Lower coast gazette., 1909-01-23
SATURDAY JANUARY f3aD 1909.

CAlUNUA1 W. IoDA w
The Theory of Our Government.
The conflict that has arisen in Washington between President
Roosevelt and both houses of Congress brings up quite sharply the
bses upon which our government is founded. Practically every
one knows this bases, but still few persons have paid much at
tendon to them or perhaps more complaint would have been made
of The destructive work that President Roosevelt has been doing,
imperning the very ties that hold our government together. The
signers Of the Declaration of independence made the first great
move SO far as legislation was concerned. A congress was held
and in due course a constitution was adopted. This constitution,
which was subscribed to by every one of the thirteen original
states ahd1by all the rest of the states as they have been admitted
into the federal union, creates three departments of government,
the Legislative which is composed Of the two houses of congress;
the judicial department whose duty it lis to interpret the laws of
the land when they may be in dispute, and the executive, the Presi
dent, whose duty it is to execute the laws.
From these data we should be led to infer that the duties of
the president were not very onerous and did not contemplate any
original work, his duty being simply to execute such laws as were
enacted BY congress. To congress is left the right to declare war
and of COURSE the right to make laws under such restrictions as the
constitution may present. The president, however is made the
commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States,
which gives to him power that may be used for good or orevil as
the judgment of the president may determine. AS this is a repub-
1can form of government and as congress is elected by the people
directly *. far as the members Of the lower house are concerned
and indirectly by the people so far as the members of the Senate
are concerned, itis manifest that it was the intention of the faith
es Of this government that the great, living, active, factor in this
government should be congress. In order to insure this and to
maintain the p~erpctuity Of free institutions the value of the repre-
entative idea of congress was r%ecognizedin the fact that it should
be the Judge Of the qualifications of its own members. 1t has some
times been thought that this was not proper and that when a con-
tsBt has arisen the courts Of the land should determine which Of
the contestants was entitled to the seat in the House of Represen-
tstiyes,S Of in the Senate. Reflection will lead any thinking man
to the conclusion that the control by the courts Of the representa-
tiyes Of the people would be d dangerous, # not destructive to free
government, and hence this provision appears we believe in the
cohsttution Of every state in the union, as we'll as in the federal
constitution. If q United States Senator has been elected by the
legislature Of his own state and doubts have arisen as to the hon.
esty OF the election, of the proprety of the means involved in Sc
curing the election, or any other alleged fault or condition be as
crihed to the successful candidate, he can only be ousted from the
United States Senate by vote of that body, his own vote, as we I'M
derst9nd it being excluded in the count. This rule of procedure
obtains equally in the House Of Representatives and 50 through the
legislative bodies OF all the states Of the union. This demonstrate
es the desire OF the people to take the chance on the judgment
Of their representatives in Washington and their representatives in
their local capitals, rather than to build up a judicial ~oigarchy,
whose powersin the end would control the entire governme mt.
The advent Of Theodore Roosevelt to the presidency of the
United States has brought about a condition Of new affairs. He has
done more to destroy the American government than any other
man il Its history. As Dr.. E. N. Palmer, in New Orleans well
said before his death in discussing the Spanish war and some of
js incidents, the republic has gone; the empire has come"
The present c~ondctin Washington between the two houses has
brought out the fact that the immense secret service fund of some .
three millions Of dollars, intended to be utilized by the government
under the prescribed conditions of the law for the purpose of de-
tecting counterfeiters and similar infractors Of the federal laws has
been4Nrgely used by President Roosevelt for the purpose of exam
ing into the ~antecedents and doings of the members of congress,
aiine OF action that IS explicitly prohibited to him by virtue OF the
fact that he himself is under the control Of congress, and further
lew in the case which makes no provision for any such use
Of the fund. Some of our readers have doubtless enjoyed reading
the letters from Mr.. Archbold to MY Dear Senator and others,
enslqsipg checks gil the way from $4,000 to $4,000 as per ar
RI $s4ASHatSs made with you,' ETC., but the present emeute in ,
W. AAaGaphH1t6 Dws that these data, while very valuable in purify
3nt The poidtalar OF the country, are destructive to our form Of =
gollsHti&8ent. Il President Roosevelt in order to get even'' with :
alsks9t .shis Opponents should endeayor to undermine them and :
ahemw with political crimesdscovered by means Of the Sc /!
fund.- appropriated ~bycongress for an entirely diferer '
ont purpose. then President Roosevelt commits grave error, if '
not : crime. in the destructive work that he may have done. His
function i to execute the laws blythe proper lines Of procedure t
and motto organize ~ inquistion todestroy a political branch of 8
the government on which he is dependent and of whose power j
hs may b jealous. c
It was thought that Andrew jackson was very dangerous man :
when he revolutonized the finances Of the United States by per- =
emp@gly moving the deposits Of the United States and practical :
s~uppeessing the United States bank. It was thought that An :
Drew johnson wasa very dangerous man when he proceeded in his !.
md now apparently legal, way to reconstruct the south :;
Nm STATES OF tho union. We believe that President Cleveland COM i
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