The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-04-25
CONVINCING FUNCTIONS.

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Weekly an article by 4. Maurice Low,
''The New Bossism.'' In this article
Mr.. Low recognizes the new departure
OF President Wilson in taking charge
of the framing OF the tariff bill and in
frankly undertaking to shape legisla'
tion. as the fixing of new relations be-
tween Congress and the Executive. He
also considers that the President has
put himself in ''the greater place as
the direct representative Of the people
in insisting upon bis right TO take part
in tariff making. He considers, in fact,
that this new departure is practically
an amendment of the Constitution "by
the people Themselves and not through
the machinery OF convention or the
| legislatures. and he considers that
these changed relations are so radical
that cit is to the President that the
people now look rather than to Con-
gress. 1t is the President who is now
supposed TO be able to shape legisla-
tion to satisfy the demand made by
the people. He speaks with a good
deal Of contempt Of "the former be-
| lief' that the President is at the
head of one OF the three departments
Of the Government into which the Con
stitution divides our public affairs, and
he seems to think that the assumption
of jurisdiction over Congress by the
President is 4 real departure from the
old methods. and not only n welcome,
but desirable change He contrasts
the active. open, and frankly public
part in the formation of the tariff bill
assumed by President Wilson, as some
thing so entirely different from precc-
dent that it would have been viewed
with horror but short while back.
But he talks Of all that as former
system, as something that has been
entirely changed, and that now we have
practically n government by the Exccu.
tive with Congress as mere auxiliary.
This view is, in effect, restatement of
President Andrew johnson S talk while
I"swinging around the circle that
HCongress is n body hanging upon the
verge Of the Government -; the Gov
ernment of course, being the EIccu
tive, and Congress mere fringe or
cloudy nonentitv, which was undertak-
u@ TO harass the real government
vested in the President.
Mr.. Low speaks of the "formcr sys-
tenn with a good deal of scorn
where "thc President was in his com
partment and Congress in theirs, Each
was sacred Nothing Congress was so
Jealous Of as Executive encroachment
or Executive interference. Nothing the
President resented so much as usurpa-
tion by Congress Of the legitimate func
tions OF the President. Each Of these
coordinate branches kept to itself. =
This, il appears, was not only a con
fairs. system that needed TO he
radically changed, but a system that
has been absolutely superseded, quite
as much so as though the Constitution
had been amended TO make the change. |
II must be confessed that if what Mr.. !
Low represents as having occurred has
the sweeping effect that he attributes |
to IT, the Government has been changed |
not only from former IDEAS. but the |
idea has been practically |
Il it is true that the peo-
pie viii look 10 the President rather |
than 10 Congress for the framing of |
laws, it would seem that Congress is q
body that could easily be dispensed |
with, and that the President might Just
as well promulgate laws by Executive
decree. If it is true that the people
hold tho President and not Congress re.
sponsjble for legislation, then it is an
expensive farce to keep up the practi
,al non-utility Of having a Congress
We shall await with good deal OF
interest the next radical change, or, as
Mr.. Low expresses, II, amendment to
he Constitution by the people them
elves and not through the machinery
If convention or the legislatures, -
which further amending would perhaps
urn over the Supreme Court also to
he direction and guidance OF the Ex-
,cutive; for if IL is true that the
Executive has in effect supplanted Con
yress, and that the people look TO him
or the shaping OF legislation, then
or the people 10 look TO the President
Ilso for the Interpretation of that
egislation and for his guidance of the
supreme Court toward the decrees or
judgments which the Executive Depart
nent of the Government would desire
he Court 20 render. II Mr.. Low is
orrect. we have no longer three co
\ 8 III |
rnmcut. ont only two; the Executive
as swallowed the legislative. and
shen he gets this fully digested he will
doubtless be prepared 70 attack the
judiciary branch and render il also
punishment for the Executive
We arc progressing fast enough, the
ord knows, but il is a comfort 10
now that after all we are not "pro-
ressinF' quite as fast as some OF the [