Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-14
IGNORE PARTY LINES
Woodrow Wilson Says People
Are Becoming Independent.
new TERMS IN POLITICS
Classification Most in Fashion That
Of Progressive and Reacionary.
DISCUSSION OF PUBLIC ISSUES
Commission Form Of Government and
Initiative, Referendum and
Recall Endorsed.

LOS ANGELES, Cal, May 13.-Gov.
Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey was the
orator of the evening at the meeting OF
the City Club in the Auditorium here to-
night. He said in part:
cit must be evident to every one that
party lines are being very much oo-
scured; that more and more men are
holding themselves free to follow this
leader or that, according as their own
perception OF the public interest dictates
And SO a great many new terms have
come into our politics.
1.-The classification most in fashion is
that of 'progressives' and 'reactionaries
and I dare say those terms will serve as
well as any others. to express the real
contrasts which now begin to show them
selves in our political action.
cit is interesting to me as q. democrat
to-note that while we have heard great
deal of talk about insurgent republicans
we have heard very little about insurgent
democrats. Insurgents are those VINO
throw off authority. 1t must be that the
insurgent republicans are throwing or
the authority of the major portion OF
their party, while democrats are free TO
be progressive without being insurgents.
Duty of the Progressive.
1t is the sober business of the pro-
gressive to understand and to act. 1t
is his business to know a great deal
more than that something is wrong. He
must know just what it is that Is wrong,
and when he sees it he must daily recog-
nize his duty to act and to act along
definite lines Of reform.
A great deal of discussion Is now con-
centrated upon proposed methods OF re-
form which a great many people interpret
as meaning that we are impatient OF our
long-established institutions; that we
wish to substitute for representative gov
eminent some more direct, less organic
system of action.
I think that every one familiar with
the actual methods of our politics must
admit that under. the political metnoos
we have been in the habit OF using IN
recent decades the people do mot select
and do not control their representatives..
The selection of those representatives mas
been in the hands of small groups of men
who were not chosen by anybody but
themselves to make the selection.
Under Orders of Boss.
The consequence has been that In the
policies they pursued. in the measures
they have enacted, in a great many OF
their official acts our so-called public
have been guided not by
opinion, not by careful analysis or the
real general interest of the communities
in which they ought to have served, put
bv the suggestions, in many instances by
the definite and imperative oroefs, VI
little coteries of men VINO were unoei
heavy obligations in particular quarters.
1t has been felt, in many instances IL
has been proved that the persons VINO
really controlled political action were
more easily accessible to representatives
of special interests than to the people
This has been the whoie
tro,bIe.the feeling that there was bar
rier between the voters and their own
It is interesting to note. among other
things, how popular the idea mas pecohe
of shortening the ballot-that is, Oh reouc-
ing the number Of persons VINO are 10 De
voted for. It is evident upon the race or
the thing that, If everybody who Is put
in office must be voted for, the list Will be
On long that the voter will be absolutely
ienortant of the character or antecedents
or abilities Of two-thirds OF the men ne
votes for: and this ignorance on his part
is the opportunity of the political ma
chine If the ticket Is reduced to small
number of names for few conspicuous
offices IL will be possible for everybody to
know whom he is voting for. and to nave
an actual Judgment in the matter. IL the
few persons voted for are held respon-
sible for the appointment or the rest ano
for the management of the government
which they undertake, the people nave
definite means of control
Government by Commission.
This is undoubtedly the reason why
the commission form of government for
cities has been spreading with such ex-
traordinary rapidity from city to city
the country. Under this form
of government the usual arrangement is
to select a board of not more than five
persons, and put the whole government
of the city in their hands; to give them
authority to appoint all city officers, and
hold them responsible for the efficiency
and honesty of those whom they appoint.
Not i'm a single instance, so far as 1 have
heard has this new form Of government
failed to give the greatest satisfaction
or to effect just the change which was
sought to be effected, namely, the change
from an irresponsible, extrayagant and
inefficient government to responsible.
and efficient government. This
is the principle and the purpose OF the
shortened ballot; the concentration of
the choice of the people upon small
group of persons whom they can watch
and whom they therefore can control
Another of the most interesting features
of the commission form Of government is
that it is usually associated with the ini-
tiative and referendum; the right of the
citizens, that Is to say, to originate pro-
posals of law, and to insist that certain
measures of debatable character shall
be submitted to them for decision.
Extending to the States.
And in many of our states there is
distinct movement to adopt the initiative
and referendum as methods of legislative
action for the people of the states them
selves as has already been done in the
noteworthy instance II Oregon. The idea
of this method of action is not to super
sede law-mLking or ordinance making
bodies, but merely TO supply means Of
action to be used, when and IL necessary,
i'm order to keep representatives constant
lie opinion and the Judgment of their con-
stituents 1t is nowhere sought to substi-
tute these methods of action for those
long established among US. The purpose
is merely one of rectification, restraint,
control.
The same may be said of the recall: :
that is to say, the right of the voters Of
any political. self-governing unit to can
eel the election of an officer and substi-
tute some one else upon occasion. This
is merely a means of heightening the
sense of responsibility. and when prop
erIy safeguarded by the law can only
with difficulty be used for any other pur-
nose. Its intention is to establish in the
field of administrative action the same
sense of dependence on the common judg-
ment that the initiative and referendum