Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-10-19

The meeting at Ell Paso today of Will
liam H. Taft, president OF the United
States, and Porfirio Diaz. president of the
republic of Mexico, is an event unique
in the history of the two nations. General
Diaz will cross the boundaries of his
country and call on Mr.. Taft in Ell Paso.
Mr. Taft will then return the call, cross
ing over the line into Mexico. Significant
OF the cordial relations OF friendship be-
tween the two great republics of North
America the meeting is also of great in
terest in that it skaters more than one
precedent which tradition has thrown
about the person of the president of the
United States.
It is the first time that the president Of
the United States has exchanged calls
with ruler of a foreign nation, although
such courtesies are everyday affairs In
Europe 1t is the first time that pres
ldent of the United States has set foot
upon foreign soil during his term of Of
fee 1t is also the first time that pres
ioent of Mexico has gone beyond the geo.
graphical limits of his country.
The meeting no doubt will serve to
strengthen the ties of friendship between
the two republics, and at the same time
It will serve to bring into sharp con-
trast the differences between the two
chief magistrates-one the product of An
glo-Saxon freedom and the other an ex-
emplar of the Latin-American ideal Of
the combined liberator and dictator.
The American people inherited an awe
some respect for traditional precedent
from their British forebears, along with
the common law and the King James b.
III ri which de-
creed that the president might not leave
the country during his term Of office
originated in the early days of the re-
public, along with that other unwritten
law that a president may serve but two
terms. Mr.. Roosevelt broke down the
first tradition; but he refused to attack
the second, which holds good at least I'M
til 1912. Mr.. Roosevelt shocked the wor-
shippers of precedent when he decided TO
make the journey from New Orleans 10
Washington on a war ship. To their pro-
tests he replied that he was in American
waters all the time and that he had not
violated the sacred precedent. Later he
visited the Panama caanl and the con-
servers of tradition were again moved TO
a chorus of lamentations. Again MT
Roosevelt assured the public that MS
respect for tradition and precedent was
so great that he did not leave American
territory having made the journey under
the American flag on an American man
OF war and having carefully kept on the
American territory of the canal zone our
ing his stay on the isthmus. Mr.. Roose-
welt at that time met the president OF
the republic of Panama but there was no
formal exchange of calls.
Therefore II is left for Mr.. Taft to
ne the first to break the bonds of ira
dition and boldly fare forth into for
eign land, under the protection OF
foreign flag, to return an official Visit
from the chief executive Of another ma
ton. The precedent thus destroyed mas
been mentiond and approved by many
of the presidents. Mr.. Mckinney TWICE
stood where a single stride would have
taken him out of the United States-once
on the Mexican and once on the Can
adfan border The rule of precedent
was strong in those days and Mr.. Nc
Kinlev obeyed The Roosevelt regime
set the fashion for overturning prece-
dent.
! Strangely enough, the presidents
which hedge about the person Of the
president seem to have descended not
from Washington. the dignified aristo-
crat, but from Jefferson, the aristocrat
who laid aside form and sometimes dig
nifty in his efforts to live up to his
! theories of democracy. 1t was Mr.. JEFF
| ferson who declared that the president,
as chief magistrate of the nation,
should not leave the confines of the
states, that he carried with him his Of
ficial status, and that he was not sub
iect to a summons of a court except
! that Of the senate sitting as a court to
try a cause brought from the house of
representatives by impeachment pro-
! ceedings. The president was wanted as
a witness in the trial Of Aaron Burr for
treason, but he decided that the presl-
| dent was not amenable to the summons
OF a court as it would enable the enc
miles Of the government to take him