Evening star., 1920-02-20

! Root outlined at the republican s'''N
| convention here last night the platform
upon which he believes the party
should go to the polls in EoVemptt-
! Most striking of his proposals We're
! Decentralization of the executive
! powers which have made the fresl-
I dent more autocratic than any sover-
! eign in the civilized world.
| Ratification of the peaC" treaty
| with Senate amendments, long peioie
| the presidential elections. ~
| Reform of the league OF ilallo''
covenant by a congress of nations AT
the call OF "a republican PresIdent IN
lmediateIy after March 4. l3-i. 70
itablish the rule of pubic rlShl '-'' '.,''
than the rule of mere eXpedleh'4'
/ For an Executive Budget.
! Rigid governmental economy ana
| the adoption of an executive puusr''
j Limitation of the right TO Strlk"
| at a point where it conflicts VIII sell
nr4s.rya1ion of the community: es-
! Establishment of labor tribunal win
mower to enforce its mandates
Revision of the system OF taxation
wv hich involves the tariif.
! Americanization and the tiIii'.i,d, tp';
of "a 10, of bolshcNikl or bolSheNlhi
svmpathizers" from public office.
! Universal military training.
| Mr. Roots address. MAD" az Il con
vention called to recommend ioui
| deleeatCs at large to he nati"ilaI con-
vention. was regarded as the opening
gun of the campaign. II was pttpd, su
after informal conferences Win lht
most distinguished republicans of the
state.
Pm, an End TO Dictatorship.
! "Nore important than all, MI Ko"i
! said is the necessity that We siai'
! restore our republican form OF gov
. Il n
diyidual citizen preserved by llhll'a
lions upon official power. ana put an
md 10 the dictatorship Whi'h We
created in order to carry on the war.
! "Rv a series Of statutes uhpre'euett,
| cd in scope and liberailty. win
i si,s,ianass of purpose and patrlotic
| devotion worthy of all praist, .he
| American people conferred upon 'nt
! President powers broader ana moi
autocratic than were possessed y;
any sovereign in the tlVlli%e" w ~
..Dur capacity for effort our Tor
tunes our liberty of conduct. oul
lives we're freely placed at the as
posal of an executive whose "ut tio! itH
,gas so vast that its limits We're nm
,,nrcen,ib,e The authority was eN-
lrniSad by the President. by his heads
nf departments. his bureau chIefs. ms
, yovernment agents. and his persona
agents to the full. without question:
because the people OF Amerlca Wy ~
ready for any sacrifice TO WIN tne "ai.
paara has come in fact. II Nol
ta,hnically: but the war powers oi
the executive still continue. he4
should be brought to an end.
Situation Likened to Mexico.
The appeal Of President Wilson in
October 1918 for The election OF
democratic Congress. ne uetl" 90
was mot merely an injustice TO the
republican senators ana represen'"
I,
supported every forward step OF Tie
administration" but 1t was demand
ror the continuance OF supreme poWei
BY the election of a Congress "hicie
would submit itself TO the orders OF
III executive acting at once as party
Iradrr in politics and dictator IN
governments 1t was the Instlnct OF
American democracy that repeiied the
demand Such long has been tHt
government of Mexico. a government
With a Louis Napoleon a. oii i.h h
and "A plebiscite at the other and with
nauuht but subservience between is
,ot a free republic 1t is autocracE
BY consent.
The Presidents defiance of tie
authority of the Senate TO ao"ise
nations and to give or withhold us
consent to the ratification or the
treaty containing II. ne conthued'
was an assertion OF right TO con
tinue the same autocldliC ~" e -
was a challenge to the right OF any
officer of the United States govern
ment to exercise his powers IN any
way which had not the approval OF
the chief executive.
THE President had the cons'i'u-
tional authority and duty to negotiate
A treaty The Senat" had the colS'l-
tutional authority and duty to advise
and to consent or refuse to consent. IN
accordance with their judgment. The
right to perform that duty was chaI-
len-ed by all the tremendous power OF
\ President comma andin2 millions OF
civil and military SubordlnateS and
controlling the expenditures - billions
of money Senators were threatened
if they did not submit their judgment
to the presidential VIII
Ratify With senate Reservations.
1T seems clear to me that in the
interests of the worlds peace. which
all America desires to promote, this
treaty ought TO be ratified with the
reSrrVatio ions of the Senate. and that
without those reservations IN thelr falr
and honest substance il ought not to
be ratified. l hope the treaty Will he
ratified with the reservations long be-
fore the presidential election. That
will be done if the President permits
it, If that is not done. then that is
what ] think the republican party
ought to stand for.
republican President should urge upon
the society of nations the reform of
the league covenant, SO as to make 1t
establish the rule of public right rather
than the rule of mere eEpediency, so
as to make the peace of the world rest
primarily upon law, and upon the ef-
fectiyenesS and enforcement of law A
congress of all nations should be called
TO consider and declare Wha& of inter-
national law still remains of binding
force, and to provide for the further
development and extension of that law,
and for the application of the law to
ali iusticiable cases of controversy
between nations by impartial judicial
tribunals, and to make the decisions
of such tribunals upon questions of
| fact and upon questions of law binding
| and effective.
Mr. LansinG's Case.
The extreme effects of the possess
! sion of arbitrary power are seen in the
extraordinary letters of the President
! to Secretary Lansing published Febru-
ary IA, 1920, by which it appears that
honest and independent advice from
officers Of the Presidents own selec-
tion is an offcnSe. and that the exer-
else OF the most ordinary powers of the
heads of departments without consult
| ing the President when his illness pre-
! vented consultation is cause for re-
sentiment.
Labor and the Public.
Principles of our government, Mr..
/ Root urged, should be applied to the
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