The San Francisco call., 1907-03-24

A real representative of the people is not
their unrehecting mouthpiece their trucking
servant altering his course to meet each shift
ing breeze or puff OF passion. He Is rather the
spokesman for their conscience their insight and
convictions reveal them to him.
True democracy creates leadership by it's con-
hdence and trust and follows IL. False denoc-
racy decries leaders and exalts dema gogues.
Inc true democratic representative Is not the
cringing, fawning fool Of the Of the
mob. but he who. rising to the full stature Of
political manhood, does not take orders but
offers guidance. We Americans well know
that genuine leadership is possible in a demo-
cratic state and that aristocracy of intelli-
gence and service may be built up in a de-
mOcracy; for the immortal example is found In
the life and work and glory Of Abraham Lincoln.
BLAMEs MoNoPoLIEs
II the exaggerated forms of exploitation which
I are now observed among us are studied with
tion they spring from community given mouop-
oily or privilege. They do not spring from the
relation between individual and individual, or
from the institution OF private property itself.
They spring from the relation between indi-
be multiplied. not diminished, in a socialistic
democracy.
In his extraordinary Characterization Of the
conditions preceding and accompanying the
French Revolution Taine pictured with skillfal
verisimilitude the characteristics of the mob
which parades in the garb OF democracy. he
spoke OF fits mistrust OF its natural leaders. of
the great, Of the wealthy. Of persons in office
and clothed with authority. as being inveterate
]
unrestrained passions, which is the final and
bloody end Of mob rule. There are those among
US who understand the mob so well that they
sedulously and carefully eGdeavor to bring 70
pass just such state Of affairs Taine de-
scrioea. Ihese wreekers OF society, unrestrained
by principle and unhampered by conviction,
playing with the fire of human passion and mob
violence. They attack a conception of democ-
racy which is true in its every aspect in the
mocracy which is false and futile. They begin
by playing upon the term Tabor"
DEFINES WORTH OF LABOR
Taking note of the fact that the worlds
workers constitute all but an Insignificant rem
nant of the worlds citizenship, they would set
one form OF labor against another, and confuse
and cOnfound the meaning Of the term labor
itself. All the world over these mischief
eeT us wheR s tsT eg forth an fs h
clude every form Of productive activity. For
that purpose the inventor, the oYerseer. the man
ager. the guide. and inspirer Of an undertaking.
is laborer: but when from the height of
academic theory they come down TO the plane of
popular agitation, then they make the term
labor" apply TO manual labor alone. IL is true
that leading economic writers themselves are re-
sponsible for the widespread confusion between
these two uses Of the term labor"
As matter of fact. ordinary manual labor is
Just the opposite of what the Socialist supposes
in the production Of wealth, as the modern
world knows wealth, II is a subordinate element
sential, TO be sure. but manual labor alone does
not now produce, nor has II ever produced much
more than o mere minimum Of subsistence. All
OF the increment In production which has made
the modern world possible is due to the direct
Ing faculty. TO the capacity TO organize, TO
manage and TO apply. These powers and ca
capital Therefore, TO attempt to substitute
the mob for the people. manual labor for labor
erty. is TO destroy all those institutions and
compltshments upon which mans progress has
rested for three thousand years, and which
mans progress during that period has developed
and applied in so astounding fashion.
PLEA FOR PEOPLES RULE
The surest antidote to the mob and its vio-
lence and passion is to secure, in orderly and
legal form, after due consideration and discus
peoples Will and TO give voice to the peoples
judgments and aspirations. This raises some in
teresting questions.
In our own form of government there are es.
tnblished three independent but cooperating
powers and agencies for representing the people
and for executing their will-the executive the
legislative, and the judicial agency Each i'm
mediately represents the people in its own way
and in its own sphere and that sphere is and
should remain inyiolate Somehow or other the
curious notion has been spread abroad that the
legislative agency, the members Of which are
encies, more fully and directly represents the
people than does either the executive or the
judicial branch OF the Government. Members OF
the legislative branch OF the Government have
themselves actively spread abroad this notion
both by words and by acts. 1t is, however. not
only untrue In theory. but IT is ludicrously falsf
fed by the facts. AS matters are today and
as they have been for a generation mast the
Congress OF the United States. the legislative
branch OF the national Government is far in
ferior TO the executive and the judicial branches
as a direct and effective representative of the
VIII and purpose of the people of the United
States. 1t is primarily the President and the
Supreme Court who speak the peoples maturest
mind and who express, in spoken and written
word, in administrative act and In judicial de-
cision, the highest will of the whole people.
SHOWS POWER OF CONGRESS
sir h.
gress has steadily invaded the province of the
President and has long been arrogantly asserting
moment. it is being urged TO invade the pre-
rogstfFes OF the judiciary and to curtail and
States courts-a field In which the Congress mas
the same right and authority that 1t has in Korea
or In British India, no more and no less. This
Invasion of the executive and judicial powers
by the Legislature is accompanied by an effort
to convince the people at large that the
OF democracy, ana. moreover, that the executive
is invading or has invaded the province OF
as IT IS false. is Invariably raised whenever IL
IL desired TO distract public attention fSc,m an
invasion OF the executive BY the legislature. or
when some private or privileged interest wishes
to ward Of from itself the execution of the peo-
pies law. As a matter Of fact. IL our American
political experience proves anything ii proves
that the executive branch of the Government is
the most efficient representative and spokesman
that the popular will has. SO il was with Lin
in the struggle for sound monetary system:
so II is with Roosevelt in the battle against
privilege and greed
WOULD AID PRESIDENT
Indeed, in very real sense the popular VIII
in the United States has no other representative |
for political purposes, than the President. The
President of the United States is chosen by the |
whole people with a view TO his personality his |
temperament. his private convictions and his |
political principles The people know who he |
is and all about him. When chosen ne owes no |
responsibility TO the Congress. but 10 the people
OF the United States alone. When he laws down
his office he lays IT down to the one whom the |
people have chosen 10 succeed him. but 50 long |
as he exercises It's power he exercises It In the
peoples name and IN the peoples sight. On the |
other hand. our system. unfortunate in high de- |
gree, OF small constituencies having individual |
representa- tives in State and national leeisla- |
lures who almost uniformly residents of the |
districts for which they are elected has re- |
duced 10 minimum the truly representative |
and efficiency OF those bodies and has |
deprived them Of many elements of power For !
II is weil-nigh a political axiom that large con-
stituencies make independent representatives |
and that small constituencies make tools and |
ciphers We must not forget how much farther
a bullet will carry than few score of small |
shot.
LAWMAKERS BLOCK REFORMS
Where is II that private interest goes when
II wishes to stop an expression Of the popular
Not to the executive. to the private cham