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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (July 31, 1908)
. ,)rm -r" r g5gsmwwiMiw'Hw i The Commoner VOLUME 3, NUMBER 2J r iJ - J il: i 4 4 MY CONCEPTION OF THE PRESIDENCY" By William J. Bryan Tho following article, written for Collier's Weekly, and copy righted, is reproduced by permission: The president's power for good or for harm is often overesti mated. Our government is a government of checks and balances; power is distributed among different departments, and each official works in co-operation with others. In the making of laws, for in stance, the president joins with the senate and the house; he may recommend, but he is powerless to legislate, except as a majority of the senate and the house concur with him. The senate and the house arc also independent of each other, each having a veto over the other; and the president has a veto over both; except that the senate and house can, by two:thirs vote, override the president's veto. The influence of the president over legislation is, therefore limited; he shares responsibility with a large number of the people's representatives. , . Even in the enforcement of law he is hedged about by restric tions. He acts through an attorney general (whose appointment must be approved by the senate), and offenders against the law must fee prosecuted in the courts, so that here again the responsibility is divided'.. In the making of important appointments, too, he must consult' the senate, and is. of necessitv. compelled to exercise care and discretion. The most important requisite in a president, as in j&fct nfflninls. ir that his svrrmathv shall he with the whnle TiemYIp , xk pjrf ,than with any fraction of the population. He is constantly , WiiUt4 ,llV-LI- UU UJU XXI HUC VjOljJUiVXVJ Ul C JUUgO 'UClilUlllg ucuweca lUO importunities of those who seek favors aiid the rights and interests of the public. Unless his sympathies are right, the few are sure to have an- advantage over the many, for the masses have no one to . present: their claims. They act only at elections; and must trust tb their representatives to protect them from all their foes. . ' ' ' , Second, the president must have a knowledge of public ques tions anci tne acuity to discern between tne true and the false : he A president must have counselors, and, to make wise use of counselors, he must be open to convictions. The president is com mitted by his platform to certain policies, and the platform is bind ing; he is also committed to certain principles of government, and these he is in duty bound to apply in all matters that come be fore him. But there is a wide zone in which he must a,ct upon his own judgment, and here he ought to have the aid of intelligent, conscientious, and faithful advisers. The law provides these, to a certain extent, in giving him a cabinet, and the vice president ought to be made a momber of the cabinet ex officio, in order, first, that the president may have the benefit of his wisdom and- knowledge of affairs and, second, that the vice president may be better prepared to take up, the work of the president in case of a vacancy in the presidential office. There ought to be cordial relations: also .be tween the president and those who occupy positions of influence in the co-ordinate branches of the government, for out government is not a one-man government, but a government in which thef chosen representatives of the people labor together to give, expression to the will of the voters. ',,:,' :. But the presidency is the highest position in the world, and its occupant is an important factor in all national matters. Iff he is a devout believer in our theory of government, recognizes the con stitutional distribution of powers, trusts thoroughly in the people and fully sympathizes with them in their aspirations and hopes, he has an opportunity to do a splendid work; he occupies a vantage ground from which he dan exert a wholesome influence in favor of each forward movement. ', l.'l-T" The responsibilities of the office are so great that the occupant ought to be relieved of every personal ambition, save the ambition to prove worthy pf the confidence of his countrymen; for .'this rea son, he ought to enter the position without thought or prospect of a aeuuim ivixu. must be able to analyze conditions and to detect the sophistries -that - While the burdens of such an office are heavy, and while the es.. , :, ::: lm;ot the office are; exacting and exhausting, the, field oTs&vipe are always .employed bythasevwho seek unfair adva-ntatfAR- Hq must "Dosseas the moral nmifn-rro .n at.n.-nrf' oivnit Va-;fl,i ' ences that are brought toT&ea&dntfaVor of special interests. In Ifact the quality of moral courage is as essential in a public official as Either right sympathies or a trained mind. is large, and measuring greatness bv service, .a. nrpRiffanl: Wlncn crating himself to the public, weal, can make himself secure invthe affections of his fellow citizens while he lives, and create for himself a: permanent place in his nation's history. ,yv J, BKyAJSf.. i . ..! i ' J ' i . . . ' - i i . i ' r ; , "NO LAW FOR MONOPOLISTS ,.." 'ntiminatcSd Mr. Taft, defeated, by a vote, of 880 and' for years Cannon's right hand mari in the M Expressing the opinion that the Grosscup , qecisoiii: m tne standard QllOase will bo "gon- raly agoepted as responsive to itho facts," tho ;Newo Yopjc Mail says: "The fine was a factor and, jxpusmall one in the progressives uncertainty in tho American business world that culminated .A In 'thOiTGTnh of last October." .." ,JlPVirdid It all happen? With what reason may. itbq said that tho fact that a notorious offender, .against tho law is called to account ' ModuxjASf business disaster among . a free and .progressive people? .-..- If this is true why undertake to enforce law;. .1 w? w O w 7 . ;BUT THEY FORGOT. IT The New York Tribune says: "Mr: Bryan is not fortunate in his efforts to create political capital 'oit, 0f the reasonable popular desiro for publicity- in respect to campaigri' "receipts and expenditures. A fow weeks dgdywhnQ both the nominees wore still in tho position of candi dates for the nomination, Mi. Bryan, in what he conceived to bo a master stroke of "adroit ness; ifivtted Mr. Taft to express 'aH opinion as to tho propriety of shedding full light on tne funds employed in a contest for the presidency, their sources, amounts and distribution.1 There upon MrTaft, who had hesitate! (tt'Whn authority, hot yet bestowed upon" linlVr caused the fact to &Q made known that ho had' Already declared In writing for comvplete'J;publitjftyt 'hich left Mr. Tlryan in a somewhat Tes cmfqrtrfolo i'"""uh 4"' iuu auinusyu iiiinseii, xp do as sured of when he addressed his complacent siig- Vontion about from Mr. Tfhowcc Jaw proYMt nays 'to1 9 4 yeas, th LaFollette plank providing lor publicity. - ' w,,'i And the best the, republican party is willing to do on thistle is the promise that "AFTER the election" republican managers will take the !peoplo,into;their.confldenco. ; v.' ; V O W tT TRIAL BY JURY; TOO! ,..,. Referring to the decision of the United states. court of appeals in. overturning Judge Landis' fine of the Standard Oil company, the Chicago Record-Herald says: "The members of tho court scathingly ar ralgned Judge Landis, by inference, as denying the rigfit of trial by jury to the defendant cor poration of attempting to visit punishment upon a corporation which had not even leen indicted and of setting his personality and beliefs above tho law." .-.k . Many republican papers heartily approve the decision. Some of them are indignant that Judge Landjs "by inference" denied; to the Standard v'Oil 'company "the Tight of trial by jtiry"nli($5 they condemn 'tlicj efforts of demo "crats'ho insist that the right of trial -by jury be accorded to , Individuals in indirect contempt VllSUH. .'' ..-. . i- ,-A. housebe doing in the presidency of the senate? r", - . buuuoie io Deneve. that, Mr. Sher- Ynan would' do -a little obstructing;, his qwn Account when it came to "progressive .policies?" Assuredly the republican leader is liard put for a persuasive plea to the rank and file of his party. 5 t fcyV ,5 TREASON! 4 i tt Jivvtil Tao.U'ai01 ;tft io t tv v '. U. . JVi' ;,U( Hi .TrtJ ,iOU v? J -1 $"-tei' WHT; ABOUT SHERLlN? ; OX. 8nxrJ tufa tnVA h.AlVA;r.1nA,Afir-i,L- .T-..J., , thatL;TW-aty-Star'arglia it : wouia oevtt-gooujxuing ir- a democratic congress ' '(rtTI VWliCSCt wore uioutou tu serve , wiin Taft as president. 'RPry. lcqows full well that and Cannon .remained in f uuas ut te nouse would ad- ion We would not for the -world engage-in criticism of the court. But surely there can be no harm in reproducing a 'republican 'edi torial (for whoever knew a republican editorial to be out of accord with the accepted rules of polite society?) The New York Press, a repub lican paper, referring to the GrOsscup decision, says: ... . ..., ." v., TTl1 Jiidgment of the court' ofy appeals, which calls. for careful scrutiny and cool read ing, can not alter the public conviction that the offenders behind the Standard' Oilf: corporation in its rebate crimes deserve tO'bg-irf the peni tentiary and will : be sent thertfwhen the law is enforced by those who take'tlaths to admin ister it. , "i7 i ;, i - &&&& MrOW J-.r;p.'t " " MAY NOT BE BECTSTVE jt Eugene W. Leake, a mBmhai!4iiMniR.Ab0 j from New Jersey,1 has won more'oitess'-fa'me uy announcing that- he will riOt-guppbrt' the rdemocratic ticket.-i- But demnhMx mm t,q cause, of thisiileak M at least, sbftehed :byithe xuijurta max many or tne New Jersey democrats who refused to support Mr. Bryan in 189 G and 1900, nre'Ww wku'Kihg earnestly and unitedly ,for democratic victory. The True American, . published a,tTrenton, N. J a democratic news paper which, pnee bolted Mr. Bryan, announces !? that it will' support him this year. .."So, ,afj:er all,, the., .departure of. the young. .congressman ..jrom-.Ne-w Jersey, may, not necpssarilderrttln .Ik