Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-07-02
PERSONAL POLITICS.

with Governor Dawson" says the
Of Parkersburg.
That Is the only wise. safe and
same way TO treat public men. when
discussing their public
acts and deeds There is neither
need nor excuse for personalities in
o'itics.
Our always lucid contemporary
deals kindly but firmly with the
unconstitutionality OF the invasion
of the rights of the legislature and
Of the judiciary. by the chief execu-
tive of the states, saying: while
the usurpation of power was clothed
in tn name Of morality. the principle
involved remains the same, and the
incident loses none of its dangerous
import thereby"
Not only is the Governor OF West
Virginia before the bar of public
opinion for alleged violations OF the
constitution which he is sworn to
defend: but the governors of other
states are in like manner subject to
vigorous Investigations. editorially
and in public utterances, and very
properly 50. The higher the Office
that is held, the more scrupulously
patriotic and firm should an official
be. i'm standing steadfast for law and
order
But, there is some slight excuse
for the governors OF sovereign states,
because of presidents which have
been set. President Cleveland was a
violator of the Constitution of the
United States, when he compelled
Che Congress to enact legislation
suited to his autocratic will Speak
or Reed, violated the letter and the
Spirit Of the same Constitution, when
he throttled the entire body of Rep
esentatives of the people, and COM
PEELED them to legislate according to
is domineering will.
Presidents who have succeeded
Grover Cleveland and Speakers who
have succeeded Thomas b. Reed,
have followed the presidents thus
set, and every one of them ought to
be called to account, and halter I'm
thus destroying the liberties of the
people. President cleveland pub
licly showed an utter contempt for
the law-making body of this Repup-
lic when he sneeringty said: 81
shall be busy enough, when / have
the Congress on my hands"
Every executive omcial, be he Pres
ident or Governor or Mayor, should
be held to a strict accountability by
the people. for lawful conduct. Every
man has a right to enter the home
of his neighbor and appropriate his
roperty, II the executive has
light to usurp the rights Of the legis-
lative or the judicial branch of the
overnment. The Constitutions,
National and state, very cleary sets
orth the duties of the legislative.
the executive. and the judicial bran
ches of government. We hold that
ny intentional purposeful violation
Of the Constitution is treason, and
the violator traitor. Those are
harsh terms; but they are not per-
onal. Before any man of intelli-
gence violates the Constitution which
he has sworn to defend, he should
realize the gravity of his deed
II any act of treason is openly com
nitted against the Constitution of
ne state or Nation, we fancy that
the Governor or the President would
ublicly denounce the deed as treas
n, and denominate the evil-doer
raitor Then, under what species
OF reasoning can the incumbent OF
an executive Office violate the Con-
stitutlon and escape the consequent
ces? &C..
Personal politics? Not at all. The
liberties Of the people Of this entire
Republic have been gradually en-
croached upon. until wealth and auto
crazy prevail over right and honor.
to an alarming degrees. Great syn
dicates control all Of the large news
papers OF the counry Facts of
moment are suppressed, or else cum
ningly condoued The small. indie
pendent newspapers alone. keep alive
the spirit Of liberty. Unless public
opinion shall be aroused all over this
land, DC will not be- another quarter
of a century until an OF the daily
newspapers directly or indirectly.
win Doc owned by concentrated capt.
tai and our Republic will vanish in
to- am outocraGc dictatorship. Un-
fortunately very few Of our people
can realize this APPALLING fact They
cannot comprehend &c.