Arizona republican., 1911-03-21
RooseveIt's Great Speech.

The thesis of Colonel Roosevelts address to the people of Arizona yes terday was:
 In framing your constitution as you have, you have done a foolish thing. But in the conduct of your own affairs you have a right to do fool ish things if you wish to; and state hood should not be denied to you be cause you have not acted with wis dom in framing your constitution"
 In the elaboration ol this doctrine the former president took care to give some wholesome advice. He pointed out in his blunt, frank way, a fact which only too many people ov- erlook-the fact that no system of state government under our federal constitution will of itself bring about utopian conditions: that the so-called progressive doctrines of government may be good or bad according to ones point of view, but in any event they
 
 with the obligation which every good citizen is under of doing his utmost to secure good government. In post ulating the doctrine that laws and systems of government will not of themselves bring good government, and that they are merely the tools with which the people of a common wealth may work either disaster or happiness for themselves, Colonel Roosevelt advanced no novel idea, but its sOundness and the importance of keeping in view its soundness do not lose force because of triteness.
 Colonel Roosevelt obviously believes with The Republican, that it would be the height of folly to grow pessimistic because the people of Arizona went off at a tangent in framing their constitution. The people of other states have made mistakes, and in due course have corrected their mis- takes. To hold that the people of Ar izona cannot be trusted to amend their mistakes would be to argue that these people are inferior to people in other sections of the United States. And as a matter of fact, if there be a substantial difference between the people of Arizona and the people of any given state, the people of this territory would not suffer from the comparison. To lose faith in the ability of Arizonians to govern them selves creditably would be to lose faith in the American democracy.
 It would be much better for Arizona, of course, if statehood could be achieved without loading up with the silly recall, and the initiative and referendum on the Oregon plan-a plan which places t." control of government in the hands oi a minor ity. Possibly President Taft and con- gress in their wisdom will devise a method which will give us immediate statehood without the odious recall of the judiciary. at least But rather than lose stAt4hbod. it is far prefer able, from the Arizona standpoint, to take our place in the union at once, under the constitution now pending
 The whole trouble in Arizona, as Colonel Roosevelt broadly intimated, is that the people for the moment were too easily led by demagogues. But the demagogue is not peculiar to Arizona. The demagogue is always abroad in the land, and, like the devil, is walking to and fro and up an0 down in it." and also like the patent medicine vender, he is always dispos- ing of his wares with catchy talk for his own profit.
 In his warm praise of one feature of the Arizona constitution. the former president-nO doubt unwittingly- touched upon the one material de- feet in our laws as they stand De- parting a moment from that portion of his set speech in excoriation of the recall, he said impromptu and with force:
 q wish it distinctly understood that there are many provisions in your consultation with which I most hearti- ly agree; I haven't put that quite St rong enough-I wish to congra t,i- late you upon proof of statesmanship as regards many most important mat ters in that constitution I wish to heaven that the federal government would show as much wisdom in deal ing with the question of compulsory compensation for injured workingmen