The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1907-05-28
FRANK OLSMITH ON
THE CONSTITUTION


Dear Leader: So many prominent
people have been breaking into print
Of late, either to attack or defond the
effort Of the constitutional convention
to furnish this territory with con-
stitution. that would permit us to live,
breathe and have our being. on an
equal footing with any other state
il the Union. that it seems to me. II
would be well TO vary the monotony
Of the occasion. by few remarks
coming from the clumsy pen, and
slow working brain OF one OF that
large majority Of the plain common
people. who last fall, prompted by a
laudable ambition 20 better their COZ
dition, and promote the welfare of the
state, committed, as 1t now appears.
1.-THE unspeakable crime of electing a
lbunch OF fellows, who have not been
In the habit of affiIiating with the Re-
publican party. to write the constitu-
ton. ] am willing to admit that this
was rather unfortunate and in the
nature of a setback to the bunch OF
| POLITICAL artists of the Republican
| faith, who by reason of their long SER
vice. have acquired wealth and stand
ing. and fine ability to rool the ordi-
nary citizen, that can only be ap.
preached from afar off by their Demo-
cratic competitors after many years
OF constant practice. No man or no
set of men in politics, or anything else
ever became so good that It was inn
possible to supply their places, when
ever a vacancy occurs with others
/ just as good. So l for one refuse to
believe that all the virtue and intelli-
gence of the country is centred in the
Republican party, and that they alone
are capable of governing the country
as 1t ought to be governed. This is
supposed to be, and Is, a government
Of the people, by the people, and 1t is
possible ito fool some of the people
all the time. part of the people part
of the time" BUT IMPOSSIBLE ito
fool all of the people at any time" If
this was not true there would never
/ be any change i'm the party in control
Of the government.
And il we never had any change in
the party In control, or If Il ever be
came impossible to make a change
when the people desired it, no one
needs to be told that we would soon
not have any government worth mel-
tioning That is self evident More
good men than bad can always be
! found IN all the parties, but there is a
/ lot of bad stun in them all that needs
constant care and watchfulness to pre-
vent the bad from predominating
II Whenever as a rule any party has a
long uninterrupted leese Of power il
becomes corrupt and the peoples in
terests suffer in consequence and the
country needs a change. and Usually
the next election does the business
for them. The Republican party have
had that lease. with the usual result
they may not be so rotten as some
folks think, but at any rate the suspi
cion was strong enough. to carry the
country against them good and plenty
in the election for delegates 10 the
constitutional convention. After be
ing elected these gentlemen assemb
led and gave u5 a constitution tha'
upon the whole needs no one TO de
fend It, Il Is it's own best defence ant
embodies every principal now sough
for in every state in this Union By
the advocates of advanced thought II
political government. save and except
universal suffrage, and in my humble
opinion q was . mistage not to In
clude taat. II. separate provision tC
be voted upon by the people and re
iected or accepted in accordance will
the win of the majority.
But after all this has been done II
accordance with the expressed viii G
the people, we are told by the lead
ers of the discredited party that thu
constitution is not republican IN form
and unfit for any present or futur,
use. and ought to be turned down, aat
so fixed do they seem to be in thii
belief, and so great their distrust o
the future action of the people upoI
this question, should II come to
vote upon its merits as such question:
are usually settled by an election
that they are leaving no stoiie unturn
ed TO avoid an election and so get th'
question settled once for all, by thi
only tribunal In the land properl.
qualified to pass upon it. towit: thl
voice of the people as expressed a
the ballot box. II this proposed con
stitution is the rotten thing they CLAIM
II is, why all this effort 20 proven
action upon il by the people at an eleo
tion as provided for by the trainers o
it2 Surely II cannot be because tn
aforesaid leaders fear the people hay
not got sense enough to know ba
thing when they meet il IN the road
and so ought to be prevented fron
voting upon il at all. II seems TO m
that such a proceeding might be Pre-
perly objected 70 with some reaso
as not being republican in form" wit
a vengence Why not be fair an
. come out I'm the open and fight thi
. thing out before the people upon II
merits If it has any If it has not.
. viii be easy to kill Il in the due an
usual form, by its failure 10 carry .
A the polls, and that will end 1t wiihos
. troubling the courts to pass upo
something that shorlc not properl
\ come before them. This Is \ questio
+. for the people not the courts to d,
eide. although Il cgn not be denie
4 that they are Republican IA form" a
A right enough, for all practicable pu
II poses. No good citizen II seems
me should object calling an electio
TO settle the question, be he Dem