The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-21
ANOTHER SURPRISE.

ANOTHER SURPRISE.
 We occasionally get . real surprise from Republican contemporary. and from few of them more frequently than from The Kansas City Journal A few days ago Senator Tiilman made a speech in which he told of the contin- ued advance made in Presidential as- sression and usurpation. The Journal approves Tiliman's position and com ments on it in this way:
 The national administration of the present tsme bears but little resem- of Andrew Johnson. who asked futilely to be permitted to discharge his own Secretary of War. Tn contrast with those days we find MT. Roosevelt changing members of his cabinet with astonishing frequency, creating new and dictating high and low that every body connected with the administration from both houses of Congress to the lowest clerk shall undeviatingly ad-
 Senator Tiiiman has. placed his nn- ger upon the real point of the trouble. Congressional cowardice has become administered the laws more or less has Ssid sH sway ss over over the iawmaklns ,rsna.Ssn.a This and sway ade has through the tremendous power of Fed. eral patronage. Scarcely member of either House or Senate put n mas nd .els of the President. which has neveg failed to bear down through the power of patronage. The member of either and defy the presidential dictation Is humbled and humiliated in his home district by the Presidents appoint mends. the special Appropriations for his cherished postoffices or other im- movements are withhel and in every tative is discredited and made to ap- pear incompetent in the eyes or ms constituents.
 While 1t is true that this Is some- what severe arraignment of Congress. especially the Republican side of it. it is an equally strong indictment against Roosevelt himself. and sets forth in very plain terms both his usurpations of authority and his methods of mak- ing them effective. He overrides. sets aside or disregards law. court decisions and constitutional bounds with the most cheerful impartiality. meanwhile holding the big stick over Congress men of both houses to prevent them I from interfering with his aggressions. The Republicans especially cringe be- | fore the mailed hand of the dictator. | for they have most to fear from his vengeful spirit, and know that they can only thrive politically and officially by submitting to his dictation.
 In this connection some remarks made by Congressman Fitzgerald of New York on Thursday last and re- ported in this paper Friday morning are of interest. He was discussing the bill before the House to abolish the various pension agencies of the coun- l try and concentrate all the pension business in one agency in Washington 1 The President. he declared would not submit to the discontinuance of these agencies because he needed the places to promote his political claims. by putting his friends in them. So if il is made plain that Roosevelt wants all these agencies to remain so that he may reward his friends, we can hardly
 expect the Republican members of either branch of Congress to favor tn, measure. r @
 What the country needs" says thu same editorial, "is a return to tht Constitution" That is a solid and sol
 emn truth, and one that should b' needed by all the true friends of thu Government. without regard to party but The Journal perfectly we'll know that such return cannot be accomplish
 ed while Roosevelt dominates his party Neither can 1t be expected or hoped fo under a President of his choice. To gt still farther. 1t is not to be hoped fol
 while the Republicans control the Gov
 ernment. Other Presidents may hay
 been guilty of usuFpations of power
 but, as The Journal knows greate strides have been taken in this direc
 tion during the last six years than dur
 ing the entire previous history of ou
 Government. The only hope of Ire
 turn to the Constitution" is througl
 the Democracy, and The Journal shoul
 know 1t and admit 1t.
 |