New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-10
Ar rRE GRArE oF CALHOUN.

Mayor Mcclellan has joined the ranks Of the
political pessimists. Like the Hon. Samuel w.
Mccall of Massachusetts, he sees the country
rushing on blindly TO perditiOn. The COnSti-
tuition is imperilled. and he would unite with
Mr.. Mccall in summOning John c. Calhoun
from the grave and bidding him preach anew
the doctrines of strict construction, nullifica-
ton and state sovereignty. According to these
doleful diagnosticians there are hardly as many
just men left in public life as Abraham hoped
to find. but failed TO find, in SodOm. Hardly ten
legislators could he rallied in Congress a year
ago to vote against the Railroad Rate Regula-
ton hill. Both political parties, Mr.. Mcclellan
told his auditors at Princeton on Friday night,
are smitten with insanity. Congress has be-
come mere register of the subversive will
Of the President. The Democratic minority,
under the leadership OF Mr.. Williams Mr..
Blackburn. Mr.. Bacon and Mr.. CulbersOn, has
stultifed itself by abandoning Jeffersonansm
and CalhOunism. Instead of acting as a great
restraining and conservative force, to build
mp a healthy public opinion in favor of the
maintenance of the law. il has Oscilated be-
tween a policy Of senseless. unreasoning OppO-
'sitOn when II thought that opposition would
"be popular and n feverish haste TO Guido the
majority in supporting the Executive; in other
words. in trying 10 get on the band wagon
when it thought that popularity was on the
''box seat
Burke said that he did not know how TO draw
up an indictment against whole people But
Mr. Mcclellan and Mr. Mccall have no hesita-
ton in branding both the great parties in this
country with the charge of political frenzy and
disloyalty 10 the Constitution. If the Demo
cratic minority IN Congress failed ITO build up
healthy public opinion in favor Of the mainten-
'ance of the law" the inference is that the
Tx ND fbo
gross are somehow engaged in breaking down
the law. If charging the authority of the fed
eral government 10 deal with grave abuses in
the exercise of vast corporate power and 10
protect the individual citizen against corporate
oppression is a notification of law and a vio-
latlon of the constitutional compact. then the
Two parties must plead guilty of the Mccall
Mcclellan charge. But probably ninety-nine
out Of every hundred voters approve the pol
icy Of federal activity and regulation which
the President and Congress are now putting
into practice. Why should they be turned from
their purpose or even disQueted by the re-
proaches of the tiny remnant whose hearts arc
buried in Calhoun's grave and who sigh for
the reyivifcation Of "anti-federalistic" ideals
as dead as he is?
Mayor Mcclellan pleads for mastery mac
uVlty in politics, quiescence and an encour-
agenent of the good old Spanish spirit Of
mdHdnG. He thinks nothing would he better
than "a reaction from the present condition of
overweight governmental activity" Drowsi-
ness may have its merits as a state of mind
But il is not state of mind to recommend
itself TO the alert American consciousness. The
national life has been enormously quickened
in the last six or seven years The federal ma
chnery has been improved and strengthened
ana the government is giving every citizen n
Larger share of the benefits 10 secure which
governments are instituted. In this process
the Constitution has not been strained and the
laws have not been broken. Only the siestas
OF some drowsy theorists have been disturbed
ana Their discomfort has voiced itsef-and will
continue TO voice itself-in exaggerated Iamen-
tations and baseless prophecies