The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-05-11
GoHERNMENT BY TRE PEOPEE.
Recent Political Developments Illustrate
How Meaningless the Phrase IL.

H0M MNLnNlhNN-N GA9 AAANR ~
To rHs EpIroR OF THE sUN-Sh, The
of1cehOlders and politicians are now saying
much Of government Of the people and BY
the people People are mentioned eight or
ten times In the Federal Constitution ~ hav-
ing a great deal 70 do with government. Their
rights are often referred 70 az things safs
from violation. Who are the peoplel Not all
Of them-not even a sixth OF the people
can vote. The United States has no voters.
All voters belong to the several States. which
can decide who can vote excepting az re-
strained by the Fourteenth Amendment.
Not all-indeed comparatively few-of the
voters take part In nominating candidates OF
once. either State, or Federal. IN the recent
Democratic State convention for the State Of
Massachusetts, only SS2 Of i.o27 entitled dele
gates we're present, and Sc, or lsss than q
third Of a full delegation, committed the
Bay State Democracy 10 Bryan. Only q small
fraction Of the voters In any party partici-
pate In the nomination OF candidates. In
November much Ia heard OF voters going homs
to vote, but little Is heard OF voters going
home to select candidates Of their party.
That selection IL left for the ofioeholder7
and party workers on the spot.
The Republican party 10 In that matter
unblushlngly offending against the Federal
Constitution, but yet what 10 II among
friends'? The command Is peremptory that
mo Senator, or Representative, or person
holding an ONCE Of trust, or pront. under the
United States, shall be appointed an elector
Of Presldent, or Vioe-President.' The reason
ia obvious when the President Is as now bent
on naming his successor. but Senators and
Congressman and Federal executive oflcials
are to-day uppermost in Republican conven-
tions TO select the successor TO Roosevelt.
The spirit Of the Constitution Ia violated az
il would be II the prohibited oficeholders
excluded all others besides themselves from
the list Of delegates. The people play an
Insignificant part In naming the candidates
Of either Of the political parties In a govern
ment Of and by the people.
The recent Massachusetts, Democratic con-
vention was amusing ely typical OF party con-
v%entions this year, The chairman, Pro-
fessor Stimson, spoke as became a teacher
in the law school Of the chief university In the
Commonwealth, but the divergence Of opin-
ions between him and the Ss who stood by
Bryan seems 10 have been something like the
diversity between, for example, Mr.. Gray Of
Delaware and Mr.. Jefferson Davis Of Arkan-
sas.
The platform quite ignored the line Of sepa.
ration DEFINED by Professor Stimson between
State aud Federal functions. IL did not clearly
identify the things TO be done BY Mhssachu-
sets as outside those 20 be done by Con.
gress, and vice versa. Some OF the things
mentioned we're exclusively for Congress,
as. for example, the tariff, which was 10
be for revenue only and yet not for
revenue only when foreign articles like our
trust controlled products we're TO be pro-
perly made exempt from duties. And 90.
too, when Bryan's foreign policy Of ratify-
ing the spanish treaty 10 rebuked by adVo-
eating Independence Of the Philippines, an
acquisition with which one would say bis
partisans in the West. who wish the publn
money expended there to be used for good
roads at home and other Aidsto Western farm
ers, must by this time be rather sick. And
so, too. OF much else evidently Federal and
not State. But which government IL TO Krappls
with predatory wealth. railroads, monopo-
lies and nyasions Of State riehtbp Perhaps
both governments, az one and the same
time. are to imprison Boston and Maine
railway officials.
How will State rights be Vindioated II Con-
gress, by prescribing the borrowing and eX-
penditure Of money. increase Of capitaliSs-
ton. issuing shares and bonds, declaration
Of dividends. buying shares In other rail-
ways and such like things, IA thus TO regulate
Massachusetts corporations sometimes doing
an interstate businessy Who 10 to control
Massachusetts corporations on the basis Of
the recent Democratic platform Gong ress,
or the state? HARVARD.
CAMBRIDGE. Mass. May 0.