Evening star., 1937-12-19
CARDENAS GIVES
DEMOCRACY SPUR
Presidents Powers Would
Be Reduced in Measure
He Proposes.
Ry lack STARR-HUNT.

new YORK Herald-Tribune Correspondent
MEXICO CITY, Dec. 18.-The end
OF personal government which has
long been a privilege of the Chief
Executive when Congress was not in
session is indicated by a bill which
President Lazaro Cardenas has sent to
the Chamber of Deputies,
This bill provides for the cancella-
ton of extraordinary powers which
have invariably been granted to MeM-
can Presidents during past regimes
The only exception made in the bill is
Tor the exercise of such powers by the
Chief Executive during eases of in
Vasion, of grave disturbance to the
public peace, or other events which
place society in danger of conflict, "
as provided in the Constitution.
This bill, coupled with the recent
measure on the Laws of Response
bility for Public Officials" marks with
sharp clarity the march of democracy
in Mexico. Both are intended to
make the public official more directly
responsible to the public viii and gov
ernmental control and to remove the
evils inherent in undisciplined power.
The two bills we're sent personally
to the Congress by President Cardenas
and serve to fortify his position which
is rapidly being recognized as that of
an enlightened and liberal President.
They reveal him as determined not
only upon the preservation, but also
upon the extension of democratic rule
in Mexico.
Customary Grant Rejected.
At a time when rulers throughout
the world are asking for extraordinary
powers and using those powers for
the seizure of rights from the people,
and for the increase of personal priv
ileee, the Mexican President has re-
jected the grant which is customarily
made to the Chief Executive before
the Congress adjourns.
The Cardenas document states that
"the continuation of the practice Of
investing extraordinary powers in the
Chief Executive holds the great dan
ger Of converting democratic re-
publican government into system
OF personal dictatorship"
He further states that his admin
istration considers that the indefinite
continuation of this practice will
produce harmful results by undermine
ing the activities of the legislative
body and by endangering the system
OF popular representative government
since it unites, even temporarily, the
powers of two branches of govern
ment in one individual"
Refusing to accept such powers for
his own administration is not suf-
f1cient protection to the republican
form of government. said the Presi-
dent. He has, therefore. sent the bill
in the form of an addition to article
40 of the constitution in order that
lit become an organic and perma-
nent principle and eliminate the abuses
of government which might be made
by succeeding political regimes"
Bars Combination of Powers.
The text of the bill provides that,
TT will be impossible to unite two
or more of the three powers Qegis-
lative, executive and judiciaD, in one
person or body. or to invest the legis-
lative power in an individual except
in the case of extraordinary powers
granted to the President through the
provisions of article 20. In no case
will extraordinary legislative powers
be granted to the Chief Executive"
The first exercise of this principle
has been indicated by the recent an
nouncement that the federal budget
would be sent to the Congress for study
and adoption in ample time for that
body to pass upon each item, instead
of it being sent for automatic adop-
tion few days before the Congress
adjourns.
The new bill drew immediate edi-
torial comment from Excelsior, which
commented that Mexico has suffered
grievously in the past from the abuse
Of this privilege by irresponsible ex-
ecutives and which lauded the Car
denas document as a reinforcement
of constitutional principles.
(Copyrisht, 1887, by the New York
Tribune, Inc)