The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-01-10
WOULD CURB | ROOSEVELT Congress May Cheek the
 President. TENDENCY IS DANGEROUS His Usurpation of Power Leaders on Absoluteism. Joint ResoIution May Be Passed Cail- ing on Exccutive Department for
 All orders---senator Hale
 was Firm.

 ther," is the etilct about to issue iron Congress to curb what the Fedora law making body believes is, not only ui lawful usurpation of power by th' Federal executive branch of govern me.it, but also a dangerous trend to- wards absolutism Congress is boiling and seething with indignation agains, President Roosevelt, who, the Sslon aver. has arrogated to himself mo nopoly of authority such as to over turn the balance established by th' nation's organic law between the three coordinate branches of government. A resolution for joint action by bott houses of Congress. or bill. will b. offered within a week directing tht President of the United States to trans mil to Congress. at the beginning oi each session, a copy of every executive II departmental order which shal have tecn Issued since the last trans mission under the proposed rule; that attached to each such copy shall be citation of the law under which the ofier was issued. That a committed shall be- appointed by each the Senate and House to determine whether or not tho exec utive acts have been in con- formity with the law, probably will be a provision of the resolution: although two other alternative methods are un- der hsideration by the Senator who intends to offer the resolution-either to create commission composed oi distinguished lawyers. whose duty It woul1 be to report on executive acts and orders. informing the houses of Congress of their findings. or to refer all executive acts and orders to the judiciary committees of each house.
 Ii is known positively that such a proposal is at this time in practically completed form to be presented. and that it will be offered soon by lead ing member of the Senate.
 Roosevelt . Dictator.
 It is claimed that nowadays all inn portant bills introduced in either house must first be referred to the appropri- ate executive department; if an adverse report thereon be returned. the objec- tors to execute usurpation' allege, the bill is killed. Furthermore. it is as- serted that to refuse to pass bill to which President Roosevelt's voucher has been attached is impossible.
 president Roosevelt has Congress absolutely cowed." leading Represen- tative said; it Is known that the pro- posed resolution by the leading Senator has found much advance sympathy in the House. sTongress has been re- duced to a mere perfunctory body which carries out the details of a legislative program which originates in the White House and to oppose which means po- litical death.
 Tt is the old conflict between the legislative and executive branches of government. and is one evidence that the law making body believes its prop CT function has been in a measure ar- AAA l ...Aw. ,I.sr |. A holds should be only the agent to carry out the will of the people, expressed through their Senators and Represent tatives.
 Everyone around the National Capi- tol knows that the strong man in the White House has often angered the members of Congress by his dictatorial attitude. It is notorious that many scenes have been enacted which prove this beyond question, one of which is this.
 Senator Hale of Maine called to the White House by the President. the latter handed him a paper and said:
 "'Senator. this is bill which have drafted; 1t prl yides for the changes de- sired in the personnel of the navy. ] want you to introduce it..
 Mir. President the Maine states man answered. I beg you to remember that, under our form of government. Legislation is presumed to originate with the legislative branch, the Con- gress;' whereupon he walked from the White House without the bill in his pocket.
 We are not desirous of being re- garded as retroactive. yet the present discussion necessarily harks back to the early days of the republic. Then il was feared the country would some day drift toward absolutism, and away from true' republiCanism, and. certainly in part this has come to pass. Don't you think we come near now to having a dictator?
 Feeling is Intense.
 The feeling is intense. We propose doing something to curb the power of the President. It is not hostility to Mr. Roosevelt, but broader, deeper consId- erations, which govern us.
 There is as distinct line of cleav- age between the two groups of legisla- tors today as there was when the re- public was in process of development, when, as Wharton's Diplomatic Corre- spondence of the American Revolution says, speaking of the two Adamses. the Lees and their class:
 Congress, in which they took a SohSPISNpuS part anu III WHICH,, on some momentous occasions. heir infiu- ence was supreme. was from the neces- sity of the case, the sole governing power of the republic, and as such it could well remain, in their judgment forever. A distinct executive depart ment they looked on with anger and dread.
 Hence may ne explained the vehe- monce and bitterness with which they resisted every attempt to abate the prerogatives Of Congress by the estab- lishment Of executive boards, and the persistence with which they sought to subordinate to themselves, or to committees of their own choosing, the army, the treasury and theN diplomatic corps
 "'So fierce was the demand of the Adamses and Lees, that Washington was almost stripped of executive func- tions essential to his office as comman- der in- chief; reforms he desired and plans he formed were blocked"
 LEE CELEBRATION.
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