The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1907-06-08
|VARDAMAN
AND ROOSEVELT
The Governor Gives His Reasons For
Falling to Write to the President
Regarding His Visit Down
the Mississippi.

Discussing the other day the trip
of President Roosevelt down the
Mississippi and his much discuss
ed failure to join with the other
Valley State Governors in an in
yitation to President Roosevelt,
Gov. Vardaman authorized the
following:
II notice, Governor, that Pres
ident RooseveIt's letter accepting
the invitation to inspect the
Mississippi river and its tributa-
ries from the lakes to the Gulf of
Mexico, he mentions that his let
ter is addressed to the Governors
of all the States except Mississip-
pi."
"The President did not owe me
a letter. ! have not written to
him about that trip or any other
trip"
"But you were requested, we're
you not, Governor, to write the
President and invite him to take
the trip"
Yes, / was requested to, but
did not write the letter. | did
not write it for the good and
sufficient reason that / am op-
posed to the very modern idea
that seems to be growing in pop
ularity that the President of the
United States is the whole gov
ernment. Some people seem to
think that the man who happens
to be president is hedged about
by some sort OF divinity inspired
with certain extraordinary gifts
that makes him both inerrant
and omnipotent. We are rapidly
drifting to the point where it
seems that all power is to be con-
oentrated in the executive. He
is the whole thing. He assumes
to control his Republican parti-
sans in the Senate just as the av-
erage ward boss controls the
hoodlums of his ward. The low
er house of Congress seems in
cIined to do his bidding, with
Speaker Cannon leading, while
the Democratic minority sorter
nibbles at the heels of Cannon,
and unless something is done to
check this gradually growing
usurpatiou of authority it is only
a question OF a little while before
the President will control and CO.
cree the judiciary. | am op-
posed to the principle underlying
such conduct, and / am opposed
to the cowardly spirit of funky-
ism thus manifested. / have no
objection to President Roosevelt
taking that trip if he wants to
take it, but | do not know of any
thing in his training or accom-
| pIishments which would make
his views as to the practlcabllity
of this great enterprise more val
liable than the views of any other
fairly sensible man. Whatever he
may see or conclude in the matter
will necessarily be superficial. and
the fact that he is president of the
United States will not add any
thing to the inherent worth or val
ue of his views. | would much
rather have the estimate of a
skilled engineer, or the opinion
of General I. G.. Catchings or
Congressman Ben Humphreys on
the feasibility OF the undertaking
than to have the opinion of The
odore Roosevelt. II it is the
purpose to have him exert his
Presidential influence in order to
secure an appropriation for this
Igreat undertaking, then / am OPP
posed to the use of his Office in
that way. | am greatly in favor
of this great scheme for the inn
Iprovement of American water
ways, but it is very much more
important that the President OF
the United States should be
urged to remain within the limits
of his constitutional sphere Of
action. Ii ever in the history Of
this republic it was necessary tc
restore. as John Allen expresses
it, the party between the execu,
tive and the Legislative and judic
lial departments of this Govern
ment, now is the time.''