Sacramento daily record-union., 1883-10-18
" THE PEOPLE"

A correspondent of the Woodland Dem.
ocrat of the I6.h instant revives an old
question which has never been satisfact-
orily answered by those to whom it is
usually addressed. The writer of the
article is evidently Democrat, and he ad-
dresses to the Examiner, of San Francisco
the pertinent inquiry by what authority it
assumes to speak for the people of Cali
fornia =? Who, asks the correspondent
who has the courage to sign his letter
"Who are not the people? Who are au.
thorized to speak in the name of the peo-
pie? Who are the people ?" Because an
editor assumes to speak for the people does
not establish his right to do so, he remarks
crisply, nor has a political committee the
right, nor professed politician. OF those
politicians who now clAmor in the name of
the people, he estimates there are possibly
10000, but the voters of the State are
more than l60,0OO and more than so, 900
of these are needed to constitute a ma
jority with authority to speak for the peo-
pie. The legal voters cannot act col
lectively. AS Mr. Ford, in his recent
political essay puts it, "the number of the
population is so great, the extent of terri.
tory go vast, and the interests at stake so
varied and important, that the purely
democratic form, in which what concerns
all is decided by all, is not practicable.
The people, therefore, must act through
bodies holding delegated powers, as, Legis-
latures and Courts, under grants and
limitations-which, "while in force,
are unchangeable rules of action -
established through the medium of a pri.
mary representative body chosen for that
especial purpose, and by meats of and
through which people in a Republic &C.
oompliah peaceable revolutions by altering
or sbolishing any form of government not
in accord with their wishes. 1t is fslla.
cious, therefore, to hold that an officer is
no more than an agent of the people to
the extent of his powers he is the voice of
the people, When the majority, by the
methods it establishes-and to which the
minority becomes party consenting under
the system of democracy-confers power
on an officer to act, coupled with the exer-
else of discretion according to his judg-
ment, the law is given him as bis guide,
and he has no right to give heed to any
other voice. The officer is bound to as strict
rule in this respect as Court, which is
also voice of the people. Because,
therefore, officials do not heed the demand
of political committees or newspapers, it
is not to be assumed that they disregard
the voice of B." the people" " The people"
proper have established given method of
making their wishes known, and the public
officer can properly recognize no other. 1t
is evident that to the correspondents rea.
soning there can be made no sufficient an
swer, or one of negative character, that
comports with the system of a republican
formof government. In thesedays no phrases
have been prostituted to baser uses than
those in which the demagogue assumes to
place the name of ''the people" Theycome
trippingly from his tongue. and serve as con-
veniens garbs in which to mask his own
designs. The iemagogue and the pol.
itician have the authority to speak
for themselves, but for no others. Or, as
the correspondent referred to sententiously
romarks, "No person living is authorized
by me to tell what my thoughts or wishes
are upon any public question, and every
1DinGaH ate win, doubtless, say the
e. without my author
place upon