The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-06-05
SPoONER ON TAFT.

No man in the United States is bet
ter qualified TO Judge whether public af.
fairs are proceeding in lawful, con
tablishcd usages, than is ex-senator
John c. Spooncr Of Wisconsin. When,
therefore, he throws up his hands in
disgust at the way matters are going,
it is time patriots aroused themselves
and inquired whether we arc NOT wan
dcring into by and forbidden paths
Senator Spooner, in an address in New
York TO graduates of the Homeopathic
College, was caustic upon the question
of the distinction between Il politician
and a statesman, 1t WAS plain, how
ever, that while his heart warmed to-
wards statesman, he feared and dis
trusted the politicians; and he manfully
stood up for the distinction properly
made in the Constitution between the
powers of the legislative department
and those of the executive department
of the Government. Pointcdly he said,
81 never knew the President was per.
mitted to do everything that was not
| positively prohibited in the Constitu-
| tion,' fair blow at much Of the eX
ecutive assumption, not to say usurpa.
tion, that has been so offensive to think
ing men of the Republic for the past
few years. Aud when Mr.. Spooner fur.
ther proceeded to say, ~ have read
the oath of office which the President
takes, and it specifies that he is to
execute and not make the laws he
makes the distinction sharp and clear rs
between the two functions Of the Fed.
eral Government, Congress would have
just as much right to undertake through
officers of its own appointment, TO
execute the laws, as the President has
to invade Congress with the demand
that it shall pass administration
bills" The rapidity with which the
country has advanced on this line in
the past six years will soon bring up
plainly in sight the oman on horse.
back the dictator. who has been in
the past the ruin of so many American
republics, and who has been the tradi.
tlonal supplanter of popular govern.
ments among mankind from the earliest
historical times.
Mr.. Spooner says pointedly, 81 never
could discover any theory by which the
laws must be passed as drawn by the
executive department. When you COM
mlngle the executive and legislative
you destroy the government, - which is
trulsm that no one would have dis.
puted few years ago. The exercise
Of such invasion by the executive would
have made the fathers OF the country
recoil with horror. 1t really looks, how
ever, as though the country is ready TO
accept Mr.. Roosevelt as its lbcrato.,
dictator, autocrat. The sentiment in
the East appears to be so tremendously
for him that one wonders if Roosevelt
is not really the man who is fated to
subvert the Republic and erect upon
ITS ruins personal reign, whether by
dictatorship, personal autocracy or
otherwise, 1T is needless TO inquire. The
main thing is the threatening shadow
of the Roosevelt personality as a dis
tinct menace to the Republic, leading,
perhaps, eventually TO its overthrow,
and the substitution in place Of it of
n personal government which large
portion of the American people are GER
tanly even now ready to accept, but
which If accepted would by no means
terminate with Mr.. Roosevelt IS death
And no matter how well disposed he is
towards beneficial rule in the interest
of the people, once that personal rule
Is established, the inevitable ruthless
and selfish tyrant succeeds, and the
peoples liberties are destroyed.
Unfortunately, this very sort of
change, this alteration of the individ-
ual, this yielding by the people to per-
sonal dictation and rule, has always
been the end of popular government
whenever and wherever that end has
come, either in ancient or modern
times
1T would be cruel mockery if Mr.
Roosevelt, anxious as he is TO pose as
the sole and devoted friend of the peo.
pie, should be the one to overthrow
government of the people, by the peo.
pie. and for the people. Curious and
extravagant all this would seem; but
the feeling in the East, as expressed
from time to time by devotees OF Mr.
Roosevelt, fully warrants the discus
sion of this theme; and while il may be
that the present foreshadowing will
never become an actuality, the fact
remains that there are multitudes who
seem not only absolutely willing to
have the Republic end that way, but
to be prepared for it and strenuous in
the advocacy of Rooseveltism in this
form.
Although great deal of difficulty
was experienced in passing that rail
road bill, the matter Of enforcing the