Show THE TH TE E FEDERAL IDEA Those who had the pleasure of ot meet meeting meetIng meeting ing and hearing Garfield dur during during ing his brief stay here were Interested most In what hat he had to say Bay about the federal Ideas as a evolved by this admin administration administration Although his speech as re relating relating relating lating to this particular subject was necessarily briefs briel It carried weight be because because cause ause it touches on a subject which concerns significantly the whole theory t eory of administration of the law lawIt If It his listeners understood hint him fully the secretary has little regard for state lines JInes in executive affairs Unfortunate Unfortunately ly his terms were too general to jus justify justify Justify an exact definition of ot his beliefs b bit it it was Inferred that he is In en entire entire entire tire accord with th the president pres and the statement of ot the presidents theories by Secretary Root If It this assumption is correct and his official position war warrants warrants warrants rants It the administration Is fully committed commUted to the new federal Idea an Idea much more comprehensive and in IIi its devotion to central centralization centralIzation than the most ardent broad constructionists of or an earlier day ever dreamed of For instance the presidents Indian Indianapolis Indianapolis apolis speech conveyed the suggestion that any transportation line Une carrying States mall mail might to federal supervision under the tM post provision of the constitution That Thit Th t is to say ea a street car line wholly within a single city would be subject to federal regulation and supervision if it It carried one mail mall dally daily To put a amore amore amore more extreme case a country road whereon hereon a mail mall was carried by b fed federal federal federal eral carrier would wo ld be under federal control if It the presidents theory were I carried to its ultimate logical conclusion sion slon The trouble trou le with the president and I such spokesmen for him as Mr Gar Garfield field is that they would achieve by ex exe executive e construction of or the constitution constitution constitution tion what no previous administration has ever eyer dared to do under the con constructions set forth by bythe the supreme court Jurt of ot the United States Secreta Secretary ry Roots speech was so frank that it Intimated the president would seek fur further further further ther construction of the constitution It if necessary to carry out his own theo theory ry TV y of ot the executives powers In other words the law aw as established by re repeated repeated repeated rulings of or the supreme court is isto Isto isto to a new exposition sought by the chief executive whose only right and power is to execute the laws as he finds them It Is to be expected that a Republican lican administration will construe its powers as aa broadly as possible That Is Isa Isa a legacy from the days of ot Hamilton But this is the first national adminis administration administration administration of ot any political faith to defy the construction of the law by the su ireme court ourt to carry Its executive au authority authority into legislative and Judicial realms to suspend the laws enacted by congress and traverse travers by ders the statutes of ot the United States If Ie President Roosevelt and such cab lre rp t officers as Mr Root and Mr r Gar Garfield Garfield Garfield field believe bellee that the laws should be changed the path Is plain and ample provisions have been made mulo on legal for the attainment of ot such hanges changes Their alms aims may be above criticism C their motives entirely worthy orthy but the methods followed have bron a defiance of precise and man mandatory mandatory mandatory provisions of ot the organic law h they thEU are sworn to uphold In academic phrase Mr Garfield dwells on the greatness of ot the nation and the littleness of or the state No pa patriotic citizen fend nd most citizens are patriotic questions the te t e national au an authority authority It were superfluous to assert asserts as s Governor Cutler does the willing willingness ness nN of the people to t obey the nations authority But it is not Snot a question of ot greatness or It is a question of ot right and wrong The critics of the federal fede l idea ob jert jut to the presidents notion that a athing athIng athing thing is right because b ause he be wishes es It t or that It H is wrong opposes it they tc moat strenuously to the practical of o the presidents theory that he is not as s completely subject to constitutional limitations as the humblest citizen Washington did not find it necessary to tt criticise a federal t court as Roose Roosevelt Roosevelt velt eIt did in his comment on the decision of o Judge Humphrey because Washing I 1 I 1 ton t accepted the federal courts Il as co coordinate nd do ordinate or I na e ac rS fifth n lue a m n stra on of ot government Washington would have sooner soon r resigned than have sus suspended suspended suspended a law by executive order Lin Lincoln oln coln who wha had some problems ms almost as grave ve as even greater some somo folks think did not find It nece necessary necessary sary to Ignore congress s or 9 defy dery de such constructions of law Ia as tag a tha supreme e court had made In none of or his stu stupendously stupendously stupendously important actions as chief executive was there a suggestion that he could do o as s he pleased and find jus r foS his actions in the right righteousness of o his cause cause Wherein Lincoln was much greater than Ro not i so so s sure re of ot his own judgment |