Los Angeles herald., 1909-03-19
TAFT EULOGIZES
CLEVELAND AND
ADMINISTRATION
PRESIDENT SPEAKS HIGHLY
OF DEMOCRAT
INCIDENTALLY He REFERS TO
PUBLIC QUESTIONS
Chief Executive Declares Former
Head Of Nation Was Exceeded by
Mo Statesman In Discharge
Of Public Duty


governor he had been elected president
of the United States.
"The presidential campaign OF 1884
degenerated into one of SANDER. scandal
and abuse, but Mr. Cleveland came
through it retaining the confidence OF
the American people in his courage and
honesty and his single purpose to bet
ter the public Service. Mr.. Cleveland
was a Democrat; he was a partisan.
He believed in parties as all men must
who understand the machinery essen
tial to the success and efficiency OF
popular government. Ills. impulses
were all toward the merit system OF
appointments in the public service and
against the spoils system; but he had
q practical common sense view OF the
problems before him. He dealt with
the instruments which he had and ne
not infrequently was obliged, in order
to accomplish greater objects, TO yleld
to the demands of those who had no
ideals and who were impatient of any
thing but the use of government Of
fees as a purely political reward.
Every time that opportunity offered,
however, and when there was not
some greater objection to his imme-
date view he strengthened and assist
ed the movement toward the merit
system.
so short that he had great advantage
over the prominent men of his party
whose records reached back into and
were governed by the bitter quarrels
OF the civil war. AS political quantity
his history began during the corruption
and decentralization in the Republican
party which were a necessary result
of continued power during the war and
the decade succeeding 1t. He repre-
scented in q sense a new Democracy,
about which all the older elements raj
lied, those strongly in sympathy with
his reform views as we'll as those ele-
ments without such sympathy who
were anxious to secure party power.
"At the end of his first term he was
renominated but was beaten by Gen.
Harrison i'm q close election. BY that
time the politicians of the old school In
the Democratic party had drawn away
from him and had no desire to continue
his leadership.
He Was Much Admired
"But so strong hold had he upon
the affections and confidence of the
rank and file of his party and so sure
were they that he was stronger than
the party in electoral contests, that
he was named in the national conYen-
ton against the leaders of the state
organizations and in the election which
followed he led his party to the great
est victory in its history.
"Ih this campaign Mr.. Cleveland
stood for an affirmative idea, that of a
reduction of the tariff. so as to make
ii a tariff for revenue. He attacked
the protective theory and system. He
stood for something aggressive and al
firmative. IT was in accordance with
the ancient traditions of the party
MIR. Cleveland was positive. He was
affirmative He was courageous. he
believed in parties. He believed in par
ty policy. and he believed in consisten-
cy in regard to them, and he did not
believe in trimming down policy 10
catch the votes of those who really did
not agree with him.
1.-THE first time Mr.. Cleveland was in
power he was associated with Repub-
iican senate This gave little oppor-
tunity for any radical change by legis-
lation in previous policies of Republi-
can administrations, but it did offer an
opportunity for Mr.. Cleveland TO point
out TO the country that our government
Is a government of three dlstnct
branches-the executive, the legislative
and the judicial-and that the execu-
tive has a sphere which the legislative
branch has no right to invade.
I'VE hear much in these days OF the
usIrpation of legislation by the eXecu-
tive branch. AS long as the legislative
branch has the power of the purse, the
danger of executive usurpation is I'M
aginary. The real danger arises from
the disnosition of the legislative branch
to assume that it has the omnipotence
of parliament and may completely con-
troll the discretion conferred on the eX-
ecutive by the constitution.
ssThe country is under obligations to
Mr.. Cleveland for having pointed out
in his controversy with the Kepuplica'i
senate some of the limitations that
there are in the constitution in the
attempted legislative action to re-
strict executive discretion. In the end,
Mr.. Cleveland won in his controversy
with the senate. Whether he might
have done so had both the house ana
the senate been against him is mat
ter of doubt. History of Andrew John-
sons controversy with congress SHOWS
how far a partisan legislature may be
induced to go in an unconstitutional
attempt to cut down executive power.
limit of Legislation Not Known
1.-THE limit of legislative restriction on
executive action is a difficult line to de-
fine. Any one. who attempts to do more
than to pass on single instances as
they arise may find himself in great
difficulty, but as such instances con-
sidered and decided the limits are
gradually being defined. We owe 20
Mr.. Cleveland and his courage IN deal
ing with the senate VI lhe Chito1
States the establishment of some USE
full presidents
"In Mr. Cleveland's second term shere
was a large majority of his party i'll
the house and a working majority Ia
the senate, so that the whole RESPONSE
bility of government fell upon the
Democratic party, with Mr.. Cleveland
at its head.
''The significance of his second ad-
ministration centers about three is
sues The first was the tariff, the Sec
ond free silver and the third the sup
preston of lawlessness directed
against federal authority by use of the
process of federal courts and by fed
eral troops The same influences in his
own party which had sought to defeat
him for the nomination in this third
canvass he found entrenched in the
senate so strongly as to be able to de-
feat the declared policy of his party
in favor of tariff for revenue, and
he refused to sign the Germany Wilson
BILL but allowed it to become a law
after denouncing it as the result of
perfidy and dishonor. This was doubt
less the greatest disappointment of his
political life, for it developed the OPP
portunity to test the wisdom of the
party policy advocated by him and
developed in the party platform while
the business depression which existed