The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-02-23
HEIR APPARENT
At BUFFALO, n. Y.
Secretary of War Guest of
Honor at Celebration of
ElIiCott Club.
TAKES CRACK AT SOUTH
DEFENDS PRESIDENT FROM THE
CHARGE OF UsURPATIoN.
TAKES CRACK AT SOUTH

Buffalo, Feb. civilian H Taft.
secretary of war. was the guest of hon.
or at the Ellicott clubs thirteenth ami
versary celebration of Washington
birthday tonight. In his address Secre-
tary Taft had a word to say as to the
nations unpreparedness for war.
Washington deemed the preparation OF
the nation for war as of high import
ance," said Secretary Taft .'Our hunili-
ating experienced with reference to our
army in the War of. 1912 and the immense
losses which we suffered in the civil wal
for lack of preparation show that in this
respect at least we have not followed
the advice of the first president We are
however, making our navy more and more
respectable each year, and 1 am very
hopeful that congress will take the steps
which will make our army a proper nu-
cleus for the rapid enlargement of a
force for national defense commensu-
rate with the population Of the country
and with the extent of our jurisdiction. y
Party Sectionaiism.
Among other things Secretary Taft
said:
Washington deprecated in the strong
true that one of the great parties finds
much of It's strength today in the south,
while the other party is almost wholly
without voting strength there. This con-
dition is due. not to present living is
sues, but the the ghost of the past and
to a fear of recurrence of conditions
that are utterly impossible. May we not
in the next decade, therefore. look to a
change in this respect, so that the two
great parties shall be nearly equally dis
frhnfGd fhrOnUh ho nd 10
peaceful political battle-ground be spread
south of Mason and Dixon's line as it
is today north of that line.
Washington's Warning.
again, Washington pointed out the
necessity for maintaining the separation
of the branches OF the federal govern
ment into which the constitution divided
it and warned the country against the
danger of the usurpatiou of the powers
of one branch by another. From time
to time in political discussions we have
heard much of such usurpation. From
time to time it is asserted against an
executive that he is usurping the func-
tons of the legislature. but as long as
congress retains the power of appropri-
alton and expenditure of money, the
danger in this regard is negligible.
The president is vested by the con-
stitution with the right to advise con-
gress in respect to legislation and in the
exercise of the limited veto power, ae-
tually takes part In II. In view of his
legitimate functions in securing legisla-
ton. 1t is far fetched to term his per-
sonal influence in securing the passage
of useful legislation a usurpation.
Growth of Federalism.
In respect TO the frequently-made as
sertion that since Washington's day the
powers of the national government I'M
der the constitution, have been greatly
widened by construction in comparison
with the powers of the state, and that,
therefore, it may be said that the ma
tional government has Csurped state DOW
ers. can only enter a dissent from
the view The growth of the national
power, as compared with the state power,
is due to the fact that in the develop
ment of this country and its business
those functions which were always ma
tional now cover a much wider scope
than they did in the Beginning of our
government
ION tn whole. however, and allowing
for the changed conditions due to the
enormous growth of the country, it can
be truly said that the injunction of Wash
ington to keep within the constitutional
division of powers has been sacredly
kept"