The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1920-02-17
Secretary
IAAs|NG's
RESIGNATION

M paper in the United States mas
more insistently than the Times-Un-
4 urged observance of the limits OF
authority marked out by the Consti'
tuition of the United States as the d.
iding lines between the different
spheres of the government. So in the
general principle this paper is in
thorough accord with the position OF
President Wilson that no official OF
the government should exercise pow
ars not conferred on him. We appre-
ciate the presidents stand on this
question. The executive department
should never interfere in legislation
except by advice in the presidents
messages and bby the exercise of the |
veto power when it is demmed neces'
sary-both provided in the Constitu-
ton. The legislative branch should
never usurp executive functions and
neither branch should interfere with
the judiciary. The presidents insist
ance on a rigid observance of the
Constitution may account for the fact
that Senator Hitchcock has so often
failed the see him about the treaty
when the affair had passed out OF the
presidents hands. In accord with
his powers Mr.. Wilson engaged in the
deliberations that led up to the COM
pletion on the treaty and signed 1t
and then his work in connection with
Ii tended. 1t is no wonder that he re-
fused to see Senator Hitchcock who
was visiting him with no other pur-
pose than to induce him to usurp au-
thority by telling the senate what to
lido.
So we are heartily with the presi-
dent in his objection to the usurpa-
ton, of authority but under the cir
cumstances we do not believe Secre-
tary Lansing did wrong Intentionally.
, lin fact, under the circumstances we
do not know what else he could have
done
The president was incapacitated for
a time and that time lasted for sew
eral months. He was in the hands OF
dictator whose will all men obey
his physician. DR.. Grayson did not
permit him to take any part in the
affairs of the government-what was
to be done? Let the government
slide?
The Constitution is definite on this
point and we now know what should
have been done. Vice President Mar
shall should have assumed the dutie.
OF president until President Wilson
recover sufficiently to take up thu
work. The Constitution provides thi
but unfortunately does not say whit
is to decide when the president is in
capacitated. From the fact that tn
government was run for month with
out his knowledge Of what was bein
, done he was evidently incapacitate
80 bubt the vice president was too moo
est a man to take the reins in his ow
!, hands and there was no authority t
q tell him to.
There was no law for cabinet NEE
ngs except ON the call Of the pres
dent, but for a long time there was n
president to call meetings. Durin
that time it was important that tn
government should stand as a whol
instead of as ten departments and S
Secretary Lansing invited the men
bers of the cabinet to meet informa
ly and discuss matters. He had u
more power than any other membt
to call them together. He knew tn
and they knew it. The acceptance ,
his invitation was optional with Il
other members and they accepted b
cause they recognized the need of c
Operation as well as he did. Seer
tary Lansing did no more in invitir
- the members of the cabinet to me
! than the other members did in a
cepting his NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Times-Union.
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