Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1911-08-31
"A TALK WITH GOV. WILSON


the Right Kind Of Pressure.
Zone thing said Governor Wilson,
has always struck me as unfair.
When any vital question is being de-
Pbated in Congress for example, what
ever the President says will be report
ed everywhere, and will become known
throughout the length and breadth Of
the land. But what is said in replS
/ by those who oppose the PresiGen.
will not be universally reported nor
become generally known. felt the
same thing during the last session of
the State Legislature here. | felt that
whatever | said about the measures
under discussion would be heard and
believed, but that what was said in
reply would not be equally wild "
known or credited This was funda-
mentally unfair Therefore | alb
stained from making statements thar
would be affected by this tendency :.
What / did, instead, was this: told
the men who opposed me that Was
ready to go down with them to their
counties and debate the matter at
issue with them before their own con
stituents. But the trouble was that
i
like this, by arousing, instructing and
directing public opinion, the Governor
may bring the right and worthy kind
of pressure to bear on legislation.
Take the case of Governor Hughes
Mr. Hughes began with the theory
that his duty as Governor was simply
to. recommend legislation, leaving It
/ to the Legislature to carry it out.
But later on, when he saw that things
were at deadlock, he went out to
the public, aroused public opinion by
an aggressive campaign, and directed
such force of opinion upon tie
Legislators that they were compe' led
to create the Public Service Commits
sion to carry out the will of the pub
| lic."
| asked Governor Wilson whether
he would advocate a change, giving
the Governor, or the President, the
power to initiate legislation; to give
him some such status in the Legisla-
ture as the English Premier has. To
this Governor Wilson replied:
There is not the slightest practical
difficulty in getting legislation intro
duced. What you suggest would
simply introduce the British Constitu-
ton. But think it is better to go
on doing things in our own way until
we hit upon a distinctively American
way of accomplishing what is needed"
| The practical solution is, therefore,
once more, leadership. | asked the
Governor how his ideal could be har-
smonized with the new methods, such
as the Oregon plan," which tended
| to throw all responsibility back on the
individual voter. To this the Cover
nor replied with a smile and an anec-
| dcte:
When was in Oregon on my " est
ern trip" he said, and was STUDYING
the initiative, referendum, and recall,
they told me that if / wished to study
them all at once / should look under
| Mr.. U'Rens hat. l replied That l
had much rather find responsibility
under one mans hat than under no
man 81
/ We came back, therefore, to lead
tefship. GoYefnor Wilson made it
clear that the real leader is not the
man who impresses his own wishes
and views on others, but rather he
who rightly hears and rightly inter-
prets the finest and best public opin-
ion. He gathers the general inspira-
tion and brings it to focus.
1T is something like what Bagehot
says of Sir Robert Peel: Tt was, NOT
that he did extraordinary things, but
1 that he did ordinary things extraor-
dinarily we'll. He is the trl.e leader
who interprets the general conscience
rightly, and rightly makes il opera
tive
In conclusion, I asked Governor
Wilson whether there might not be
some conflict between his views OF
leadership, inspiring as it is, and the
accepted theory of American govern
ment, that the executive and legisla-
tive powers should be isolated and
kept apart. To this the Governor re-
piled, and find his reply profoundly
suggestive:
| rs that really the American theory?
Was it not rather departure from
the first ideal, a departure belonging
| to the day of lesser men? Did not
Jefferson and Adams, and, most of all,
Washington himself, exert, and in
tenti0nally exert, an immense influ-
ence on legislation? Is not that the
true American ideal?"
A stirring and potent appeal. Then
asked the Governor whether, if his
ideal was leadership, and if the true
leader is he who rightly interprets
and makes effective the general con-
science, he did not bring everything
back, in the last analysis, to the gem
eral conscience. And was not this a
tremendous expression of faith in the
honesty and righteousness of lac
general mind?
/ Governor Wilson replied:
yes, necessarily So How could
it be otherwise ?'-Charles Johnston
in Harper's Weekly.
- *
Thirty-five governors will assemble
September 18th at Spring Lake. N. T..
/ f<x,~ L