The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-08-12
Will Not Allow Severe Ar
raignment of President to
Go Without Challenge
SENATE SPEECH WAS
STARTLING IN TONE
Though Tempered by Soft Phrases,
Attack on Wilson Bitter, Claiming
Constitution Violated by Usurp-
ton of Power by the President
by HUGH w. ROBERTS

Washington, August 11.-(Special)
Democrats in Congress are preparing an
answer to the charge of Senator Cum
minis, who in the course of the Child
labor debate" declared:
He the PresidenD is not imbued with
the spirit of the constitution which he
has sworn to obey and execute He be-
lieves that we must not only have a
leader but master in the White House,
Immediately after the conclusion of the
senator's sensational arraignment, other
senators endeavored to counteract the in
fluence or effect But, from develop
ments today, it is apparent that they
do not consider that their work was well
done. AS to whether or not the Pres-
dent is behind the move to secure more
thorough refutation of the contentious of
one of the strongest members of the
Senate, cannot be learned.
SEVERE ARRANGEMENT
The arraignment by Senator Cummins
was severe, and despite the fact that it
was tempered by certain soft phrases.
startling. His remarks were predicated
on statement by Senator Hardwick OF
Georgia to the effect that the President
in forcing the passage of the child labor
bill violated his own conception of con-
stitutional limitations-for somewhere the
President had previously written that the
enactment of such legislation would be
ridiculously unconstitutional.
Senator Cummns an ardent supporter
of the child labor bill, but, in the first
place, republican, and in the second
place. one considered independent and
scornful of executive interference de-
clared that the President in his invasion
of the legislative branch of the govern
ment, was more in violation of the spirit
of the constitution than in his espousal
Of any specific legislation. He declared,
further, that this attitude of the Presi-
dent was moro pregnant with danger
to the spirit and letter of the constitution
than the passage of any measure could
possibly be.
CHARGES PREFERRED
The following excerpt from the Cunas
Minis speech is the gist of the arraign@
ment which is regarded as the most
severe administered since President Will
son took the oath Of office:
'Mr. President, 1 have been uncertain
from the beginning, for three years or
more whether or not the President of tbs
United States knows anything about the
constitution. I grant that he is an intel-
lectual power; I grant that he is man
of fine attachments, of unusual training
and education but I am not ready to
admit that he has any acquaintance with
the constitution; for, If I do admit it.
L must at the same time believe that
he is utterly Indifferent to its obligations
and to it's mandates.
Il do not know what influence the
Pr esident of the country has attempted
to exert upon the democratic majority
with respect to this particular bill; but
1 do know, and every intelligent man in
the United States knows, that from the
beginning of his administration to the
present moment the chief executive has
attempted, through every influence Of
which he is possessed, to absorb the leg
islative power of the government and to
istrative or executive power; and, II he
understands that the forefathers estab-
lished government in which there were
to be three independent and co-ordinate
branches, then he is careless of his duty
and obligations, because it is known to us
CONTINUED on PAGE Twv)