The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-10-07
The New Irrepressible Conflict


der democratic forms as under any
we are slow 10 realize that democ-
racy Is a life and involves continual
struggle. II IL only as those OF every
with all their might the encroachments
OF Its enemies that the Laeals of rep
resentative government can even be
nearly approximated.
The essence OF the progressive move
ment. as l see II. lies In It's struggle
TO uphold the fundamental principles
OF representative government. 1t ex-
presses the hopes and desires OF mil
are wiiinE I'd fikht Tor thsir deals wa no
on fighting.
Here is the latest expression OF the
opposite school of national thought
that comes from President Tat:
have confidence that the American
people can always be trusted not only
TO exercise their sober second thought,
but also a discriminating sense as TO
what is fact and what is fustian, after
time. II won't happen at once and
sometimes we have TO wait for It until
after We die, and that Ia not quite so
satisfactory; but In any event we mid
dle-of-the-road people, who are not
extremists. are. we believe. the real
proRrtssives, because you do not make
progress by great strides; you make
PROGRESS step by step.
But this must be considered in the
light OF It's "middle-of-the-roado VERDI
age for western consumption. II can
be understood only when II is rcn.em-
bered how Mr.. Taft. only few weeks
ago, stood In the more congenial at
mosphere Of the annual meeting or
the American Bar association In Bos-
ton; denounced unsparingly the 'ty-
ranny of a popular majority" and
"momentary gusts of popular pas
sion" shared applause with William
B. Hornblower, one OF the leading
lawyers Of New York, who declared
that "All schemes fortcontrol of exec
utive action (by corporation heads),
whether permissive or prohibitive,
whether exercised by the president
or by any subordinate authority,
are. Isubmit, repugnant to our Amer
lean traditions and principles;" had
no word of dissent for Henry ID.
Brown, former United States supreme
court Justice who asserted that:
THE practice OF allowing the people
themselves to choose their own of.
ficers has been the origin OF most OF
our woes
The explanation of the LaFollette
theory of government-though It Is no
personal nor party possession when
he and Republicans. like Roosevelt,
Garfield, Pinchot and the entire broth
erhood Of congressional progressives
are, in essence, one with such Demo-
Gratis as Woodrow Wilson and Robert
Owen--is simply that Of basic mental
bent.
Robert LaFollette came from col
lege, thinking what all young men
were taught to think 30 years ago
that this is a government OF, for and
by the American people. He ran into
a system OF county bossism that he
could not understand. He was or
dered to abandon his ambitions to
run for an Office with a salary of $500
n year that he needed. And instinc-
lively he refused to take orders from
anybody not elected by the people
TO give orders.
II was not knowledge of local politi.
cal conditions, not even knowledge OF
what be wanted to fight, that made
LaFollette a fighter. He simply beat
the county machine as he later beat
the state machine and the real bosses.
the corporations, In his race for con-
gress, by hitching up an old horse
and driving around day and night
among the people. II was not dem
agogy nor political shrewdness on his
part. He simply turned instinctively
to his trust In the civic intelligence
and honesty OF the average American.
That is. why the gcspef OF the mil.
lions OF Americans. whose exponents
are the public men of the LaFollette
type, believe that, the cure for the
Ills OF democracy - more democracy.
And deliberately. sanely, intelligent
iy, the people have set out TO apply
the cure. Whatever excuses are given
for service of special privilege. the
real reason n fear and distrust OF the
people: +Philadelphia North Ameri-
can 4-s@-.as-< h--s-H - asa4----.