The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1911-10-13
"Caprice Of the Maiority."

"Caprice OF the Majority"
Orangeburg Times and Democrat.
1t is surprising to an old fashioned
Democratic newspaper like The Times
and Democrat, which believes in the
people and is willing to trust them
with all power, to hear newspapers
claiming to be Democratic and pro-
Tossing to believe in republican form
OF government like we have, talk Of
the "caprice of the majority" and Of
the people being a mob. Such news
papers, if they would confess it, be-
lieve more strongly in a monarchal
government, in which the people have
but little part and where the "ca-
price Of the majority" is not tolerat-
ed, than they do in a republican gov
ernment such as We have in this
glorious land of ours. I
There has been considerable discus
sion of the Initiative, referendum
and recall" of late. These proposed
reforms would enlarge the powers of
the people very materially and yet they
are fought by men who have been call
ed to high station by the people. Gov
ernor Mann, Of Virginia, recently said
he would decline to hold Office under
system that allowed the recall of
officials. He went on to say ut would
reduce the oficeholder to the vel of
a puppet. 1t would make him a reed
swayed in the wind by every breath of
public prejudice. Such a position
would be unsupportable, and if it ever
comes to pass in my State I shall re-
tire from politics. I sdesire to have
nothing to do with a system"
The Anderson Mail, which we be-
lieve claims to be a Democratic news
paper and believer in a republican
form Of government gives it's endorse
ment to what Gov. Mann says and
pronounces it sound doctri: :. The
Newberry Herald and News, another
supposed Democratic newspaper and
a believer in our republican form of
government, endorses what Gov. Mann
says as we'll as what the Mail says
about it, and says "this sounds very
much like Gov. Mann mad been read
ing The Herald and News" and sneer-
ingly goes on to say, ~of course, it is
good Democratic doctrine. All this
stuff about what we call recall of
judges is the worst kind of political
rot
The Times and Democrat does not
agree with the Mail that it is sound
doctrine to deny the people the right
to recall a judge or any other official
that fails to do his duty, nor with The
Herald and News that I" all this stuff
about what We call recall of judges is
the worst kind of political rot" If the
people have sense enough to elect
governors, congressman, senators and
other officials of high and low degree,
they surely have sense enough to sus-
tain officials when they do right or
recall them when they do wrong. So
far as we are concerned we would
rather trust the stcaprice of the ma
jority'' than the caprice of one man.
whether he be a judge or some other
official
A "caprice Of the majority" may
have elected Gov. Blease to the high
est Office in South Carolina, but The
Herald and News would hardly claim
for that reason that the people can
not be trusted to exercise political au-
thority over all officials. Neither
would The Times and Democrat. The
fact that the people, c1d not do in that
case what The Times and Democrat
would have done, is no evidence that
the people did not do as we'll as the