The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-03-23
DANGEROUS DRIFTING.

pcrs of the country to make the In
ouirv. Whittier Are We Drifting
Numerous influential journals are
printing editorials under that title or
expressive Of that idea. The general
conclusion is that all human affairs
within this Republic are being gov.
crned by one man, and that dangers
attend upon this recession from the old
ideals.
The Chicago Chronicle, which is de-
voted friend TO the President, has been
predicting that the continued tendency
of the Executive to intervene in all To-
cal affairs would eventually lead to Il
condition under which Governors and
Legislatures Of States would be 'ln-
vitcd'' to Washington, and then be
summoned" to appear, TO give an ac-
count Of themselves to the United
States Government. And that paper
sees in the summoning of Governor
Dencen and Attorney Stead of
Illinois fulfllment of that prediction.
The New York Post observes the
same tendency in the visit of dclcga-
ton. from the New York federation
of churches. TO the White House re-
Gently 10 Law before the President the
dcpors bic waning of religious zeal and
to ask him 10 aid in raising a greater
interest in religion in New York.
Other papers quote events OF similar
appearance; and the majority of the
thoughtful journals, without any ami
mostly toward the President, answer
their own question. "Whither Are We
Drifting7" by most serious and em!
phatic remonstrance against the - drift
ing
The Ruler of the United States c1er-
cises far more power than the King
of England. quite as much as the En-
pcror of Germany; and, instead of
maintaining the rule of the people s
Representa- tives. seems inclined to break
down all Of the constitutional inhlbi-
tions to government solely by the will
of the Executive. To summon the San
Francisco school board to the White
Huse and 10 direct that body how the
schools of San Francisco should be con-
Quoted, was far more serious in It's
illustration Of the decadence Of local
self government than in its immediate
aspect of question of policy relating
TO Japanese in the schools. IF the
President of the United States is the
final authority in school matters, there
is no question pertaining to our civic
life which should not be referred to
him for the conclusive and binding eI-
preston of his will. When he sum-
moned to Washington the Governor and
Attorney. General Of Illinois, and in
structed them what they must do in the
execution of the laws of their State, he
took into his keeping the local affairs
of the commonwealth of Illinois which
had been especially reserved to the
| State by The Federal Constitution.
When he criticises judges for their de"
cisious, he invades The most sacred pre-
rogative; he jeopardizes the safety of
the citizen, who has always felt that,
in the fnality, he could appeal to pure
judiciary for the rectifcation of wrong
perpetrated by any other department;
for if the appointing power shall as
sumo to make Executive review and lu-
dicial decision, and to rebuke courts for
| their failure to decide the law in ac-
cordance with Executive will, there is
no longer any security before legal tri-
bunals-since il is n small step from
the rebuke to the removal, and every
man appointed will feel that he must
satisfy the Executive or lose his place
| on the bench.
With this all-compassing power as
sumed and exercised from the White
House, it is not surprising that the
President should be asked by fedora
ton of ministers to direct the revivify-
ing Of religious zeal in New York. Why
not7 If the law can be made and un-
made by tho Executive for the use of
Judges if the States can be directed
by the National Executive concerning
their duty toward corporations; if tho
rules Of a local school board can be
annulled or repealed at his will; why
should not the people of the metropolis
be subject to his direction as to their
participation in religious observance7
AS some of the great papers Of the
country arc pointing in their editorial
columns, the assumption is not un~
natural that any man with good idea
however contradictory it may be of
law or legal right-has only to gain the
approval Of the Chief Executive at
Washington in order to have a decree
which shall overthrow all resistance
under penalty Of Presidential disap-
proval. And, as some Of the papers also
point out, there is nothing but the in
fallibility Of Presidential judgment TO
stand between the people and similar
Presidential decree for the enforcement
Of bad ideas in contravention Of law
and the rights of States. Whittier
Are We DrIfting" ask many pub
licists: and the Chicago Chronicle, a
staunch Republican organ, concludes an