The Washington times., 1917-07-07
WAR POWERS
Of PRESIDENT
BENEVOLENT
AUTOCRACY'

CONTINUED from First Page)
Or repeal IL the actual operation Of
the law IS detrimental to the public
interests.
Left to President.
Surveying the powers which have
been granted President Wilson since
the beginning Of the war one fnds
that under the food administration
bill the right practically to control
the necessaries in the way OF food
and all the processes, methods and
activities OF production, storage, dis
tffbution, sale and consumption, 10
given to q single department Of the
Government Under the naval ap-
preparation bill. under the conscrib-
tion bill, under the amendment to
the interstate commerce law, under
the bond issue bill, and under the
espionafe Law there IL scarcely q
thing which has not been left to the
discretion Of the President.
Congress is very much to blame
for this state OF affairs Because 1t
i. has made no dlligent preparation for
I efneeRenci6s. Yet who can sGy. that
CohGrSss would have even gotten In
terAstsd in a food SURVEY before the
outbreak Of the war with Germany!
When Representative FITZGERALD
of New York, chairman OF the APP
propfiatlons Committee Of the House,
dared 20 mention the word embargo
on foodstuffs in public he was &C
cused Of all sortt OF things, yet
even in that early day when the
necessity of food conservation was
apparent no action was taken.
Senator Borah once said, The fact
PARE for this war Is the best evil
deace to posterity that she did not
deaire to provoke q quarrel with
Germany"
Prepared In Some Ways.
The Government was caught un-
prepared In many ways, but prepared
in others. The organization of the
advisory commission Of the council
Of national defense was a wise pre-
caution. To have set about the or
gsniEation for war before the neces-
sity actually came upon us would
have required tremendous appropri-
ations and bond issues, the sanction
Of which by the people before the
outbreak Of the war was doubtful.
Unquesticnably the popular reac-
tion from some Of the new laws will
not be favorable. The people will
realize how much power they have
given to the Executive, and II the
Presidents appointees are not efh-
Client, Mr.. Wilson will find himself
held UP to blame.
Some of the Presidents appointees
have the autocratic habit Of mind
and, given q little authority, they
will uEurp much more. 1t is the
Presidents business nowadays not
alone to do his own work, which is
TREMENDOUS, but to keep a watchful
eye upon the MANY Bubordinates to
whom he has delegated important
tasks.
Cabinet officers have q great deal
more power today than ever before.
Mr.. Wilson has entrusted to the in
dividual members OF his official fam
lily vast authority. II they are mind
full OF the Presidents wish, which Is
for them to be as liberal as possible
consistent with efficiency. there will
be little cause for complaint At the
end OF the war. But the strain is h
big one and the test supreme.
Aspirations n Factor.
Some Cabinet officers, of course,
have the Presidential bee and there
fore will hesitate to do anything con-
trary to public opinion or 70 try any
thing that might be embarrassing to
them In the future.
Much OF the authority given to the
President since the outbreak OF the
war with Germany was asked for by
him because 1t was impossible at first
to organize for war without blanket
authority. Some OF the authority was
thrust upon him. In some things he
already has had to exercise restraint
upon some OF the men to whom he
first gave power. II Mr.. Wilson had
not done this he would have had diff
hculties with Congress. jeopardiEinE
the remainder OF his program.
Tive Points Clear.
Two things are clear thus far:
Congress has by no means yielded
any OF its power for a moment longer
than the duration OF this war, and
both houses may md IL yet necessary
to put limitations upon existing Law
by amendments. The trouble is that
most members OF Congress. instead of
being alertly anxious TO keep an eye
on the conduct OF the war by its own
constitutional power by checking the
Executive. want to get away from
Washington. The talk OF adjourning
in midsummer has been renewed.
The other point that has been en-
phasized by recent developments is
that trust in the Presidents judy
4nent is growing daily, because while
he asked for large powers he is not
exercising them despotically. but thus
-