The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-01-28
MOT SAILING BY CHART.

During a course of lectures recently
given by Congressman Samuel w. Nc
/ Call of Massachusetts at Columbia uni
versity strong ground was taken in op-
/ position to the autocratic power at
present lodged in the hands of the
president The words of the New Eng
land statesman are entitled to more
weight than is usually given TO the
opinions of representatives by reason of
his well known ability and the fact
that he always follows the dictates of
his conscience in the matter Of voting.
and is never moved by popular clamor
or questions of party expediency. Re
garding the effect that would be pro-
duced if the cabinet were admitted to
congress and given more power, he
said:
In a popular government the exercise Of
power must be subject to the fTeeSt crit
ieism: and the greater The power the
greater the freedom OF criticism. SO long
as the president is the real executive of
the nation, with a cabinet whose mem
bers are not so much his subordinates as
his agents. there must be greater free
dom of criticism than is consistent with
the dignity of the office
And again. the duties Of the position
are altogether too numerous to be trans
acted by single man. If he happens TO
be a man given to action first and reflec-
ton afterNard one who follows his own
inciinations rather than the advice of pru-
dent counsellors, his power will be exer-
cised in a way that will do injury to the
nation for which il Is held in trust.
It would be better If the cabinet should
exercise the real executive power What
ever the opinions Of the newspaper edi-
he ha4- inf a.
urally be against such an evolution. They
can produce more sensational effects IL
there is q concentration of authority.
More blood curdling tales of the Jack-the-
Giant-Killer variety can be based upon
the doings of one man than of group Of
men. But We should be able to do what
other civilized nations have done.
Mr.. Mccall has evidently reached his
conclusions after observing carefully
the manner in which the ship of state
has been handled in this country dur
ing the last seven years. Concerning
one-man control of party. he said:
Tremendous powers coming from the
filling of offices enables a president prac-
tically to control the nominations of his
party under the caucus and convention
system. and. as a rule. IL is the more eff
fective for this purpose the more unscru-
pulousiy i is employed II you add to this
sition over the business affairs of the pri-
vate citizen. through an extreme extension
Of the national inspector system, you put
in the hands OF a president the infallible
means OF exercising supreme control OF
his party
Great ships should sail by the charts and
not tack Enthusiastically to catch each cap
IL Of wind They should leave that to the
catboats and 10 the other small craft of
the sea. And a really great nation cannot
proceed fitfully and by sudden leaps, just
as does man In whom impulse greatly
dominates over intellect: but, like civiliza-
ton itself. II moves forward majestically
and restessly bearing with IL the interests
with which 1t is intrusted and accomplish
ing its high destiny.
Coming from Republican who has
ieng represented the Harvard college
district in the national house of repre-
sentatives. these words are impressive
and ought to strike home Too much
power has been assumed by the execu-
tive. and congressman have been too
timorous in asserting their rights when /
the danger of loss of federal patronage
confronted them. The conclusion. /
therefore. is perfectly natural that the |
presidential tree needs pruning.