The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-01-12

Been so Free in His Criticisms AMI
Denunciations of Private Citizens and
Public Officials.
New Orleans States says: 1t will be
agreed generally, we believe, that the:
answer of the House to the reflections
made upon the integrity of its actions
by the President in his recent annual
message was proper and dignihed. The
action taken by the House was not pre-
cipitate. Its first step was to call upon
the President for the information upon
which his attack of the members of
Congress was based, and the response
to that reasonable request came in the
nature of an insult added to previous
injury.
Under such circumstances there was
nothing left for the House to DO in Or
der to retain the respect of the country
and its own self-respect but to admins
ter the rebuke which was adopted This
rebukt, is all the more severe by reason
of the deliberate and thorough manner
in which the entire matter was gone
into by the House, the temperate spirit
shown in discussing it and the digni6ed
language in which the resolution is
couched.
1t is always an unfortunate thing
when friction arises between any two
departments of the government exercis-
ing concurrent jurisdiction. The three
great divisions of the government are
intended to be independent each in the
legitimate sphere of its operations and
proper regard for that fact on the
part of all concerned would make Sc
rious friction impossible Unfortunately
Mr.. Roosevelt seems to have come to
regard himself as the whole government
and the intelligence and conscience of
the nation as we'll.
No man who has ever occupied the
presidential office before him has been
so free in his criticisms and denuncia-
tons of private citizens and public Of
Gals, nor has any former President so
grossly transgressed the properties or
rode so roughly over laws and the Con-
stitution. As is usual with men of such
extreme natures, the President has no
federation for the faults or the weak
nesses of others, and is disposed to
Judge most harshly things in others
which may be but amiable weaknesses
as compared to his own great faults.
His attributing the motives of the
members of Congress in amending the
bill carrying an Appropriation for the Sc
cret service department to the fear OF
having disclosed their own misdoings,
was without warrant and constituted an
inexcusable breach of official ethics. 1t
is not improbable that there are dishon-
est men under the control of the Execu-
tive. But to argue from such a suppose
ton that the legislative department of
the government had deliberately epacted
measure, through corrupt or dishonest
l llIOtlSCS, ID d HlOuSlA Jus pIOpOoIlAoA.
If it were true it would reflect Sc
riously upon the capacity of the people
to govern themselves, for we may be
sure that an honest constituency will not
long follow corrupt representation in
Congress or Senate. In the ordinary re-
lations between man and man an i'm
proper reflection Or false charge con-
corning another, calls either for sub
sanitation or disclaimer and with
drawal Of the offensive statement. The
conventions which mark the man Of
good breeding apply with equal force to
gentlemen in private life or in public
station. When the House excepted to
the language employed by the President
it was his duty either to make good the
implied charge or to withdraw the Of
fensive language. He did neither, hence
he can never have the right to complain
of the severe though well-merited re-
buke administered to him by the House