Bisbee daily review., 1911-05-06


 government We have a great ineX uricable jungle of organization inter vening between the people and the processes of their government, sol that by stages. without intending it. without being aware of it. we have lost the purity and directness of rep rcsentatiye government. What we must devote ourselves to now is nos to upsetting 0 fr insti1 tens, but Ito restoring them
 Undoubtedly we should avoid ex- citement and should silence the dem agogue. The man with power. but without conscience, could. with an eloquent tongue. il he cared for nothing but his owB power, put this whole country into a flame. because the whole country believes that something is wrong and is eager 10 follow those who profess to be able to lead it away from its diff cUlties. But it is all the more nee essary that We should be careful who are our guides. The processes We are engaged in are fundamentally conseI- Natiye processes. 1T your tree is dis eased it is no revolution to restore to it the purity of it's sap to renew the soil that sustains it. to re-es- tablish the condition of its health. This is a process oG life, of renewal of redemption.
 There is no ground for alarm, therefore. We are bent upon a per fectiy definite program, which is one Of health and renewal.
 What IS Truth?
 Let us ask ourselves very frankly what it is that needs to be corrected
 To sum it all up in one sentence . it is the control of politics and of our [ life by great combinations of wealth. Men sometimes talk as ig iC were
 wealth we were afraid of, as if we were jealous Of the accumulation ot great fortunes Nothing of the kind is true. America has not the slight ! est jealousy of the legitimate accumu- i lation of wealth. Everybody knows that there are hundreds and thou sands of men of large means and large economic power who have come by it ail perfectly legitimately not only. bu: in a way that deserves Inc thanks and admiration oI the communities they have served an developed. But everybody knows al so that some of the men who control The Uealth and have built up the in dustry of the country seek 10 con | trol politics and also to dominate the life of common men iu a way ! in which no man should be permitted to dominate.
 l In the first place, there is the notorious operation of the bipartisan | pouticai machine; ! mean the ma chine which does not represent party { principle Of any kind but whicn is willing 10 enter into any combina- ton, with whatever group Of per sons or Of politicians, to control the ymces of looanues and of states and of the nation itself in order to main l tain the power of those who direct Int. This machine is supplied with It's funds by the men who use it in order to protect themselves against the legislation which they do not de sire and iD order 10 obtain the leg ! station which is necessary tor the , prosecution of their purposes. ! The methods Of our legislatures make the operation of such machines
 easy and convenient. for very little Of our legislation is formed and ef- [ fectcd by open debate upon the
 floor. Most all Of it is framed in ' lawyers offices, discussed in commit ! tee rooms, passed without debate. l Bills that the machine and it's back CTS do not desire are smothered in [ committee: measures which they c5
 desire are brought out and hurried
 through their passage II happens
 again and again that great groups Of such bills are rushed through in 4 the hurried hours that mark the | close of the legislative sessions when every one is withheld from vigilance by fatigue and when it is possible ro secret things.
 When we stand in the presence of
 these things and see how complejC
 and sinister their operation has . been we cry out with no little truth ' that We no longer have representa- . tive government.
 ! Initiative and Referendum. Among the remedies proposed il recent years have been the initiative , and referendum in the field of legis Iation and the recall in the field Oi , administration. These measures ar, . supposed to be characteristic of th' most radical programs, and they ara } supposed tC be meant tJ change tho very character of our government They have no such purpose. Theil D intention is tO restore, not 10 de stroy, representative government ! b must be remembered by every candt ? man who discusses these matter. that we are contrasting the operation of the initiative and the referendum . with the representative govern ment which we possess in theory ant nich we have long persuaded ou1 , selves that We possess in fact. bus il [ contrast with the actual state of af
 fairs. in contrast with lesislatig, , processes which are carried on il secret, responding to the impulse O } subsidized machines and carrieC through by men whose unhappines' B it Is to realize that they are no their own masters, but puppets in ; game.
 If we felt that we had genuine rep resentatiye government in our state , legislatures no one would propose th; initiative or referendum in America They are being proposed now as ; means of bringing our representative, , back to the consciousness that wha g.. s..