The weekly Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1911-1922, 1911-08-10
Some Present Day Fallacies Exposed
The Initiative, Referendum and Re-
call as Connected with Repre-
sentative Government.
The Following, From the Speech Of Senator
Sutherland Of Utah in the United States
Senate July II, Should Be Read
by Every Voter


has become the field of operation for
an amiable band OF soothsayers, who
have been going up and down the
land indulging in cabalistic utterances
respecting the initiative. the referen-
dunn, the recall, and divers and sun
dry other ingenious devices for really
ing the millennium by the ready and
simple method of voting ii out of its
present state of incubation. They d.
rect our attention to the clouds flying
above the far western horizon, upon
which the flaming finger of the Ore
gOn sun has traced, In radiant and
opalescent tints, glowing pathways
and shining minarets. stately temples
and castles and palaces. pinnacles of
gold and caves of purple, and they ten
us that these are the visible signs
which mark the exact location of the
new and improved political Jerusa-
lem, where the wicked officeholders
cease from troubling and the weary
voters do all the work. They bid US
join them in an airy pilgrimage to this
scene of pure delight, and assure us
that here. high above all selfish and
mundane things. is the land flowing
with milk and honey, where every
bird is songster, where the exquisite
and perfect flowers of political purity
are in perpetual bloom, where every
prospect pleases" and only the stand
patter" is vile. where all the laws are
perfect and corruption and wicked
ness are forgotten legends.
A good many people are accepting
the invitation, without taking the pre-
caution to secure return tickets.
EVILS AND REMEDIES.
Just now there is a good deal of po-
litical and social unrest, not only
among our own people, but throughout
the world. That there is justification
for much of the dissatisfaction which
exists can probably not be truthfully
denied. The conditions. however.
which have given rise to this feeling
call for sane, wise level-headed coun-
sci and consideration But instead OF
these the agitator is aboard and con-
fusion of thought results. Evils exist
as they have always existed Many
remedies are being suggested, some of
them good. some of them foolish.
many of them utterly vicious and I'm
practicable There are quacks in poll
tics as there are >quacks in medicine.
and in the one case as in the other,
the quack is usually identified by the
superabundance of the laudation with
which he advertises himself and his
remedies.
The so-ca1led popular-government
propaganda has for its ostensible OBJ
ject the broadening and strengthening
of power in the hands of the people.
but its tendency is to emasculate and
ultimately DESTROY representative gov
eminent. Its adherents in their en-
thuSiasm have advocated what seem
TO me some very wild and visionary
schemes. admirably calculated to in
fame the popular imagination. but
which. however much they may in
crease the direct participation of the
multitude in the affairs of govern
ment, will, | am persuaded, give them
not a better but a far less efficient
and desirable government than they
now have. | do not mean to say that
i am opposed to every suggested alter
ton II the existing governmental
framework. To oppose a new thing
simply because ii is new is quite as
bad as to insist upon change merely
because it is change am, for ex-
ample, in favor of the commission
form of government for municipalities.
because | believe that plan will give
us better and ADLER city officials. In
such scheme there Is no surrender
of the principles of representative gov
eminent. On the contrary there is
centralizing of power and responsible
ty in fewer hands, the effect of which
will be to make the officials more d.
rectly responsible to the people and to
enable them to locate with greater
certainty the Official who is at fault
when things go wrong.
Mr.. President. 7 am not in favor of
standing still No one who takes the
slightest thought desires that We shall
do that OF course. We must advance,
but we must at our peril distinguish
between real progress and what
amounts to a mere manifestation of
the speed mania. Among the games
Of the ancient Greeks there was run
ming match ia which each participant
carried lighted torch The prize was
awarded not to that one who crossed
the line first, but to him who crossed
the line first with his torch still burn
ing. It is important that we should
advance, but the vital thing Is not that
We should simply get somewhere
anywhere-Quickly, but that we
should arrive at definite goal with
the torch of sanity and safety still
oblaze.
ONLY PRACTICAL FORM OF Gov
ERlJMENT
Our present form of representative
government. under which laws are
made by specially chosen legislators,
construed by specially chosen and
trained judges, and enforced by spe-
cially chosen executive officers, | am
firmly convinced is the only practic-
able form of government for a country
of immense area and great population
such as ours. Whenever it proves in
effective or works badly the fault IL
not with the machinery, but with
those who are operating it. The rem
edy is not for the people en- masse to
attempt TO manipulate the complicated
and delicately adjusted mechanism,
which must inevitably lead to confr-
sion and disaster, but to exercise more
care in the selection of their specially
chosen operating agents
Everybody will agree that the ay-
erage man is not as intelligent. as
able. or as honest as the ablest, or
the most intelligent\ or the most hon
est The individual fallibility of the
average man will at once be con.
coded. but there are some people who
seem to imagine that there is some