The daily Alaskan., 1915-01-08
HEADS OF NATIONS
Power of Our President Versus
 That of Royal Rulers.
THE EXERCISE OF THE VETO.


 Our Chief Executive, but Which
 Might Shake the Throne of the Mon
 arch Who Dared Assert lt.
 It has been said that the president of the United States has more real power than most monarchs of Europe. do not know that am able to insti- ute an intelligent comparison, because to do that one ought to be quite famil- far with the extent of the royal or lm- perlal power to be measured with that of our president and l have not sutti- cient knowledge on the subject
 know something with respect to the real governing power of the king of England. and except in an indirect way the presidents power far exceeds that of King George, and think 1t is very considerably more than that of the president of France. When, how ever. one examines the imperial power in governments like Germany, Austria, Italy and Spain the question Is much more difficult. and 1 presume no one would say that the presidents power Is equal to that of the c2ar of Russia.
 With US q president is elected for four years, and nothing can get him out of office except his death or his res ignation-which never comes-or his impeachment. The certainty of his tenure for four years makes our execu- tive administration little more rigid and less subject to quick changes of public opinion than In the parliament tary countries. am inclined to think that our system Is good thing for our country. however much parliamentary government may suit the countries where 1t Is In use.
 Of course 1t has thls advantage: In parliamentary government there is union between the executive and the legislative branches, and they there fore work together, because those who constitute the executive lead and di- rect the legislation. whereas in the separation of the great branches of the government with LIS the president rep resents the executive. congress the leg lslative and the courts the judicial branch. and the plap of the men who framed the constitution was to pre- serve these branches separately.
 The president Is able to recommend regislation to congress. and he may 20 In person to argue the wisdom of it If he chooses. Mir. Wilson restored an old custom of that sort, which was abandoned by President Jefferson. and think he was right In doing so. It emphasizes the presidents recOmmen- dations and focuses the eyes of the people on that which he regards as i'm portant to the public welfare, and 1t puts a greater responsibility on con. gress to give attention to his sugCes- lions.
 The British constitution gives the power of veto to the king, but it has not been exercised for more than two centuries. and were 1t attempted 1t would shake the throne. The exercise of the presidents veto always rouSes eloQuence on the part of those who are much disappointed at the defeat of the measure, and the walls of congress not Infrequently resound with denuncia- tiou of his tyranniCal exercise of kingly prerogative.
 But the fact Is 1t has come to be more frequent characteristic of a re. public than of a modern monarchy, For a king or an emperor to intcrpOSe veto to an act of the popular le@iSla. ture is really to obStruct the peoples will. because he was not chosen by their votes. but inherited his royal power. He must indeed be careful in exercising q veto lest he incur a pro test and arouse feeling dangerous to his dynasty.
 The case of the president is very diff ferent. The constitution established by the people requires the president to withhold his signature from bill if be dtsapprove of It and return it with his objections 10 the house In which it orig mated. for the president is quite as much the representative of the people as are the members of the two houses.
 Indeed. the whole people of the Unit ed States Is his constituency, and he therefore speaks and acts for them quite as certainly as the members elected from congressional districts or the senators from the states He is not exercising kingly power in a veto. He is acting in a representative capacity for the whole people and is preventing law that he thinks would work to the detrlment of the whole country. On this account the roar of the young lions of congress against a veto never frightenS the occupant Of the White William Howard Taft in Yale Review.