The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1907-07-12
Is EXPERT TRIMMER
PRESIDENT AT HOME ON BOTH
SIDES OF A QUESTION.
Caught In Trap Through His lmpetu-
osity and Unfairness, He Has
Little Trouble In Seeming
Up Smiling"

On the subject of Gov. Hughes
'etoes, the New York Post edltorally
says In 1883 Mr.. Cleveland killed
the bill reducing the fare on the ele.
waited rsads from ten to FIVE cents.
Public feeling ran nearly as high
against Jay Gould and Cyrus Field at
that time as 1t has of late against the
managers of our railroads.
This statement recalls one OF the
most remarkable incidents In the
| career of President Roosevelt, who
was the author and champion OF the
bill referred to, and who thus early
exhibited that mysterious agility
which always enables him TO get on
both sides OF question-to dive deep
err, and come out dryer. than any
other political duck that ever quackcd.
An account of this affair will be
found in win NJ. Clements work.
Roosevelt. the American" at page 81,
where II appears that soon after the
beginning OF the session Of the New
York legislature of 1883. Mr. Roosc.
welt. who was then a member of the
assembly. introduced bill TO require
the New York elevated railroad com.
panies to reduce their fares from ten
TO five cents MIR. Roosevelt voted for
this bill and It passed the Legislature,
bit was vetoed by Gov Cleveland on
the ground that il was In violation of
contract between the state and the
railroads, expressed IN the charter
granted by the state. when the bill
went back to the assembly. II which it
originated, a motion was made to re.
consider 1t and pass 1t over the gov.
ernor's veto. Mr. Roosevelt then
doubled on his track, as he has SO
often done since. He made n speech
in which he lodged the question of
the authorship of the bill but said:
Il have TO say with shame, | did
not act as | think ! ought to have
acted. ] voted contrary to what l
thought to be honestly right have
to confess that ! weakly yielded, part.
ly to a vindictive feeling toward the
Internal thieves who have that rail.
ular voice Of New York"
This speech affords a key to the
whole character of the man. Mr..
Roosevelt then. rs now, jumps at CON
illusions and his mind is swayed by
his feelings and instead of giving fair |
and just consideration to the most |
important matters he goes off half |
cooked and then repcnts at leisure for |
the mistakes he makes Mr.. Roose- |
welt had probably been warned by |
some member of the judiciary commit. |
tee that his bill was unconstitutional; |
he could have discovered 1t himself II /
he had taken the trouble to even read |
the charter of the company he was
bent on amending. But no. Such an
old fogy notion as preventing or de.
feating legislation because II is un.
constitutional has but little weight
with our impetuous and strenuous
president His motto Is to do things"
and create the feeling in the public
mind that those who urge that every.
thing be done decently and In order
are opposed to the people.
Often Mr.. Roosevelt gets caught in
the trap of his own creation. as he did
with the bill for rate reduction, and
then has to abjectIy crawl into the
hole and pull the hole in after him.
But TO use one of his own SMILES
from prize ring slang he comes up
smiling" and soizes the next oppor.
tunity for appearing as the great re.
former OF the age. Chancellor Day OF
Syracuse university, in his late bacca-
laureate sermon, summed up Mr..
mistakes when he said:
THE constitution is n mere elastic
band to hold the states In compact at
the adjusting will of the chief execu-
tive. Judges are rebuked; the In
of the courts is trampled
under foot in the name of the people.
Judges appointed by the president are
sitting upon cases In which he al.
ready has passed his opinion. While
Judges and juries are waiting to rem.
Ter decisions, but before they can do
10, commissioners try the same case
n the absence of the defendants and
lend forth their verdict to the people
Is a prejudgment, and the newspapers
ire the court OF final resort Messages
ire sent to congress branding men as
;ullty before they are put on trial.
other men are published to tho coun-
ny by executive authority as 'unde-
irable citizens when they are about
o be tried for their lives, and when
Until now they would have had the
resumption of innocence, whatever
he indictment, until found guilty. The
avs are taken out of the hands OF
ongress and the legislatures and put
nto the hands of commissions, sub
ect to executive appointment and
xecu,ive pleasure"
The loudly boasted activities of tho