Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-08

dents message and urged the adoption of
| the committee report.
speech in opposition TO the report
of the committee, and in defense of the
/ President He held that. while the Ian
guage used by the President in his first
| and second messages was not the most
| fortunate. at the same the President had
| a right to criticise Congress just as MEM
| bers Of Congress had often exercised the
| privilege OF criticising the President.
He thought that If members of Con-
gress were anxious TO save their repu-
| tationS before the country the adoption
| of the report Of the Perkins special COM
| mittee and the laying on the table of the
| Objectionable portion of the Presidents
| messages was not the way to do it.
| TawneY Assails President.
Mr.. Tawney rep. Mimi, chairman of
| the House committee on appropriations
was recognized by the chair. Mr.. Taw-
ney was given B. great ovation. As he
| rose applause began. 1t was several
moments before he was able to make HIM
| self heard. The outburst extended over
both sides of the chamber and was par
tcipated in by every one en- the floor, in
| Guiding Messrs Bennett and Townsend
| who had spoken in dissent of the Presi-
| dent Mr.. Tawney said:
The continued success and perpetuity
! OF government depend more upon the
confidence of the people i'm the integrity,
! honor and unseltsh patriotism of those
charged with the duty and responsibility
| OF government than upon any other condi-
ton connected with or incident to gov
! eminent. Without it no government can
| long endure. Ours would soon cr,lmble
| and fall.
Whatever tends TO destroy this conf
dence, whether arising from swithin any
| of the coordinate branches of the gov
eminent or coming from without, should
be frankly and fearlessly met and if pos
| sible, overcome
Where. as in our form of government
| the functions of government are divided
and their exercise duly vested in separate
| and distinct branches, with the powers
! rights and privileges of each fixed and
determined by written constitution moth
ing can contribute so much to the de-
structfon of this great essential Of gov
| eminent or to the disintegration of our
republic as an attack upon the part of
| one branch of the government to i'm
peach the honor and integrity of another
Dranch, however that attempted impeach-
ment may be sought, whether by attribut-
| ing TO the members of that other branch
| as a whole motives for their official con-
duct wholly inconsistent with honor, in
tegr1ty and the faithful discharge of duty
or otherwise
|
the great power of any one of the
| branches OF our government in this re-
| spect, If allowed to pass unchallenged, will
| go further to undermine the confidence of
the people in their government than all
| olner agencies combined. Undermine the
confidence of the people in any one of the
three coordinate branches of their gov
| eminent and you have done more to de-
stroy the foundation upon which that gov
eminent rests than could be accomplished
| In any other way.
when, therefore. the head of the execu-
tive branch of our government delber-
| ately charges. as was done in the message
of the President Of December 8, 1905 that
the legislative branch, in the exercise of
It's constitutional functions, has passed
| legislation which has been Of benefit only
and could be of benefit only, to the crimi-
nal classes and If deliberately introduced
| for the purpose Of diminishing the effect
| iveness Of war against crime, 1t could not
| have been better devised to that end
there is clearly implied. if the English Ian
guage means anything, that in adopting
States intended to benefit and protect from
detection and punishment those guilty of
| committing fraud and other violations of
the public law.
NO disclaimer now, however strenuous
] and vehement, can modify or change
either the meaning of the language used
by the President or its Interpretation by
| the people and by the press of this coun-
try. under which Interpretation the honor
and integrity of Congress has been as
| sailed and stands impeached. 1t is be-
| cause of the Interpretation of the Ian
guage used and it's effect upon their con-
| fdence in this branch of their government
| that l deem 1t important to treat the
| charge as 1t has been accepted and is
understood by the people generally.
People Should Know Facts.
1.-The people as a whole cannot conclude
from this language otherwise than that
| in adopting the provision of law criti-
cised. Congress did SO knowing that it
would be of benefit only, and could be
of benefit only. to the criminal classes
| and that it would prevent or at least
| hamper effective action against criminals
| by the executive branch of the govern
ment' This Interpretation should not go
| unchallenged. The people should know
| the facts.
as much the duty of Congress to pro-
vide the means and all the necessary in
strumentalities authorized by the Consti-
| tuition for the detection and punishment
| Of criminals, as it is the duty of the ex-
ecutive and judicial branches of the gov
| eminent to use the means and facilities
| thus provided for the detection, prose-
| cution and punishment of criminals.
| Hence to charge that Congress has exer-
cised its constitutional power in this re-
spect in way that has been of benefit
only. and could be of benefit only. to the
| criminal classes can have no other eff
| feet. whether SO intended not, than to
| impair, if not destroy, that confidence in
the honor and integrity of a coordinate
| branch of our government which is so
essential to the success and continuance
of our free institutions.
ITO emphasize the plain meaning of the
language employed in describing the eff
| feet of the legislation criticised 1t is also
charged in the message of the President
that the motive for proposing this iegis-
| latior or 'the chief argument in fa-
vor of the provision was that the con-
gressmen did not themselves wish to be
| investigated by secret service men.
Whether it was intended to charge this
as motive for the enactment of the law
or not. neither the press nor the people
nor any individual citizen can disasso-
ciate that which is said to be the chief
| argument in favor of "a proposition and
the motive that prompts him who make
| it,.
ITO thus impugn the motives. for it has
| been accepted as such, whether SO in
tended or not, of the members of the leg
| islative. branch Of our government vio-
lates not only the constitutional privileges
| of Congress, but Is calculated to arouse
popular prejudice against all branches Of