Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1905-02-19

is the better one. that the people are
Ecapables0f selfgoyssament. - wsll -
entitled = ssit-gosern ment md tAas
only w watching theip Representative
can they secure good government The
fact that we have platforms a an syi.
dence that We recognize the right 81
the people to think for themselves.
For Il We do not recognize that right
we would not state. In our platforms
what our representatives would do or
for what they would stand. And every
man running upon platform recog-
nizes by so doing that the people have
right to think for themselves. I was
much censured in 1896 because / said
one day that the president was simply
hired man, hired by the people for
term Of years at a good salary to do
for them what they wanted done and
could not do themselves. l was criti-
cised and the papers that criticised
me said that was dragging the high
Office of the president down to the
level Of the hired man. I have had
eight years now to reflect upon what
] then said and I still believe that the
president and every officer of govern
ment is but q hired man; and If we
would exercise the same care in select
ing our, public officials that we do in
selecting our hired men and the same
independence in discharging our pub.
lie officials that we exercise in dis.
charing a hired men we would have
better government and better legisla.
ton than we have today. Jefferson
said that free government existed in
any government but through Jealousy:
that those who are watchful and zeal.
GUS OF our public servants will have
the best government and the best pub.
lie servants. And believing in this
theory I never come before a legisla.
tive body without trying to impress
upon those who honor me with their
attention that their duty is to people
to carry out the wishes of the people
to protect the rights Of the people and
to impress upon them that the faults
OF our government are not in the PEG
pie themselves; they are in those who
elected to represent the people, be
tray their trust and place their own
private interest above the needs Of the
people whose servants they are. And
therefore welcome in federal govern
ment and in state government and in
city government everything that
brings government nearer to the peo.
pie and makes it more responsive to
the peoples will. There is more viz.
tue in the people than ever finds az.
preston through their representatives
and the more nearly you can build
your government upon the people, the
stronger the government is and the
more enduring. And have welcomed
every suggestion from every source
That tended 70 bring the government
nearer to the people and you who are
assembled here have not read the
signs of the times II you do not know
that the trend OF government TODAY +
back to the people. We have been
drifting away; we have been having
eras Of bossism and OF great aegre.
cations Of wealth overshadowing the
humble citizen we have Had state ana
national legislation that by its enact.
ment proved that the legislators had
forgotten the people for whom they
were to speak. But the trend every.
where Is back to the people. and ii
Y not confined to any party. II you
read the papers today you will and
that democratic executives and renub.
lican executives, democratic. legisla.
lures and republican legislatures are
vylng with each other in the effort n
make government more responsive to
ING "Hi VI the people and the machin-
cry Of party more responsive to the
WIZ OF the voters OF the party. The
man makes a great mistake who no.
lieves that he can ever help his party
by placing his party across the path.
way Of the people, and the people are
marching on steadily to the better
projection OF their rights and the bet.
ter guarding Of their interests The
Australian ballot, adopted in most 81
the states, was adopted because 1t
made the government more respon.
siye to the will Of the people. The
primary election law that has been
adopted in some states and is agitated
In others has been adopted because ii
recognizes the right Of the people To
have their will carried out. i have
believed for some years that the great
contest in this country, manifestine
itself in every great issue, as the con.
test between organized wealth on tAe
one side and the unorganized masaes
or The nQnn1o mr.. ~. -