The San Francisco call., 1910-06-16
Herrin's Idea
of Representa-
tive Government

of Representa- but rather consider
five Government alton presentation
- ing cult from which national ideals have been
steadily moving away reason and cause for
of politics of which Mr. Herrn is
himself of the conspicuous exemplars
Mr. Herrn with others of his school, strongly
dapproves OF the prevailing drift the direction of pure
He dsrusts the people, who may be moved perhaps
Judgment by what he calls public camor process
clearly indicated he distinguishes public opinion
he dstru those devices of machinery designed
give the electorate quick and of control official
action brief quotation best indicate Mr. Herrin
view to wit:
Observation lightly propose mod-
@ n m I StuGtureS OF our government have no true
qT g gs these & do not understand that
do not stop to the limitations o tbeT 0od h %
not the principle OF democracy,
SUBSTITUTE 9 10 @ ne fsPreSeninye 5 P1Pe IS thing iehed from the
used and often discarded
Mr. Herrn should himself why the principle and scheme
representative government as he concve it has become dis
credited in America not in California alone but from one end ~
the the other No should answer to this
question better than Mr. Herrin He is in fact anneaino for The
life OF system which he has himself than any other
California destroy representative government no
longer obtains this because Mr. Herrn has
killed It. The of Caforna has years been
representative OF anything but those agencies for Herrn
Representative government it exists is ideal It does
not exist California where Tor years the machinery of politics
has been directed from Mr. Hern office. Mr. will scarcely
think worth while deny that party state has
become under his management hollow sham He has pulled
strings OF both parties and controlled machinery This is what
representative government has meant in California.
Mr. Herrn is dstrengly vague arraiennen OF democ
acy and he fails altogether show how inconsistent with
honest representative The instance which
specifies defect the system democracy is the recall
which he fears class of serving politicians in
Office and be liable abuse of popular Dsson
1T that form of political machinery subject
abuse owing the of human nature which must
politics from becoming but in fine
Mr. errn should object single purpose is
government representative of the popular will
Mr. Herrn does define representative government He
could not conveniently give examples of it from current
California But gather that the government we have
had in this suits him very we'll Indeed might safely
parody the famous saying the French king announce Renre
sentative government, it is L.
In the and progressive commonwealth Mr. Herrn
delivered his address the drift from that form
OF which the speaker constituted the chief
proagon and advocate advanced
than III California but do believe that Mr. will make
Oregon the degraded system rendered
Fulton and Mitchell possible The days when representative
ernment put up for sale in Oregon past
We hope they California The direct primary arose
OF aspiration real representative government that ought
please Mr. HerrIn although he suggestvely this
point He might have spared paragraph indicate
this matter which surely radical bearing on politics
and than occasional of the recall
machinery California well Oregon, would like his
views this subject
Mr.. Herrn speaks newspapers He ntmates that he
would like the installation of endowed newspaper Mr.
Herrn and the people for whom he signal ability
have endowed many newspapers in their not with con-
spicuous from point endowed newspaper
know the thing California, dstinishable
from kept newspaper But Mr. Hen wants news
which, he would n sphere necessities
and motives which dominate the vordp we fear he
would be less pleased with such with those
he bear withal.