The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-08-14
BOURNE RIDDLES ARGUMENTS AGAINST PROGRESSIVE LAWS
 FOR POPULAR GOVERNMENT

half of a man who can not be here to speak for himself The Senator undertook to strengthen his opposition to the initiative and referendum by quoting views held by Hon. Woodrow Wilson when he was college president and contrasting them with views now held by that gentleman when he is a governor and probable candidate for the Presidency. The Senator pre- fers the calm reflective judgment of the college president to the fevered hallucinations of the hopeful presi- dential candidate" He believes that those who indorse Wilson's later ut terances are appealing from Philip so- Der to Philip drunk"
 We all know that when woodrow Wilson held his former views he was without practical experience in poli- tics. He was a mere theorist. He knew little or nothing of the devious ways by which the political boss ma nipulates conventions and controls legislatures. But having learned practical politics by practical exper- fence he changed his opinions. We are appealing from Wilson ignorant of politics to Wilson wise. In both instances we have the views of Will son honest and certainly, in the later instance Wilson rageous, for it takes true courage for a man to ack- nowledge the errors he made perpetual by placing them on the pages of his- tory.
 Though I cannot always agree with Gov. Wilson, I respect his ability, commend his frankness and admire his courage. His successful efforts for the regeneration of his State make him safe from the criticisms of those of us who have less of achievement to our credit. May success attend all his and every other persons efforts for better government.
 MT. President, the Senator from Utah and I differ widely on the fundamental principles which underlie the Ameri- can Government. I believe in the ab- solute sovereignty of the people. But the people cease to be sovereign when ever, by physical force or political ma- chination, their will is suppressed or thwarted Or ignored I believe in truly representative government, not a pure Democracy; but under the po- government is not truly representative.
 I am--concerned with the fact of representative government and not merely with the name. No govern ment is truly representative unless the people have power to make it so. The initiative and referendum super sede no State legislature; they merely provide the people a means of secur- ing laws which legislatures refuse to enact and of defeating undesired laws which legislatures do enact. The re- call gives the people power to expel from office public servant who has demonstrated that he does not truly represent them. The initiative and referendum and recall vitalize rather than destroy truly representative gov ernment
 That is my view. Now consider the view of the Senator from Utah. He says:
 Our present form of representative government
 Note MT. President, he insists upon the present form," while I insist up- on the present form modified by adop- tion of the initiative and referendum and recall by the several States. He says:
 Our present form of representative government, under which Jaws are made by specially chosen legislators, construed by specially chosen and trained judges, and enforced sby special ly chosen executive officers, I am firmly convinced is the only practicable form of government for a country of immense area and great population, such as ours. Whenever it proves ineffective or works badly the fault is not with the machinery, but with those WIlO OpSI dllliS It, IC INhlCoy lS not for the people enmasse to attempt to manipulate the complicated and delicately adjusted mechanism, which must inevitably lead to confusion and disaster but to exercise more care in the selection of their specially cho- sen operating agents
 The language of the Senator is more appropriate than I imagine he intend ed. He very truly says that legisla- tors, judges and executives are "spe- cially chosen" Herein lies the evil. Special interests, backing the political bosses, who understand the delicate mechanism of which the Senator so fondly spoke, have too much power in specially choosing the officers of government under present methods. The people demand that public serv- ants be generally, and not specially chosen. They ask a voice in the choos- ing. They demand the adoption of the initiative, under which they can force the enactment of efficient primary laws thus overthrowing the power of political bosses to select candidates under the convention system. The peo- pie demand more than the privilege of choosing between two candidates each of whom was nominated by poli- tical bosses.