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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 1908)
v i" ivmji)fmmimi DECEMBER 25, 1908 The Commoner. Iif WMVWiH. tion whether the honor of congress has heen impeached should he in any way connected with any question of the secret service except so far as the secret service was employed to investi gate members of the two houses of congress." Mr. Culberson said the message was "a deliber ate, studied and gratuitous insult to the con gress by the president." Senator. Newlands de clared that tile question at issue was whether the secret service had been used to investigate congressmen in the pursuance, of their legisla tive duties or was only to detect fraud in the duties devolving upon the executive departments. "But," interposed Mr. Tillman, "the president's message shows that he has investigated us gen erally and that wo are a lot of scoundrels that need investigation. Now, there may be men that feel that way, but God knows I do not." Mr. Newlands said he was not attempting to apologize for the "president but wanted to have the senate avoid any hasty and improper lan guage. Senator McLaurin of Mississippi favored a dignified resentment of the language of tho president, and Senator Bacon declared that in his view, "the message was the most deliberate and carefully designed, carefully worded insult ever sent to any parliamentary body in this or any other country. "It is my deliberate judg ment," he said, "that if the king of England had sent such a message to parliament there would be but one thing to shield him from tho loss of his crown, and that would be the ap pointment of a regent." Tho resolution was then passed without a roll call. THE PENNSYLVANIA Society of New York gave its annual dinner at the Waldorf As toria recently. Chief Justice Mitchell of the Pennsylvania supreme court' was the principal speaker. He'made .pointed criticism of:Pr,esident Roosevelt, although he mentioned no names. Justice Mitchell's address created considerable discussion throughout the country. Later, in a newspaper interview, the chief justice declared that in all that he liadsaid he had the absolute approval of his colleagues. For several years, he said, the legal profession has been restless under the strictures,, made by the president, and he felt 'called on to! make the declaration con tained in hjs New York address. "Do you mean," asked a New York World correspondent, "that the other justices, of the supreme bench knew in advance of your address what you in tended to say?" Chief Justice Mitchell replied: "Yes, they knew what I intended to say and they also heard it. I know from their expres sions of opinion, made since the dinner, that they were heartily in accord with all that I said. Furthermore, expressions were made to me by judges of New York state which showed that their view was the same. There has long been a feeling- that President Roosevelt, in his criticisms, has given away to the American im patience to get results without considering the danger that might come if results were sought by the same methods by unscrupulous persons. It has been felt that the president has not ap preciated at all the position of the judiciary, nor realized that we are not lawmakers. For in stance, there was the case in Chicago, when a judge ruled that a witness who had been sum moned by the government could not afterward be prosecuted on the evidence given by him. Pres ident Roosevelt declared that that was not law, and it was spoken of as the immunity bath. Now, of course, that was law. A man can not be compelled to give testimony against himself, and the judge who made the ruling was right. But the president did not so see it. It is the feeling of the bench and bar that the tendency of the present administration has been to con centrate power in the hands of the president. The American people are impatient and want things done, and the president is the impatient American who does things. It is commonly said that the best government in the world is that of a wise, intelligent and benevolent despot, but we can not afford to permit the establish ment of such a government, because a despotism once established is sure to be continued, where us wisdom, patriotism and benevolence are not at all sure. It will not do to establish a prece dent where the main factors may fail and the dangerous ones remain. The gist of all that l said before the Pennsylvania' Society was summed up in the last paragraph, which was: 'If the law as declared by the constitutional tribunal is not what the people waiit it to ue then let it be changed, but let it never be lost Rio-hf nf tiio'f .fiiA miMiAJtv to chance it is legis lative, not judicial, .still less executive.' So- far the president's, crltioisms 01 mo juuiv.w concerned, ho is, in ray judgment, overstepping the limits of his offlco when ho makes them. The judiciary is a co-ordinato branch of the govern ment, and his criticism is as much out of placo as would be criticism by tho judiciary of his acts as executive." DUTCH WARSHIPS operating on tho coast of Venezuela have captured two Venczu lan vessels. An Associated Press dispatch from Washington says: "The existence of what amounts practically to a Btato of war between Holland and Venezuela, the absence for the first time in many years in an acuto crisis of this, kind of American warships from their. pr6per sphere of influence; and the profession by tho state department officials of their ignornnce of the intentions of Holland, constitute a most curious and interesting international situation. The fact that America has a quarrel of her own with Venezuela and has terminated diplomatic relations with that country gives rise to a doubt as to the accuracy of the statement that this government is not interested in what is going on off the coast of Venezuela. Indeed, there is reaBon to believe that while the official records may fail to show the existence of any formal agreement between America and tho Nether lands, the government of tho latter country is proceeding with the tacit consent of America, to bring to an end tho chaotic conditions that have prevailed in an international sense in Ven ezuela for the past two years. So far as tho Dutch warships act strictly within the lines of the Monroe doctrine as construed in the an nual message to congress of President Roose velt last year; sot long as no attempt is made to seize -Venezuelan territory for permanent occu pation; so long as -the Dutch warship captains confine -their activities to the seizure of Venezuelan' -ships, the ' blockade of ports and the attempt to redress the affront to Holland's honor, 'there probably will be no interference on the part of tho United States government. Of course, it is Inconceiv able that this government has not already re ceived some assurances- from Holland on this point, but it is probably the case that these have not been reduced to writing, but are simply matters of mutual understanding. The experi ence of the allied powers who operated against Venezuela several years ago would seem to have indicated to Holland the necessity of coming to some understanding with tho United States be fore proceeding to the point of actual hostilities, which after all is the situation on the Venezuelan coast notwithstanding diplomatic disclaimers. Logically the next step will be the declaration of a blockade, and of this due notice must bo given by Holland to all maritime nations in order to prevent the lodgment of claims for unwarrant able injury inflicted upon neutral commerce. Meanwhile the action of the Dutch cruisers in seizing Venezuelan ships is calculated to have a depressing effect upon the trade of Venezuela and to discourage prospective shipments of mer chandise in the present unsettled conditions." A BERLIN cablegram dated December 15, says: "President Castro of Venezuela, who arrived last night from Paris, called this morning on Chancellor Von Buelow and Foreign Secretary Von Schoen, leaving his 'card. The foreign secretary later in the day sent Counsel lor Goetsch, who acted on the German indem nity commission at Caracas in 1903, to return the call and inquiry concerning President Cas tro's health. The local newspapers today publish various accounts of the luxurious living of President Castro and party at their hotel in this city." MR ROOSEVELT'S friends seem to take pains 'to let the president's enemies in congress know that he is eager for a fight to the finish. The Philadelphia Public Ledger is a republican naner and its Washington correspondent stands very close to the Roosevelt administration. In a dispatch to his paper this correspondent says: ''It is President Roosevelt's intention, and the information comes from high administrative officials, to shake up congress with a series of e s olary broadsides if the house and senate take him to task for his expressions in the last annual message. These broadsides will not be Mattering. According to unimpeachable au thority they.will be aimed at groups of .congress meX and -the. political slaughter is expected to be-npalling. -The plan huto-'show up' the rlcords and the affiliations of certain members, ir P ? Ul? nr(u,t' contention that the secret service should not ho hampered In la work and to explain his intimation that It wa Hon n7PnrCd, by,B,wn,"! wI faI investiga tion at tho hands of tho secret police. So far as known, the White House is prepared for a tloln11 wlyV"-l,l nto tho camp of to cap! tol. Even if tho sennto and house uko JnnJ i nBi mZih0 '" eliminating from tho record the section of tho message roforrlng to n10,1 fG,T,!,CC' l,lte ""Miiobh will stand thorn in no stoad. Tho president will tnko any action by congress as a direct affront and will act accordingly. It is understood to bo his deter mination to mnko certain of his romarks undor- Jn Jmi cou"l.ry' nnd ,nHteatl of baling In gonerallt es ho will name names and assail rep utations to bring this about. Specific cases will be cited, it is declared, showing tho connection between big men in tho public servlco and equally big corporations. Those specific cases are to bo comprehensive In their entirety and t is oxpected that the congressional feelings will be sorely wounded. All this Is to bo dono In support of tho charge made by tho president that ii many of those congressmen who voted for tho reduction of tho appropriation for the secret service had desired to protect the criminal classes they, could not have adopted a bettor or more successful method. If congress forces tho issue, ho will attempt to prove his contention in the. most forceful way." . V THE PRESIDENT'S friends say ho la BtippUod. with ample ammunition (or nil klndn of assaults. Tho Ledger correspondent says: "Mr. Roosevelt has gathered a vast amount of inter esting Information concerning congressmen from the secret service, whose work In tho land fraud , cases and the Investigation of other mntters has' given it opportunity to unearth a considerable ' number of nuggets In. the rich political field of. exploitation.. It Is known that Chief Wllklo has been asked to get together all these facts and such others as his force can assemble. For several days the chief has been working person ally and through his agents on this task search ing other departments for evidence. Tho re sult is said to contemplate the records of public men on public questions, and then the Influ ence of their actions with respect to private cor porations, the Interests of which would bo .af fected by their work or tholr votes. Aside from the personal knowledge of derelictions of mem bers of congress, tho secret service Is expected to derive much Information from this setting of congressmen's records against corporation desires. Whether or not it is due to tho war like attitude of the president, there was a noticeable falling off today In the enthusiasm that marked the beginning of the open attack on the White House. Senator Culberson de clared flatly that he would not Introduce the resolution in the senate calling for action. The democrats, ho added, would vote for any sug gestion that the objectlonablo portion of tho president's message be stricken trom tho Record. In the house every effort Is being made to mols ten the president's powder by demanding of'hfnil the Information that the president Is riovr threatening to produce. That this will be tho natural recommendation In the committee's re port was the statement this afternoon by John Sharp Williams, after a protracted Interview with Mr. Perkins, chairman of the committee. There Is a feeling of distrust among the demo crats that they are being made to playcatspaw to the chestnut of the republicans who desire an official whitewashing from tho house. If the republicans refuse to ask for the president's evidence, the democrat will refuse to assert that the house as a whole, Including the repub lican majority, is free from blame. That action on the part of the democrats would put the re publicans in the unpleasant position of making a party matter out of the rebuking of tho president and the whole affair would probably go up in smoke. To avoid such a ridiculous denouement the republicans are expected to al low the democrats to dictate practically tho terms of the report and the action leading up to It. The democrats realize this and are anxious to avail themselves of their unusual power." It Is heart-rending to witness the struggle of the esteemed New York Times and Evening Post and other good papers of. the north in be half of tariff reform after their support of tho republican party in the election campaign. They are deeply pained and mortified that the revision of the tariff by its friends is being made a farce. Knoxvllle Sentinel. '. - ! r9 TiW