The San Francisco call., 1909-10-11
Socialists Arrested
: For Anti-Taft Words
Los Angeles Police Stop Crowd in March to
Take Prisoners From Jail
Continued from Page 4

ing during the day and what has hap
pened. Perhaps something has hap
pened that does not please him. and he
does not like to refer to it, and he
1 know it and so do you. You have
done it. So have 1. Now it is the over
coming of that disposition, the ke eping
constantly in your mind and heart her
happiness, and not your comfort and
your disposition--that is what makes
you greater than taking city.
Ends Taken for Means
But l am supposed to look at things
from a political and governmental
standpoint, and the text appeals to me
more strongly in that regard. possibly
than in any other, because of some
very acute experiences I have had in
political matters.
Popular government we all approve
of, though sometimes 1 don't think we
know exactly why We do approve it. I
think we mistake frequently ends for
means. We talk about liberty as some
thing to be accomplished as an end.
We think of popular government as
something to be accomplished as an
end. Well, neither is true. Liberty is
means in the pursuit, of happiness.
Popular government we have, because
we believe in the long run that it is
the best government, that 1t is the gov
ernment which makes most people
happy.
Mistake of Majorities
But you can not run a popular gov
ernment merely by calling il so. You
have got to have some means of de-
termining what shall direct the course
of government; what shall decide. That
is the majority. / don't know any
other method in a popular government
We do have checks. We do have indi-
rect means of giving expression to that
vote of the majority, but when you get
down to the basis, it is the control of
the majority.
NOW, you can not have decent
popular government unless that ma
jority can conquer itself; that is, unless
that majority exercises the self
restraint that men with great power
ought to exercise And why? / am
not going into the various parts of the
world. but l could call your attention,
If ii wasn't that am In a responsible
position now, with respect to foreign
countries, and / have got to speak with
care-I could call your attention to
good many instances where those who
are in favor of popular government,
and who. if / may use the expression,
pull the tail feathers out of the eagle
in deifying liberty and apostrophizfng
everything that we think dear, and yet
just as soon as they become majority
they think that gives them the right
=
II the minority show any disposition to
question it they send them to Jail.
Need of Good Losers
What is the effect of that? They
say this is popular rule; this is the rule
of the. majority. So what does the
minority do? Why the minority says.
we VIII take to the woods and they
do take to the woods. And so we have
an election and a revolution and a
revolution and an election, and you call
that popular government.
Now. why is it that that works that
way? 1t is because the ma jority and
the minority do not govern themselves
without which popular government is
absolutely impossible. And that is the
application of the text that comes home
to me in thinking and dealing with
these countries that are struggling for
popular government, A minority that
is beaten in the election can not stand
the defeat. 1t has to go to the woods.
They are not good losers. and the
are not good winners.
Application of Text
Popular government is a most diff
fcult thing to establish. We have had
to hammer it out in thousand years
of Anglo-Saxon suffering and contro-
versy and contest. And now it rests |
where? 1t rests in the common sense |
and the self-restraint of the American
people. 1t rests in the knowledge of the |
that it has got to keep within |
the checks of the law and the constitu- |
tion il the government is to be pre- |
And it must rest in the view
OF the minority that 1t is much more |
important that the government should !
be sustained than that the minority |
should for the time being have control |
of or a voice in the government 1t |
rests in the knowledge of the majority |
that the rights of the minority and the |
of that minority are exactly |
as sacred as the rights and the wills |
Of the individuals of the majority.
"The people rule-there is no doubt |
about that-but they rule according to
law and under the constitution, and !
they voluntarily anu WllilHSly pldCcu
that constitution and that form and /
method of expression upon themselves
in order that they might act with de-
liberation and with the checks that
were sure to secure moderate, clear
headed, we'll thought out policies, and
therefore when the American people
voted that constitution. and now that
they are maintaining and supporting it,
as / hope they always will, they are
governing themselves, and are more to
ae credited than he that taketh city,
Ready in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES. Oct. 10.--Los Angeles
IS in readiness tonight to receive Presi-
lent Taft when he arrives at 7:45 to-
morrow morning. When the train bear
ng the presidential party arrives at Il
River station it will be met by large Il
aumber of citizens. headed by Mayor 4
Alexander, who will escort the presi-
lent direct TO San Pedro. the harbor
A lee 4