The morning journal-courier., 1908-04-28
Tuesday, April 2s, 1908.
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

President Roosevelt. upon what may be called the eve of the adjourn ment of congress. has again yielded 10 his taste for special executive mes sages It is old ground he traverses and old ideas he presents for recon sumption, but there Is no lack of the determination which has character ized his administration since he sue ceeded in wholly throwing off the in fuence of the voluntary pledge to carry out the policies of President Mckinley He declines to acquiesce In the preference of congress for fur ther delay with regard to proposed he has advocated with such strenuous eloquence. He intends on the other hand, confident as usual that the country is back of him in all of his endeavors, in event of failure to car ry his point, to locate the responsbil- ity where in his judgment 1t belongs.
 In some respect this message Is. on account of the time he takes for It's delivery, the most characteristic of all the many messages he has sent to congress. It reflects the Rooseveltian idea that the obligation of the exec utive office rests upon Its incumbent to exhaust all of his resources in driv- ing home to the legislative branch of government the convictions of the former upon every conceivable sub ject. It may be that previous mes sages, though they have covered ex- actly the same ground this special message covers, proceeded from de- sire to urge congress to act. This message proceeds, manifestly. from a determination to make congress act against its will, for the will of con gress is obviously not to act. This Is pardonable or not as one views the separate functions of the three de- partments of government. It will strike unfavorably the more conser- vatve citizens who have been trained in the idea that each department of government should so conscientiously limit its work to the task required of 1t as to avoid giving even the ap- pearance of interference. It will strike favoraby those who have not only become accustomed to the big executive stick but who have some safety of the Union and the preser- walton of democratic institutions de pend upon the exaggeration of execu- tive power. From the point of view of The Morning Journal-Courier which appreciatively realizes what President Roosevelt has accomplished in raising the tone of American pol itics, this latest message, while fl presents nothing new or startling does emphasize in an unpeasan manner view of executive authority which cannot possibly hold for any considerable length of time wthou provoking national unrest.
 Senator Hale of Maine has nor, than once reminded the country tha while 1t is well within the power ant authority of the President of thu United States to freely express hi mind upon the question of the need of the government, a like responsibil ity rests upon the members of thu
 United States senate, in which arr represented the forty-six sovereign States of the Union, It Is still with in the power and the authority of th, President to insist upon his views Il the form of special messages ant private conferences, but whether it i display of good taste remains subject of dispute. It is to be noticed in particular that the homiletlc not is not absent from this latest mes sage. The country Is again instruct ed in the wisdom of righteous Twin, and upright conduct, that no line 1 to be drawn between the rich ant the poor; that the laws must If evenly as between all kinds and con ditions of men This has been & repeatey dnged into ears, both will ing and unwilling that the questio may be asked if after all the esso has not been learned in the bite school of experience? The principl of national incorporation for compan ies which do an interstate business as distinguished from those which q an intrastate business. has had 1t f discussion without eliciting a thusiastio response from eithe