OCR Text |
Show !"-rRESDENT ROOSEVELT W RULE HIS PARTY? Many 0bservcV"lHo phenomenal Irl y of both the popular anil clec- votes secured by Mr. Roosevelt ,tor? November seem inclined to pre-'? pre-'? the leaders of the Republi. nar y In congress, though they M,v hes tato and delay, will ultimate-Scarry ultimate-Scarry out any plans deliberately Lned and earnestly advocated by fpresWent. It 1b an interesting !,t that the forecast is not warranted ? our political history. In 1808 James i Madison obtained 122 against electoral votes, yet he was so far rom dominating the Demcroatic-Re-ublican party that Henry Clay and Ether rising men in congress forced Soon him against his will the "Young Man's War" of 1812. Indeed, it looked at one time as if his party would refuse re-fuse to give Madison a renomlnatlon. n 1852, Franklin Pierco got 254 azalnst 42 electoral votes, yet, far from dominating his party, he was dominated by it, the leaders compelling compell-ing him' to champion a repeal of the Missouri compromise. In 18C1 Abraham Abra-ham Lincoln was re-elected by 212 electoral votes against 21. Did ho rule his party? On the contrary, ho could not even rule his cabinet. In the winter of 1SG4-5, ho read to his cabinet the draft of a message to congress con-gress embodying a proposal to distribute distri-bute ?400,000,000 in United States bonds among thoso Confederate states which before a designated date should adopt the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery. Every member of the cabinet opposed the message, which, accordingly, was withheld. Ulysses S. Grant in 1808 received 214 against 80 .electoral votes. So, far was he, however, from exercising ascendency as-cendency over his party that not a few of Its most eminent leaders revolted, held In 1872 a so-called Liberal-Republican convention, and nominated Horace Hor-ace Greely for the presidency. In the year last named the electoral college gave Grant 28G against C3 electoral votes, a tremendous majority, yet Grant, in his second term, proved un-ble un-ble to carry out his San Domingo project. Mr. Cleveland in 1892 had a majority of 110 electoral votes over his Republican and Populist competitors compet-itors combined, and, as his popularity was attested by his carrying states never before since the Civil war carried car-ried by a Democratic nominee for the presidency, it was taken for granted that ho would bo able to shapo legislation. legis-lation. As a matter of fact, the Wilson Wil-son tariff bill, which embodied his nscal views, was subjected at the hands of the Democrats in the senate to a degree of mutilation that the president witnessed not only with disapproval, dis-approval, but with indignation and disgust. So far, then, as precedents 80, we cannot assume that, because of r- ""osevelt's amazing triumph at in ballot box, ho can count upon the obedience of his party in congress. It LI V'1?1 110 Possesses a resoluteness resolute-ness of character to which neither Madison nor Pierce could lay claim, uoui Grant and Cleveland, however, I Srf Sle wlth Mr- Roosevelt's own; 6eelnoth haa succumb, as we have serUnnl0SSi "tforo, Mr. Roosevelt's S "ministration should prove an will 1,1" 'i1 our Poetical history, It drei,nTnd ma,nl' or tafSOly upon trSW?inces beyond hIs own con-ur con-ur W ? her ho Bha11 succeed in as-dennLw as-dennLw oxecution of a program bpIcS, y hlm to congress. Can-;S Can-;S ,ans these circumstances enedfJJ0 intr,ns,G merit or political is knownCytof 10 Policies which ho PollSnfavor- What are thcso revision 3 narae' Primarily, tariff bo donS'ir canse, lr nothing should now in that lotion by the party 1908 it rWer, beforo tne SDrine of m It is well nigh certain that the HDHSttlii next presidential campaign will turn upon that issue.. There seems to he no doubt that, before tho Fifty-eighth congress met for its second session, Mr. Roosevelt was keenly alive to tho advisability of revising some schedules sched-ules of tho Dingley tariff, and of doing it beforo tho spring of 190G, when the campaign preceedlng tho general election elec-tion of representatives in congress would be at hand. Thoso who had access to him reported that ho was disposed to express his views upon tho subject in a special message announcing announc-ing that ho should convoke In extra session the Fifty-ninth congress soon alter tho 4th of March, for the purpose of revising tho tariff. What was tho outcome, however, of prolonged consultations con-sultations with Mr. Aldrich, Mr. Halo and other leaders of the majority in the senate, and with Speaker Cannon and other inlluential Republicans in the house? Instead of converting them to, his revision ideas, Mr. Roosevelt Roose-velt seems to have become a convert to theirs; or, what pra'ctically amounts to tho samo thing, ho has assented, apparently, ap-parently, to an indeilnite postponement postpone-ment of his project. If any ruling has boon done in this business, it is not the president who has proved to bo the ruler. We pass to what somo would deem the capital l'eaturo of Mr. Roosevelt's personal program; certainly It Is tho most important feature of his last annual an-nual message. Wo refer to his warmly urged request that congress would clothe the Interstate Commerce Commission with tho power not only to set aside as unreasonable an existing exist-ing railway rate, but to substitute for It a rate which in its judgment would be more reasonable. As wo have formerly for-merly pointed out, bills making substantially sub-stantially the samo proposal were already al-ready ponding In tho present congress one in tho senate and tho other In tho house of representatives. There is no indication that either bill will become a law, or will oven reach the stage of public debate. Moreover, oven those senators and representatives representa-tives who are supposed most faithfully to represent the president's opinions Including tho secretary of the navy, who is a railroad man of much experience experi-ence seem Inclined to renounce tho plan of conferring the function named on tho Interstate Commerce Commission, Commis-sion, nnd of delegating It instead to an Interstate Commerce Court. Even the substitute thus talked of, however, is still in embryo; no bill dollning It has yet been introduced In cither house of congress, nor ia ono known to have been prepared. Inasmuch as tho present congress will expire in about two months after the holidays, and Inasmuch as none of tho great appropriation appro-priation bills has como up oven for discussion, we may dismiss as out of tho question tho notion that an Interstate Inter-state Commerce Court, whether tho largo one suggested by Senator El-kins', El-kins', or the small ono favored by tho secretary ol' tho navy, will bo created cre-ated earlier than tho winter of 1905-G, oven if tlvo establishment or such a tribunal Is seriously contemplated by the leaders of tho Republican majorities majori-ties in tho federal legislature. Let us glance at some of tho other measures to which Mr. Roosevelt Is committed, but as to which it remains re-mains to bo seen whother ho can rally his parly to their support. There, for example, are tho arbitration treaties, of which live have been concluded, con-cluded, nnmoly, with Franco, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and England. Wo have little, if any, doubt that a considerable mnjority of tho Republican Repub-lican senators will consent to ratify these treaties, but whether tho ncc-0S3ary ncc-0S3ary two-thirds vote can bo secured Is by no moans certain. In viow of tho reluctance previously displayed to substitute a general arbitration treaty for diplomatic negotiation and special agreements, made with reference to particular questions as they arise, like the Alaska boundary controversy, wo should not bo much surprised to soo a low Republicans combining with all tho Democrats to defeat a ratification of ho compacts abovo named. Wo doubt, at all events, whether any of them will bo confirmed during tho short remnant of lifo loft to tho Flfty-olglith Flfty-olglith congress. For our own part, wo wish that overy ono of tho treaties might bo ratllled before tho noxt 4th of March; but a wish is ono thing, expectation ex-pectation Is another. If there is ono of tho appropriation bills in which tho president may bo presumed to bo profoundly interested, it is that which will make provision for tho navy during tho coming year. Tho estlmnto submitted by Secretary Morton to tho house of representatives representa-tives puts tho amount needed for our navy department in tho noxt twelvemonth twelve-month at ?li:i,000,000. The estimate contemplates four now battleships and six scout-cruisers, besides bettor dock facilities, navy yard Improvements, Improve-ments, and tho construction of now buildings for tho Naval Acadomy at Annapolis. It turns out, howovor, that several Republican members of tho house committeo on naval affairs are determined to pare down tho estimate, esti-mate, holding that only ono now battleship bat-tleship instead or four such vessels should bo authorized this year, and that more scout-cruisers are not needed need-ed at this time. Thoro Is somo forco in tho assertion that, since economy is to bo tho watchword or' this session, and sinco sums Incontestably required for rivers and harbors, and for certain public buildings, nro to bo refused, tho appropriation for tho navy ought to bo diminished rather than Increased. Under all tho circumstances circum-stances tho appropriation finally made is not likely to fall short of Secretary Morton's estimate by from Hvo to ten per cent. Hero, manifestly, is another, an-other, of Mr, Roosevelt's policies that congress will scarcely ngroo to carry out In Its entirety. Wo have, on the other hand, no doubt that ono of Mr, Roosevelt's purposes pur-poses will bo fullllled. Wo rofor to his plan for developing tho natural resources of tho Philippines, a plan formulated In tho Philippine government govern-ment bill, tho essonco of which is n provision authorizing tho insulnr administration ad-ministration to guarantee four per cent Interest annually for thirty years on tho ilrst mortgago bonds of corporations cor-porations undertaking to construct railways in tho archipelago. Wo take for granted that tho house of representatives repre-sentatives will concur in tho prudent amendments mado in tho senate, and that tho bill thus amended will bo-como bo-como a law. Tho question arises, howovor, whether Mr. Roosevelt's success suc-cess in securing tho assent of congress con-gress to this particular measuro will not render Impracticable another project pro-ject upon which ho is understood equally to have sot his heart, that, namely, of admitting to our ports duty free all products of tho Philippines, except sugar and tobacco, which would bo subjected hereafter to 25 per cent of tho Dingley rates Instead of tho 75 per cent which they now pay. It looks as If such a ilscal chango might deplete so signally tho public revenue of tho Philippines as to put It out of their government's power to sustain tho burden that will bo Imposed by tho guaranteo of Interest on railway bonds. It will bo remembered that at present all duties collected in our ports on products coming from' the Philippines aro turned ovor to tho insular in-sular treasury. Suppose that tho Philippine government should presently present-ly find itself obliged to pay three or four million dollars a year by way of Interest on guaranteed railway socurl-, ties; whero would It find the money, If It ceased to recelvo any considerable Income from United States custom houses? On tho whole, wo arrive at tho conclusion con-clusion that while In minor matters Mr. Roosevelt's wishes will havo much weight with tho federal legislators, i yet In things or far- reaching moment, ,M llko tariff rovision or tho croation of M an lntcrstnto Commorco Court, tho -V Republican majorities In both tho son- iH nto and tho houso of representatives ''IS aro much moro likely to bo Influenced li tm by their own loaders than by tho prcsl- ' .I'M dent. After all, that is as it should ' juW. bo, if our rcdoral constitution is based on sound principle tho prin- ciple, nnmoly, that tho legislature I D ought to bo paramount, and that to 'W this end no seat or volco in It should ,Q bo conceded to official spokesmen of .Mi tho executive. Harpor's Weekly. - IB |