Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1907-03-18
RAILROAD CONTROL DIRECTPRIMARYLAW
Is NOT A "CRAzE FOR GOVERN.
MENT BY THE MOB"
AS Stated by the Washington Post.
IT Politicians Are a Superior Class
to Whom Government Should be
Turned Over Then Popular Gov
ernment is a Failure,

10 q ]
The Washington Post speaks editori.
ally OF the direct primary as a 'craze for
government by the mob" Bv the
"mob' the Post means the great Ameri-
can electorate. 1t comedies, one may
suppose, the fitness OF the mob to elect
candidates, but when it comes to nomi.
mating them, that must be done by the
politicians. The Post is welcome to lit
untlattering opinion OF the voters of til e
country, ont why insult them by calling
them mob? The majority OF our voters
are quite as intelligent and we'll informed
as the average being who speaks of them
in this supercilious way. They are per
fectly competent to select the men for
whom they are to cast their votes. They
need the interpositon of no superior
class to perform the duty for them,
granting. as the Post desires, that politi-
clans belong to superior class.
The American electorate never has
shown the characteristics OF mob. 1t
has always been distinguished for con-
servatism. With misconduct on the
par of those exalted creatures who hold
office it has been rather too patient.
Never has it adopted hasty measures for
righting wrongs even the most fragrant
and oppressive. On the moral side the
average voter is unquestionably superior
to the average politician and immeasur-
ably superior to that class of individuals
whom the Post would perhaps designate
as "the better element" in contradistinc-
ton to the vulgar herd. One rarely finds
among the plain people a man with
predatory instincts so highly developed
as those of Mr.. Rockefeller; or with the
pertinacious and INSCRIPTIONS cunning
of Mr.. Aldrich.
Among the plain people..of this coun-
try are to be found substantial morality,
common sense and the will to bear bur-
dens for the common good. They pay
the taxes, do the work and think the
sound thoughts of the nation. Power in
their possession is much safer for all OF
US than wheu it is entrusted to some
special class, no matter how superior
that class may believe itself to be. Such
notions of superiority seldom prove we'll
grounded under the test OF practice. To
the POSTS opinion that 1--WE need more
faith in public men," one may give q
guarded assent. 1t depends somewhat
upon the character Of the men. In Mr..
Platt and Mr. Dryden perhaps our faith
is as great as the circumstances will
really warrant. In Mr.. Roosevelt we
might repose more without doing any
harm. In general, public men receive
as much confidence as they merit, and
most of them great deal more. When
man earns the faith Of the people by
his deeds he seldom fails to get it in full
measure. When he proves treacherous
to the people and conspires to mis- govern
and plunder them, it is asking good
deal to expect the voters to have faith in
him.
Faith in the people is much more war.
ranted by the course of our American
experience than general confidence in
public men, rs such. The fact that
man holds office does not endow him
with virtue or wisdom. Very often he
has obtained Office by the worst methods
and displays the worst characteristics
while in power. 1t is useless to ask the
people to forego the right to distrust and
criticise their public servants. 1t is
doubly useless to hope to counteract the
movement toward direct nominations
and direct elections. The belief of he
Post that there will presently be a reac.
ton against this tendency is an evidence
OF that provincial msinformation which
seems to cling inseparably to almost
everybody that lives in the federal cap
ital. l.--Oregonian.