dent. r. B. Hayes was the best pres
| ident this country ever had. and he
wasn't elected. The president of the
United States ought to be a man who
would take orders. not give them.
| Ours is the representative system, the
genius of the English system of parlia-
mentary rule. Congress ought to be
the ruler and the president only figu-
urehead, to do what congress tells him
to do. When the president rules then
it is a monarchy, whatever you call it..
When the rule is by popular vote, then
| it is a democracy, whatever you call
it, The autocracy of Persia was an
execrable government, but the democ-
racy of Athens was worse. just as a
| thousand tyrants are more insupporta-
BILE than one tyrant. The best govern
ment is between the extremes of au-
| tocracy and democracy, and that is
representative government as II exists
in our federal constitution and the
earlier state constitutions-the rule Of
the people through their elected agents
| That protects us from the wicked man
on horseback and the foolish man on
| stump-top, and as long as we are
guarded against these two we have lit
| tie to fear.
| Uncle Joe is no mollyeoddle, and
hence there are plenty of men in both
parties who would do better for presi-
dent than he; but Uncle Joe is not
prone to opening pandora boxes and
| things and hence also ne would be a
better president than some we wot of.
But as speaker. Uncle Cannon is so ac-
customed to giving orders that he
would be sure to continue the practice
i 90 rrpsidonf IF ia otIf Of the question