The Washington herald., 1908-07-10
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clamored for more Jaw and has fire.,
quently disregarded laws already on the
statute books. He has sometimes AFRO
gated TO himself TO say what laws
should be enforced and what should not
He has exercised the unauthorized priv
ilege OF deciding against whom the
laws should be enforced and who should
be immune from prosecution. He in
sisted on the punishment OF certain rail-
roads and Of certain men for giving and
receiving rebates, and then ordered the
discontinuance OF the case against one
Of his Cabinet officers who had confessed
that as an official OF the railroad ne
gave rebates to a company in which he
was a stockholder and an Official
He has constantly cried out for more
power on the part of the Federal govern
ment at the expense OF the powers re-
served to the States. In his speech at
Harrisburg in October, 1906. he told OF
easy methods for increasing the power Of
the Federal government The method
provided in the Constitution was too cum
bersome slow, and uncertain for him.
There he let's the country into the secret
Of his short cut to increasing the Federal
power in these words:
We need through Executive action.
through legislation. and through judicial
Interpretation and construction to in
crease the power OF the Federal govern
ment.'
'Of course. many people are not sur
prised at any opinion tho President ut
ters; he has so many Of them and has ex-
pressed them on so many conceivable and
nonpreconceivable occasions. Now, Sec
retary Root is an able lawyer and a map
OF trained and deliberate habits Of
thought. Nothing shows more plainly the
Generalization wrought by the President
than the fact that this trained lawyer. in
the very front rank of his great profess
/ sion. should advocate changing the or
/ ganic law Of the Union by construction 10
be found'-and to be found hy whom?
/ BY the very men who are 10 exercise the
| power.
Representative institutions must be
/ preserved. our Federal government Of
delegated and limited powers must be
maintained in all its constitutional vigor.
and each State must be preserved with
]
/ tegrity and autonomy forever. Therein is
\ the safety Of the Union and the States
| one indissoluble and the other indestruCt-
/ ible
! Let us confidently hope that the time
/ will never be ripe for the change Of the
/ Constitution by executive action and by
\ judicial Interpretation II such a time
/ should come, then a government OF law
/ will perish from the earth and a gov
/ ernment OF caprice will be created on the
/ ruins Of one established by written con-
| stitution.
Democratic Duty
I'VE know there is a brighter prospect.
/ II the love of country and liberty is still
/ strong In the hearts Of the American peo-
/ pie. II an oath TO support the Constitu-
ton is now considered by them as bind
ing; II the people are in earnest in their
! protests against the rue Of insolent
wealth. the unauthorized and baleful in
! fuence of corporations ami the exactions
OF the trusts; II the msnIiness Of the
! fathers has been transmitted tc the sons.
/ the 4th OF next March will mark the ad-
| vent OF the gladsome light OF Democracy
| and the beginning OF the return TO con-
/ stituuonal government honestly and eco
nomically administered.
ITO the banner we raise here we in
vite TO repair all citizens Of our common
country who revere the nobler traditions
of the past. who deplore the grave aber-
rations Of the present.
Let us see 10 it that this standard
shall once again float over a government
resting secure on lasting foundations.
Mr. Chairman, delegates. and fellow
| cOuntTymen, the time and the occasion in
our national affairs impose a duty we
| cannot, II we would, evade. We must 60
out from this hall with one heart and a
| determination to put our loved ship OF
state on an even keel. That keel has
been too long beating the air. We must
bring 1t down into the deep abiding
waters of the Constitution"