Arizona republican., 1911-01-22
Theodore Roosevelt on the Initiative,
 Referendum and Recall.

Theodore Roosevelt has an article or the progressive" movement in the United States, in which he discusses in an interesting and dispassionate manner the features of this movement and the merits and defects of the ini- tiative, referendum and recall. He points out that there has grown up a general demand for the following principles as necessary to popular government:
 Drastic laws to prevent the corrupt use of money in politics.
 Election of United States senators by popular vote.
 Direct primaries for the nomination of elective officials.
 Direct election of delegates to na- tional conventions. the voter to eX- press his choice for president on the ballot for delegate
 The introduction of the initiative and referendum and recall.
 Colonel Roosevelt frankly states his approval of these five propositions in principle" but he proceeds to point out with force the objections to the unrestricted use of the initia- tive and referendum and recall. It is clear from his article that he has not changed his position since he tele- graphed to The Republican in Sep tember last his denunciation of g local newspaper for its assertion that he advocated the adoption for Arizona of the initiative and referendum and recall on the oregon plan"
 The former president approves without qualification the first four principles of the platform scheduled above, but as to the three proposi- tions contained in the last paragraph he says:
 The proposition that will excite most misgiving and antagonism is that relating to the initiative, referendum, and recall
 As regards ,he recall, it is some times very useful, but it contains un- doubted possibilities of mischief, and of course it is least necessary in the case of shcrt-;srm elective officers"
 It is evident that Colonel Roosevelt does not regard the recall as of sui ficient importance. as related to the officers of counties and states, to warrant making it a vital issue. That is to say, if he were citizen of Ari zoDa he undoubtedly would say that our people were foolish to imperil their chances of statehood merely to secure the right to recall their elected officers. Following the lines we have already quoted. he disposes of the re- call with these observations:
 There is, however. unquestionably a very real argument to be made for it as regards officers elected or ap- pointed for life In the United States government practically the only body to whom this applies is the judiciary. and I shall accordingly treat the mat ter when I come to treat of National ism and the Judiciary"
 And it must be conceded that there possibly is this merit in his sugges- ton that the one place in which the recall might be made a useful feat ure of government is in the branch of the federal judiciary We use the by no means ready to concede it as a settled proposition that the federal judiciary ought to be subject to the recall. It is undeniable that the ma chinery provided by the federal con stitution for getting rid of a corrupt federal judge-impeschm by the national house of representatives and trial by the United States senate is too ponderous and unwieldy to he made satisfactory in practical york ing. A federal judge is appointed for life. and since it is for all practical purposes impossible to reach him by impeachment, it is certainly advisa- ble that there should be provided some more direct method of making 1 him answerable to the people for mis- conduct But is the recall the most l reliable way to bring an offending | federal judge to account? We doubt | it very much. The recall is vicious in principle. it has always seemed to us. for the reason that it violates one of the dearest principles of Anglo Saxon government-the principle of | guaranteeing to every accused per son. high or low, the right to a formal | trial and to have his accusers brought | before him, there to make good by | proof their charges against him. The recall deprives an accused officer of :, this right We believe that Colonel Roosevelt will concede. on careful consideration. that a more acceptable method of bringing an offending fed