The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-10-13
B|GE[OW'S PLAN FOR
RULING THE RULERS
Herbert s. Bigelow Tells of the
Origin Of Representative
Government.
Criticise Senator Foraker's State
ment, And Says He De-
fled Ohio People.

! CINCINNATI, Ohio, Oct. 11.-Rev.
Herbert S. Bigelow resumed his SER
mons on economics at the Vine street
Congregational church last Sunday
with a sermon Ruling the Rulers"
He said:
| when the planters of New Haven
established government for them
selves In 1889 they sought justification
for their action in the scriptures. One
of the texts which they urged in favor
| of their conduct was this: Take you
you wise men and understanding, and
known among your tribes, and I will
make them rulers over you.
Our fathers rejected the ideas of
government by an irresponsible mon
arch. They set up instead what we
now have namely, the representative
system of government
! They I'D not see, what is becom-
Ing daily more manifest to u.s. that in
this very representative system Of
ours there Turk some Of the elements of
monarchy.
alexander Hamilton argued in the
federal convention for an executive to
be chosen for life by the senate.
Others wanted the executive elected
by the senate for a term of seven
years.
1T will be objected said Hamilton,
that such an executive will be an
elective monarch. He met the objection
as follows:
fiun ie<~
be a monarch for life, the other would
be monarch for seven years.
Monarch as hamilton observed, is
an indefinite term. The question
whether or not an official is q monarch
does not turn upon the length of his
term, nor upon the manner of his
choice Is he, during the length of his
term, Independent OF the wishes of the
people who chose him? If so, it is
evident that he is more than an agent
of the people. Within limits at least,
he has kingly power.
The friends OF President Roosevelt
many of them at least, have found
fault with Senator Foraker for voting
against the President on the railroad
rate bill.
when called to account for this
opposition at a recent convention Of his
party what did the senator say? This
is what he said:
Il never understood that somebody
= to tell me how to vote, either at that
= end or this end
= AT first we are inclined to ap.
. plaud the senator's independence. But
= no one could have a doubt that If the
railroad bill could have been submitted
to vote of the people of Ohio the
+ people would have stood by the Presi-
dent and not by the senator. Yet in
the United States senate their vote is
cast against the President and contrary
. to their undoubted desire. Thus the
) senator's independence amounts to 6
defiance of the popular will. 1t smacks
of monarchy.
Nevertheless our complaint ought
! not to be with the senator. We ought
v rather to complain Of our system
t which gives to the people no redress
3 when their representatives get out Of
+ touch with them. The Foraker episod,
should set us to thinking about thu
: necessity of so modifying our represent
tative system that it may be kept rep
resentative.
mere undoubtedly is defect of ou
| American system-and it is coming t,
! be pretty generally recognized that tn
| Swiss people have removed this defec
| by means OF the initiative and refer
| endum.
| Direct legislation through the in
| itiative and referendum is modifica
! ton Of our representative system
| which is necessary if the American ide
| is to be carried into effect, making ou
| representatives, not rulers or mon
archs, but agents and servants of tn,
people,"