Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-03


IH IN & Theodore Roosevelt, the
lN " statesman, contemporary
ia A\MI judgments agree that The
lk3ko1AA1aS2a odore Roosevelt, the poll
tician, knows no superior.
No other president was so successful
in dealing with hostile congresses, no
other president was able to carry on i
bitter warfare with other leaders OF
his own party without breaking the
solid front presented to the opposition,
no other president was so often able
to command the ostensible and osten-
tatious support OF a congress which at
heart opposed him and all his works.
And yet Mr.. Roosevelt was never
hard-headed or obstinate. He obtained
as much as he could from congress,
and then compromised on the theory
that half loaf Is better than no
bread. 1t was these compromises,
presenting to the public the appear
ance of a Rooseveltian victory and
seeming to the congressional leaders
a Rooseveltian defeat, which kept
peace in the party.
Several times during the Roosevelt
regime there were clashes between the
White House and the capitol, but usu-
ally these related to matters of minor
Importance. Congress objected most
strenuously to a report filed by the
fourth assistant postmaster general,
now Senator Bristow of Kansas, which
mentioned the names of great ma
iority of members of congress as haV-
ing used their personal influence TO
secure favors for certain postmasters.
The report was submitted in manner
which might have had the effect Of
connecting the names of the congress-
men with the postoffice department
scandals then lately uncovered. AS a
matter of fact, il is considered the
duty of a member Of congress to assist
a postmaster in his district to secure
increased facilities for his office. At
first congress was furious and there
was wild talk of reprisals against the
president. But some of the leaders
we're summoned to the White House,
the thing was talked over and con-
gress decided not TO align itself
against the president. 1t was a very
wise decision.
The senate majority seized upon the
incident of the dismissal of the negro
soldiers accused of shooting up
Brownsville as a basis of a possible
rebuke to the president. But here the
Democratic senators came to the res
cue and Senator Blackburn of Ken
tuckv adroitly prevented the adoption
of a resolution rejecting upon the
president.
The house of representatives resented
with Indignation the insinuatlon OF the
president that appropriations Tor the
secret service were limited because
members of congress feared their own
actions might be subjected to investiga
tion by the government secret ponce
There was a great hue and cry abous
the thing in Washington and the house
actually adopted a resolution censuring
adopted the president sent a message
TO congress attacking Senator Tillman
of Southern Carolina and the house
protest was lost in the greater excite
ment caused by the Tillman accusa-
tions.
on subjects of larger import the con-
eress was often at odds with the pres
ident, but neither the White House
nor the capitol could afford to make
the quarrel public. The discipline OF
the party was so potent that every
difference was amicably compromised.
In these differences of opinion, both
the president and congress had some
powerful advantages. Mr.. Roosevelt,
in nearly every instance, had the sup
port of the Democratic minority enab-
ling him to declare a purpose of pass
ing legislation by a combination OF
the Democrats and that minority of
his own party which would follow his
radical program. Against this advan-
tage the congressional leaders were
able to picture the ruin of the organi-
zation and the disruption of the party,
leading to possible Democratic control.
AS Mr. Roosevelt was n sincere Repub-
lican he agreed with the congressional
leaders that Democratic control would
be a calamity.
The most notable legislative battle
OF the Roosevelt administration was
that waged over the bill giving addi-
tional powers to the interstate com
merce commission, known as the rate
bill when under discussion and as the
Hepburn -Tilman act when 1t was
passed. The majority of the Republi-
can members of both houses were con-
vinced that any legislation along this
line was unwise. They did not so de-
clare publicly, but anybody who was
in Washington that winter knows how
they talked in private. 1t was never
popular when Mr.. Roosevelt was presi-
dent to oppose Mr.. Roosevelt's policies.
But as it had been agreed that some
rate bill was TO be passed, the house
of representatives resolved, as usual,
To nut it up to the senate as quickly as
possible. The bill formulated in the
house committee, bearing the name or
Representative Hepburn of Iowa, was
only the framework for the law. IL
was Put through the house under a
special rule, which prohibited any gen