Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-10-27
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS

| Dramatic scenes attended the rem
dering of the epoch-making decision
| by the Supreme Court last Monday
deciding a constitutional controversy
which has existed since the formation
! of our Government-the dispute be-
| tween Congress and the Executive
| over the right of a President to re-
move appointive office holders with
out the consent of the legislative
| branch. BY 6-to-3 decision the
court established for all time the
constitutional Interpretation for
which Presidents have contended,
! that Congress has no control over
removals from office-that unlimited
power to do so rested with the Tx
ecutive. The minority of the court
termed the decision revolutionary.
Chief Justice Taft delivered the
opinion. 1t presented the unique
spectacle of a former President de-
Gliding and defining the presidential
authority. His written opinion was
| more than 1900 words in length,
covering 50.odd printed pages. The
Chief Justice did not read it, merely
reciting in even tone a brief sum
mary Of the issue presented and the
conclusions. Justice Holmes, in his
high pitched voice, speaking very
rapidly, read his own brief but Wig
orous dissent. Justice McReynolds,
! waiting his turn with slightly con-
cealed impotence, then launched a
vitriolic attack on the decision of the
majority. Before him lay his own
AZ printed pages of dissenting opinion.
He paid no attention to the text. HIS
eyes flashed. his voice echoed through
the quiet chamber "This is a rev.
dictionary doctrine" he declared:
! yesterday we had a Government of
limited powers. Today no man KNOWS
what we have. This decision sweeps
aside the settled and undlsputed
theory of our Government when mas
endured for a century and a half.
He continued for many minutes, laSh-
ing the majority view. Tafts face
was impassive, his eyes half closed,
not muscle tWitched, but the air
was surcharged with passion and
drama. McReynolds ended with
contemptuous toss OF his head ana
the remark. "My views are here in
a half hundred printed pages, which
any one interested enough to do so
can read" Justice Brandeis followed,
81 concur with Justice Holmes and
Justice McReynolds," he said, but t.
and he then presented in lucid and
polished sentences his own eX-
position of the reason for disagreelng
with the ma jority of the court, and
he filed his own written dissenting
opinion, a 44-page document.
X X X \
The Democrats are advertising the
fact that President Coolidge spent
! last year S341,599 for his private
yacht" The Mayflower is an exceed
ingly expensive plaything and it
furnishes handy target for Demo-
cratic attack. The Coolidge yacht
| is classified as naval auxiliary. It's
maintenance is charged to the Navy
Department. Theoretically it Is used
as a training ship. but practically
it Is tied up to the dock awaiting
the Presidents pleasure. In fact, by
an act of Congress, this expensive
ship is assigned to the President of
| the United States. Any President
could abolish it, but none has done
so. though, prior to Mr.. Coolidge, no
| President ever made much use of it.
But Mr. Coolidge uses it a great deal,
| though he is no sailor or yachtsman
in the ordinary acceptance of that
term. Cruising the quiet waters of
the Potomac is all that Mr.. Coolidge
cares for, but of that he is very fond.
Incidentally, that is about all the good
ship Is good for. 1t is a comfortable
| old craft, but would give every one
| aboard terrible tossing il it ever
| went to sea. When the President
goes cruising" he dons the hat of
an admiral of the Navy and takes
the bridge, The guns fire o presi-
| Dental salute of 81 guns when he
| comes aboard and another salute
| when the craft passes Mount Vernon.
The colors are raised and lowered
| at the appropriate moments. 1T is a