Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-30
The President and the People.

In the introduction OF his speech de-
livered at st. Paul on Thursday night
Gov. Smith defined the position OF the
President of the United States as that
of a leader of thought of the American
peoples" This, he said, should be the
function Of the Office and of its holder
aside from the constitutional duties of
the presidency in connection with the
operation of the Government. He said
further:
It is not sufficient, in my opinion, for
the President to state his views on great
public questions in his annual me Ssage
to the Congress or in rare formal adj
dresses. I believe that the duty rests
upon him of talking to the American
people and laying before them the facts,
10 the end that when they make their
determination on big problems OF the
Nation. they may be in position to act
intelligently and to have their repre-
sentativeS in the Senate and in the
House express their well reasoned
opinion.
The constitutional duties OF the
President in discharge of "the executive
power" vested in him are enumerated
In various sections of Articles and II.
First of all the President shall approve
and sign all bills passed by Congress be-
fore they shall become laws, or shall
return them without his approval, in
which case they may be passed over his
veto. He shall be Commander-in- Chief
of the Army and Navy and the Militia
when called into actual service. In adj
dition the President shall receive Am
bassadors and other public ministers,
shall take care that the laws be faith
fully executed. and shall commission
all the officers of the United States.
He may require the opinion in writing
of the principal officer in each OF the
executive departments: may grant re-
prieves or pardons for offenSeS; may
make treaties by the advice and con-
sent of the Senate; may appoint with
the Senate's advice and consent public
officers whose appointments may be
authorized by law; may convene both
houses or either house of Congress on
extraordinary occasions; may adjourn
the houses in case of disagreement be-
tween them on that subject. These
latter are the permissive powers.
In one respect especially is. the con-
stftutional definition of the presidency
mandatory: He shall give information to
the Congress on the state OF the Union
and recommend measures" This, Gov.
Smith holds, is not enough. He would,
as noted above, define the duty Of the
President as Including that OF talk
ing to the American people and laying
before. them the facts" He would, in
other words, have the President reach
his congressional objective OF recon-
mendation and persuasion through the
medium of the people, which is to say,
the voters.
It is not assured that there will be
any departure from the customary prac-
tice of presidential procedure il Gov.
Smith is elected to be the Chief Execu-
tive. For he may, in that event, upon
taking Office find that there are certain
ultra-constitutional limitations which
prevent a program of public persuasion.
1t has always been found difficult for
the Chief Executive to reach Congress
by this means. For Congress, repre-
senting the people as it does, has in
variably felt that it already has its
mandate and any proposition that can
not be accepted on presidential recon-
mendation made directly has even
harder going through the legislative
process when before action appeal is
taken to the electorate.