The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-01-09
PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT.

ficers in investigating members of
congress-. In other words, it is sug-
gested that we pass a law which will
facilitate the exposure of other Grim
inals, but will protect ourselves. If a
majority of the congress stand in ia
vor of the exposure of their own mis-
deeds, they would be ready to vote
for such a law, but such is not the
case, and against it we must protest.
If congress listens lamely and timid-
| ly to reflections upon character of it's
members and its honesty of purpose,
it will deserve, and it will certainly re-
celve, the contempt of the public. We
feel that in view of the suggestions
in the presidents message the con-
gress should refuse to receive and con-
slider 1t.
Struggled and Bled.
During long centuries our English
speaking ancestors struggled and bled
that representative government
might be established among English
people. Our revolutionary forefathers
more than a century ago, struggled
and bled that our government should
the laws of the American people
should be passed by the representa-
| tives chosen by the American people.
The congress of the United States to-
day exists as a result of centuries Of
struggle for popular government. Let
every man who is a member of 1T vote
| on this question in the manner which
seems to him most worthy OF the ira
ditions of which we are the heirs, of
the institutions of which we are the
| protectors, of the people of whom we
are the representatives"
| AS was the case when he first spoke
on the question before the holidays,
Mr.. Perkins was frequently interrupted
by applause. Upon the conclusion of
his remarks he submitted the COM
mittee's report, which, after quoting
the presidents message, was as fol-
| lows
A Reflection.
| Understanding this language to be
| reflection on the integrity of it's
| membership, and aware of it's consti-
tutional duty as to it's membership,
/ the house in respectful terms called
| that would justify the language of the
| message or assist it in it's constitu-
tional duty to purge the house of the
| implied charge of corruption.
"The president in his message of
January denied that the paragraph
of the annual message cast reflections
on the integrity of the house; at
tributes to the house an entire fail
ure to understand my message; de-
clares that he has made no charge Of
corruption against any members of
this house, and by implication states
that he has no proof of corruption Of
any member of this house.
Must Insist.
Whether the house in it's resolution
of December II, 1908. correctly inter-
preted the meaning of the words used
| by the president in his annual mes
| sage or whether it misunderstood that
| language, as the president implied,
would be judged now and in the future
according to the accepted interpreta-
tions of the English language. This
house, charged only with its RESPONSE
bility to the people of the United
States and its obligation to transmit
unimpaired toSthe future the represen-
| tative institutions inherited from the
past and to preserve it's own dignity
must insist on it's own capacity to un-
derstand the import of the presidents
! language. We consider the language
of the president in his message of
December s, 1908, unjustified and with
out basis of fact, and that it consti-
tutes breach Of the privileges of the
house; therefore, be it
The Resolution.
Resolved, That the house in the
exercise of it's constitutional preroga-
tives declines to consider any COM
munication from any source which is
not in it's own judgment respectful;
and be 1t further
Resolved. That the special commit
tee and the committee of the whole
| house on the state of the union to
discharged from any consideration of
so much of the presidents annual
message as relates to the secret SER
vice and is above set forth, and that
the said portion of the message be
laid on the table; and, be it further
Resolved, That the message of the
president. sent to the house on jan
uary 4. 1909. being unresponsive to the
inquiry of the house, and constituting
an invasion of the privileges Of the
house by questioning the motives and