The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-09-15
WILSON DEFENDS
HIS PET ISSUES
Takes Floor When O'NGaI As.
sails Recall Of Officials.
DEBATE AROUSES GOVERNORS

Norris Of Montana Says Peorte Play
Joke on Themselves When They
Elect Governors and Expect Them
to Accomplish Things UNAUTHORIZED
by Law-ouestion Of Uniform DI-
vorce Not on Program For This
Session at Spring Lake, N. J.
Spring Lake, N. j., Sept. l3.-Em.
met o'Neal, governor of Alabama,
and positive person, sat n the
house Of governors and listened to
western governors say pretty things
about the initiative, referendum and
the recall until he got tired. Then
he rose up, grabbed the recall in his
right hand, slapped it, pulled its nose.
kicked it in the shine and slom-
med 1t down with few remarks to
the effect that he had a low opinion
Of folks who held by such insidious
popular vagaries. Whereupon Cow
ernor Woodrow Wilson of New Jer-
otJy WuO udu uGtu IldNilll
and beamiug on all the governors in
sight, hustled to his feet TO remark
that the governor of Alabama might
know what was going on in his own
state, but that elsewhere in a land
full of slippery officials such state
ments were pifTie.
The set-to between the governor of
Alabama and the governor Of New
Jersey perked up the session consid-
erably Drowsy governors who had
leaned their ears for six hours
against solemn speeches calling for
some more power to the governors
and speeches acclaiming the recall
as a divine institution Strengthened
their backs and began to take an in
terest in the proceedings. There was
bellicose look to O'Neal ard VIII
sons jaw muscles were worldag. but
nothing happened after all. So The
governors leaned back to wa'rh Con
of MeTy-smack fame articulate
among the women suffragists and
wait till the dinner gong sounded.
Were Amiably Mum.
Politics, at least the VARIETY of pol
itics that concern the personal am
bitions OF those present, were ta-
booed. The two governors VINO are
expected to be leading candidates
before the next Democratic national
convention - Woodrow Wilson and
Governor Harmon were amiably
mum. Lots of people tried to get
Governor Harmon in corner and
extract views and opinions from him,
but 1t wasn't any use. The most
that could be obtained was the re-
mark that Governor Baldwin of Con-
necticut seemed to be mighty well
thought of in that state and that
Massachusetts appeared to set con-
siderable store by Governor Foss.
Governor Wilson pooh-poohed all the
talk Of politics. One thing stuck out
sharply from these corridor conver-
sations-the Democratic governors to
a man figure President Taft as GER
tainty for the Republican nomination
in 1912. Taft, they say, is the man
they will have to beat If there is any
beating done. The Democrats. at any
rate, don't seem to take much stock
In the LaFollette boom.
Governor Norris of Montana made
an address Oh Strengthening the
Power of the Executive" The Mon
tanan thinks that people are playing
a joke on themselves by electing
governors at ALL They put him in
office and expect him to do lot of
important things that are whclly out
of his power. Then the governor
squirms and wriggles about and
makes himself and everybody else
uncomfortable. He onght TO have
the power, the governor said. of re-
moving inefficient state officials, and
the right to initiate legislation and
refer it to the voters. The recall,
Governor Norris declared, would rob
public officials of their independence
of character, firmness of conviction
and loyalty to principle.
The question of uniform divorce
laws doesn't enter into the plans for
this session, although 1t is topic of
keen interest 10 the delegates, May
be it will be squeezed in somehow.