The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-03-19
REAL DANGER LIES
IN LEGISLATIVE
USURPAT|0N
.HHaiR president TAFT.
LATE GROVER CLEVELAND POINT.
Ed OUT TO COUNTRY THAT
EXECUTIVE HAS PLAN WHICH
sHoUt-D NOT BE INVADED.

much in these days OF the usurpation
OF the Legislative jurisdiction by the
executive branch" said President
Taft. In an address at the seventy
second anniversary of Grover Cleve-
lands birth In Carnegie hall. yester-
day. The real danger arises FROM
the disposition OF the legislative
branch TO assume that II has the
omnipotence or parent and may COM
pletely control the discretion co.,
ferred upon the executive by the con-
stitution"
President Taft. the chief justice Of
the United States supreme court, Sen
ator Root and Gov. Hughes spoke at
the Cleveland memorial exercises
Hundreds OF prominent persons also
paid tribute by their presence. Mrs.
Cleveland. with her daughter. Marion,
and her son. Richard. sat In box
The hall was crowded with people.
Mr.. Taft's speech follows:
Grover Cleveland was as com
pletely American in his character as
Lincoln. Without college educa.
ton, he prepared himself for the bar.
His life was confined TO western New
York His vision of government and
OF society was not widened By foreign
travel He was pure product Of the
village and town Afe-of the middle
states, affected by New England all
oestry and the atmosphere OF clergy
mans home.
His chief characteristics were
simplicity and directness OF thought.
sturdy honesty. courage Of his convic-
tons and plainness OF speech. with a.
sense OF public duty that has been
exceeded by no statesman within my
knowledge. II was SO strong in him
that he rarely wrote anything.
whether in the form Of private or
public communication, that the obliga-
ton of all men TO observe the public
interest was not his chief theme.
His career was most remarkable
one. BY mis- administration of the az
fairs OF his city as its mayor he
showed his power OF resistance to,
and OF overcoming the Influences that
made for corruption and negligence
In city gov erHment. both In his own
party and in the party OF his oppon-
ents Before he had ceased his Office
as mayor he had been elected gov
ernor. Before he had ceased his office
as governor he had been elected pres
ident OF the United States.
Retained Peoples Confidence.
THE presidential campaign OF 1884
degenerated into one of SANDER, scan
dial and abuse. but Mr. Cleveland
came through It retaining the confid-
ence OF the American people in his
courage and honesty and his single
purpose TO better the public service.
Mr. Cleveland was Democrat. He
was q partisan. He believed In par
ties, as all men must who understand
the machinery essential to the sue.
cess and efficiency OF popular govern
ment His impulses were all toward
the merit system OF appointments Ill
the public service, and against the
spoils system: but he had practical,
common sense view OF the problems
before him.
/. In his second campaign Mr.. Cleve-
LAND stood for an Affirmative idea, that
OF a reduction OF the tariff, SO as TO
make 1. a tariff for revenue. he at
tackled the protective theory and sys-
TEN. He stood for some aggressive
and affirmative. II was In accord.
ance with the ancient traditions or
the party.
'The first time Mr.. Cleveland was
In power he was opposed by he
publican senate This gave little OPP
portunity for any radical change by
legislation In the previous policies or
Republican administrations. but II did
offer an opportunity for Mr.. Cleveland
TO point out to the country the TACT
that eur government is government
of three distinct branches, the execu-
tive, the legislative and the judicial,
and that the executive has sphere
which the legislative branch has no
right TO invade.
Danger is Imaginative.
I'VE hear much In these days OF the
usurpation Of the legislative jurisdic-
ton by the executive branch. AS
long as the legislative branch has
the power OF the purse the danger or
executive usurpation is imaginative.
The real danger arises from the dis
position of the legislative branch 70
assume that IL has the omnipotence OF
parent and may completely control
the discretion conferred upon the ex-
ecutive by the constitution.
THE country is under obligation to
Mr. Cleveland for having pointed oit-
In his controversy with the Republl-
can senate some OF the limitations that
there are In the constitution upon at
tempted legislative action to restrict
executive discretion. In the end Mr..
Cleveland won in his controversy with
the senate. Whether he might have
done SO had both the house and the
senate been against him Is a matter OF
doubt.
Another great debt which the
country owes to Mr.. Cleveland Is the
assertion, made through bin as its
chief executive, of the power OF the
federal government directly to defend
the federal jurisdiction through the
process OF federal courts and by fed
eral troops, against the lawless In.
vasion OF a mob. Mr.. Cleveland was
Democrat and. of course, respected
the traditional construction OF the
constitution by that party; but no fear
OF apparent Inconsistency prevented
him from asserting the full federal
power to maintain Its authority 10
suppress lawlessness when directed
against federal right and federal juris.
diction; and so he instituted proceed
ings In the federal courts TO restrain
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