The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1919-01-17
PERSONAL GOVERNMENT.


evolution. We have attained the free
dom and liberty which all English
speaking peoples of earth enjoy today
through the slow and at times painful
process of evolution. Progress has
not been constant or uninterrupted
There have been periods Of reaction
Ground gained in one decade or gen
Grafton has been partially lost in that
which succeeded, but at the end OF
even the most unpromising periods OF
history, fair and full analysis will
show some progress for democratic
ideals and democratic institutions.
At times the legislative branch OF
government has been supreme in the
state, at others the chief power has
been exercised by the executive. At
the beginning of the seventeenth CEN
fury in England the Parliament was
merely a checking body, which levied
the taxes and protested the growing
despotism which Elizabeth the great
Tudor, and James the Stuart, the exc
eutives, were steadily assuming for
their offices. At the close of that
century, following the revolution and
the final expulsion of the Stuarts from
the throne, the Parliament was SUI
preme, and there were already not
lacking the signs that ultimately all
power of the Parliament would be ex-
ercised by the Commons. The power
of the Lords even at that early day
had begun to wane Within the gen
Grafton just passed the last real vest
ige of legislative power has departed
from the Lords and now the Commons
are in fact the government Of Great
Britain.
The founders of the American repub-
lie, AngloSaxons, practically all,
sought to pattern their government
upon the British system, dividing all
authority between the executive, the
legislature and the judiciary. Another
tribute was paid to the British system
when the executive was made part
of the legislative branch, that Is given
the veto power over legislation. AT
the time the American constitution
was written, however no British SOW
ereign had exercised the veto in near
" hundred years. Whether this alb
sstinence from the use of constitu-
tional power, still nominally vested in
the crown, affected the members who
wrote our constitution no one can say.
For more than century after the
new republic received its birth the
legislature was the dominant power in
governmental affairs. Efforts of eX-
ecutives to encroach upon legislative
functions were bitterly resisted. 1t is
true that executives exercised their
constitutional prerogatives to suggest
and advise legislation, but not often
did they seek through the very power
of their tremendous offices to put
over" and through an unwilling con-
gress complete legislative program.
During Cleveland'5 second term the
power and patronage of the executive
were used to secure the repeal of the
silver purchasing clause of the Sher
man act, but these were unavailing
when the tariff was under considera-
ton and democratic congress enact
ed tariff law that democratic presi-
dent would not approve.
Roosevelt believed that party lead
ership as well as national leadership
went with the presidency and he did
not hesitate to use the big stick" to
get favored legislation through con-
gress and from that time the power
of congress in government began to
wane and the executive office to grow
in public appreciation. No man in his
tory has given less consideration to
congress than President Wilson. The
reforms which his administration has
sive determination of the president
and the submission of the congress.
The president has seldom consulted
congressional leaders. He has told
them what he wanted and in manner
that brooked no opposition.
This has inevitably resulted in the
growth and development of personal
government in our nation, until to-
day congress holds lower place in
public estimation than it has held
since the first congress assembled. In
the minds and eyes of the vast maj
ority of Americans the president is
the government. This is we'll reflect
ed in the Impotence with which citi-
zens and newspapers note senatorial
discussions of the terms of the peace
treaty although the senate is constitu-
tionally a part of the treaty making
power. The result of the November
elections was not a rebuke to the