The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-06
THE LAW COMING INTO RULE.

! n'it dpVtdiN w Dt tu1ust VI 'hb
mDistration policy toward this west.
crn country. which will be much apprc-
! cIatcd by the inhabitants of this region.
! That change is from the rule of the
''big stick To the rule of law. Prcsi.
dent Taft docs not believe that the
Executive Department of the Govern
mcnt can safely proceed without the
support of law; nor docs he think that
! an executive order is as potent as A
statute, either to establish law or TO
| override it. We copy on this page an
Illuminating editorial from the Spring
| field (Mass.) Republican on this sub
:iect, which is both cxpository and IL
lustrativc.
In line with this change of policy. n
speech was made by Attorney General
| Wickcrsham in New ork on the night of
! April both, which is interpreted to
mean that the war on corporate
| greed is 10 cease. To be sure, it was
a rambling sort Of speech, and had
various phases: but the comment of
one most anxious to sustain the Roosc-
welt "big stick regime, was that the
Attorney Generals idea meant that
''the trusts must obey every vital
law;' and another was that the Taft
administration would "drop ill-adviscd
suits Mr.. Wickersham IS own words
were that methods which were neces
| sary to awaken the business com
munity to the existence and vitality of
those laws are no longer necessary -
The natural inference is that the Roose-
welt methods are no longer to be used
For which the country, and especially
all this western region, will be duly
thankful, 1t is no moro than was 40
be expected. however, on the incoming
Of sane and lawful administration.
The dispatches yesterday morning
contained confirmation of this sane
and safe change of policy, 1t appears
that Secretary Wilson of the Depart.
meDt of Agriculture, proceeding on the
former idea that vast tracts of pub.
lie land could be withdrawn from entry
or use, merely to Satisfy some whim
or fad, and regardless Of the law, ap.
piled to the Secretary of the Interior
to have an indefinite area of public
domain withdrawn from public filings
8 for administrative purposes, Sccrc-
tary Ballinger sent back an emphatic
refusal. citing the fact that TO grant
the request would be contrary to law,
and an abuse of public right. And the
Secretary Of Agriculture was invited
TO show the necessity Of the withdrawal
and appropriation he sought and the
quantity of land purposed to be with
drawn. Secretary Ballinger pointed out
the law which expressly forbids the
sort Of withdrawal asked for BY the
Secretary of Agriculture, and said that
the law must be obeyed But under
the former administration Secretary
Wilson S request would have been
granted as a matter of course, no mat
ter about the law. On this particular
phase of the former executive action
that which took no account of the law
or the courts, tho Springfield RepubIi.
cans editorial referred to, is particu-
larly pointed
The ridiculous pretense of the Roose-
NcIt administration fhat IT. would pre-.
serve the water-power Of the country
to the people by not allowing the peo.
pie to acquire or use that power, was
also without the least warrant in law.
President Roosevelt s veto of a bill
allowing the use of the water.power of
stream in Missouri was so absurd
that it was hustled into oblivion as
something TO forget as soon as possible
The law clearly allows of the acouisi-
tion of water rights, and it is not com
petent for the executive to withhold
this privilege which is expressly con.
fcrred by statute.
And so, the reversal of the lawless
and destructive policies Of the Roose.
welt administration is in actual process
"a fact upon which the whole people
are TO be congratulated as well as Tim
present administration itself. This re.
turn TO the reign of law, which is the
true foundation for ali proper action in
a popular government, is welcome
fact