Arizona republican., 1910-08-17
CONVENTION
 COMPLIMENT The Address h Full Of GoV.
 ePhor Sloan
 ars.s f,g eF ? IN RESPONSE TO REQUEST
Governors Protest Satur- day Against Populistic, Socialistic and Democratis Proposition to Abolish Representative Ssytem

| Ever since the republican county convention on last Saturday requests
 have come to this office for the publi- cation in full of the speech of Governor
 Sloan of which a synopsis was print ed in the story of the convention. In
 repsonse to these numerous requests
 it is herewith given:
 MT Chairman. Gentlemen of the l Convention-It is with great satisfac-
 ton that I have noted the unanimity
 with which cur platform has just been adopted. In my opinion, you have done the wise, courageous and polite thing.
 You have neither evaded, side stepped nor straddled the question which will | be the chief issue of this campaign. You have not permitted yourselves to i be stampeded by the clamor for inno- vation, which is being made by some sincere but mistaken people and by
 others not so sincere but who are shouting for these things because they
 imagine them to be popular In my judgment, this demand for the initi- ative, referendum and recall is large ly fictitious. It does not arise from deep seated convictions nor from any | to the merits of these things.
 I have faith in the American peo-
 pie. They may be carried away for the time being by spacious arguments, but their sober, deliberate and mature judgment is generally right aad sound. I have the same faith in the intelli- gence and good sense of the people of !, this county and territory. l believe, therefore, that you can come before the people of Maricopa county on this declaration of principles and win. When the question is presented to them as it will be, believe they will hesitate before voting to overturn any of the principles of representative gov ernment set up by the fathers of this republic They will reflect that the men who framed the constitution of the United States and who helped to shape our first state governments knew their business; that Washington, Adams,
 Franklin, Madison, Hamilton. Jeffer- | son and Henry were not mistaken, and that we ought not lightly to depart from that form of government estab- | lished by them and which has been approved by every one of our great men and patriots of whatever party,
 ever since their day-by John Mar shall, Roger Fancy, Daniel Webster, John c. Calhoun, Henry Clay, Abraham | Lincoln and the great men Of his day and by every president of the United States since his day, Grant. Hayes, Garfield. Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison, | McKinlev, Roosevelt and Taft Each
 and every one of these men has been profound student of the subject and familiar with the various theories of popular government, but l have never
 heard that any one of these great men | and patriots eyer uttered or wrote a word conveying the thought that our form of government needs tinkering.
 To declare that our form of govern
 ment is bad, and should be radically changed. as some people now propose
 to dc, is, in my judgment, an unsafe | thing to do and from the standpoint of I its effects, a vicious thing to do.
 II say this because I am convinced and believe that a little study and in
 vestigation will convince a reasonable
 man that in the principle of the initi-
 ative, as Governor Kibbey has argued,
 there lies the danger that we will in
 troduce into this country government
 by the minority and that it will afford
 an easy opportunits. as experience has
 already shown, for special or local in
 terests. designing individuals or groups of individuals to foist upon the public ifl-advised and harmful legislation
 The system allows a minority to insti-
 tute legislation of any kind, however | ridiculous, absurd or even vicious, and 1 experience shows that the same minor ity, by voting for it can easily secure it's adoption The great body of citizens
 can not or will not take the time from
 their business or occupation to investi
 gate legislation proposed in this way and hence only those who may be in
 terested in it in a direct or personal i way can be relied upon to even vote on such legislation. Eternal vigilance
 is the price of liberty and peace, but
 if we adopt the principle permitting
 every irresponsible fellow in the com
 munity or any merely local or special
 interest to initiate legislation and com
 pei vote upon the same. how mucf
 more diligent and vigilant must vol
 be if ~ou do your duty as a citizen IT
 order to prevent the enactment of bat or harmful legislation, The probabiii' ties are, you will not spare the tims nor will your neighbor spare the tim'
 to post yourselves to vote intelligentls