Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-01
DUTY Of THE CITIZEN
Eternal Vigilance Price OF
Good Government.
AMBASSADOR BRYCE TALKS
Addresses the Knife and Fork Club
of Kansas City.
DISCUSSES THE PRIMARIES
Questionable Feature Of Multi
tude Of Elections-Thinks Tickets
Have Too Many Names.
AMBASSADOR BRYCE TALKS
USES THE PRIMARIES

KANSAS CITY, Mo, April 3O.-James
Bryce. ambassador of Great Britain to
the United States, in an address before
the Knife and Fork Club members here
this evening gave 1t as his belief that no
system for making nominations could sue
coed unless the citizens as whole inter-
ested themselves in making their will pre-
vail and exercised constant watchfulness
over the nominating machines as well as
the state officials.
The average good citizen" said Mr..
Bryce. must put his shoulder to the
wheel and keep it there
Mr.. Bryce. DR.. Jesse Macy, professor
of constitutional history and political sci
ence. Iowa College. Grinnell, Iowa; Prof.
John E. Boodwin of the University of
Kansas and C. S. Gleed. president of the
Missouri and Kansas Telephone Company,
were the guests of honor of the club. The
affair was the clubs monthly dinner.
Certain Questions Barred.
James Bryce, ambassador of Great
Britain to the United States. began his
speech by making 1t clear that his official
position precluded any possibility of his
passing opinions or giving advice upon
American social or political questions,
much as he might in other circumstances
be inclined to do so.
Mr.. Bryce said he was the recipient
dany of letters from young men and
young women belonging to debating
teams that were discussing current
topics who desired him to furnish them
with facts and arguments. Unfortunate
~, he said, these questions were nearly
always controversial questions in the
field of politics; consequently, he added,
the etiquette of my position compels
me to tell my young correspondents. and
compels me to tell my audience here.
that 1 must keep in my own breast the
opinions l would otherwise be glad to
express.
None of those matters was it permits
sible for him to discuss, but he said he
might perhaps tell them something about
how things stood in England. for both the
resemblanceS and the differences between
the two countries were always interest
ing and suggestive.
Management Of Corporations.
The ambassador them went on to say
that in England no serious troubles arose
from the management Of corporations.
The law was strict and it was seldom
evaded. The management OF the rail-
ways was supervised by the board of
trade-the British department of COM
n1erce and labor-tO the general salts
faction of the public.
There were, he said. no trusts and no
monOpOlies. The greatest still unsolved
problem in European countries. as 1t was
here, was to secure an improvement in the
relations of capital and labor, and to
avert % to find a practical method for
the seeffing of strikes. In that respect
Canada appeared to have done we'll, and
her law deserved the attention of Ameri-
can statesmen.
Selection Of Candidates.
The difficulties in the way Of selecting
candidates for office which give rise to so
much discussion and had been the subject
of so many experiments in the United
States were little felt in European coun-
tries. One reason, Mr.. Bryce said, was
that comparatively few offlcials were d.
rectfy elected by the people England
and France were countries quite as demo-
cratic as the United States; in some re-
spects more democratic. But there
judges were not elected. not those who
did the ordinary administrative work
either OF counties or of cities. while those
who served the national government were
never changed unless for some breach of
duty
Would it not be easier here. the ambas-
sadOr asked. to secure that the will Of
the people, or of the party. prevailed in
selecting candidates if there were fewer
names on the tickets? Attention could
then be fixed on the few, and the ap-
pointment of other officials would be left
to the executive, who would be held
strictly responsible for making proper ap-
pointments. The number of elections
here was far larger than anywhere in
Europe, so it was proportionately more
difficult for the people to r1now the merits
of the men they were asked to vote for.
The Price of Good Government.
Mr.. Bryce said he had been trying to
study and understand the primary laws
of the different states. which differed
greatly and none of which seemed yet
to have been accepted as altogether
satisfactory. He was led. he said, to the
conclusion that no system for making
nominations would succeed unless the
citizens whole interested themselves
In making their will prevail and exer
cised constant watchfuness over the nom-
mating machines we'll as the state
officials. Primary laws were all very
well, but the main thing was the constant
interest OF the citizens. 1t was natural that
in the midst of the wonderful prosperity
and swift development of thewest, of which
the growth of Kansas City was so strik-
ing an instance. business men should find
il hard to give all the attention needed
to their public duties. Nevertheless con-
slant attention was what democratic
principles everywhere required.
Eternal vigilance" Ambassador Bryce
said rs the price not only of freedom,