Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1911-08-05

lions to select judges to construe laws
and elections to determine whether
We like the way they construe them ;
elections for men to execute the laws
and elections to execute the executors
II they do not execute to suit us- Mr..
President, we can not have too much
OF good thing The composite citi-
zen," bearing upon his shield the in
spring device
Count that day lost whose low descend
Views at thy hands no uplift voting
Will unanimously and hilariously go
into perpetual action. With nothing
to do but feed and clothe a family of
six or eight or ten hearty, growing
children, the composite citizen" will
have no difficulty in snatching a few
months of time here and there during
the year to devote to these duties of
progressive citizenship. and his spare
moments can be utilized in reading.
studying, digesting, and perhaps un-
Outstanding a few volumes of pro-
lation
GOVERNOR WILSON THEN AND
NOW
government of the people in a ter
r1tory of vast extent, of. large popu-
diversity of pursuits and interests, can
be administered only by a system OF
representation 1t is almost as i'm
possible for the people en- masse un-
der such circumstances to directly
perform the various functions of gov
eminent as 1t is for the human body
in its entirety to perform the func-
tons of the heart or the brain or the
lungs. In a primitive state of society
the one may be done, as in the most
primitive forms of life the other may
be done. but as society becomes com
pick and as the forms of animal life
become complex organs to discharge
special functions are necessary.
Mr.. Woodrow Wilson, in his very
valuable book, Constitutional Gov
eminent in the United States" has ex-
pressed the thought clearly and force
fully. He says:
A government must have organs: It
cannot act inorganically by masses. II
more make law through Its voters than it
can make law through its newspapers
Thus spoke the president of Prince
ton university, in the days of his tran
GUILTY., before the microbe of polit-
ical ambition invaded his system.
Mr.. Chamberlain-Mr. President
The Vice-President-Do the sena-
tor from Utah yield to the senator
from Oregon?
Mr.. Sutherland-I do.
Mr.. Chamberlain suppose the sen
ator has noticed that Mr.. Woodrow
Wilson has been candid enough to
say that he has changed his mind?
Mr.. Sutherland had observed that,
Mr.. President
Mr.. Chamberlain-But the senator
seems to be standing pat"
Mr.. Sutherland-That this view does
not seem to be shared by the governor
of New Jersey is. one of the PECULIAR
ties of human psychology which ! dc
not attempt to explain. | can only say
that prefer the calm, reflective judg-
ment of the college president to the
fevered Authorizations of the hopeful
presidential candidate. Those who in
dorse his later utterances, reversing
the ancient epigram, are simply ap
pealing from Philip sober to Philip
drunk
Those who favor the initiative and
referendum are in the habit of refer
ring to the Swiss experiment with
those methods. If it should be con-
ceded-as it by no means can be
that the initiative and referendum are
successful in Switzerland, the condi-
tons in that country differ SO radical
ly from conditions here tat it does
not follow that they would be sue
cessful in the United States.
The cantons in Switzerland are
small In area and in population. The
people are essentially homogeneous
and conservative. Their legislative
needs are few and simple. None of
the legislative checks which exist I'M
der our system of government exist
there. There is no executive veto, no
judicial power of setting aside consti-
tutional law. ano there is only single
legislative chamber in each of the
cantons. But even under these condi-
tons thoughtful men who have investi-
gated the matter agree that more
harm than good has resulted from
their employment
Mr. Wilson, already quoted, has CIV
en- the subject very thorough and care
full investigation Speaking of the ref
erendum. he says:
Where it has been employed 1t has not
promised either progress or enlfghten-
ment. leading rather to doubtful expert
ments and to reactionary displays of
prejudice than to really useful legisla-
ton
He refers to the fact that In the
cantons of Zurich and Berne 1t led to
the adjustment of wise health regula-
tons; that in federal legislation IT
was used only to aim blow at the
Jews under the guise of a law for
bidding the slaughter of animals by
bleeding He says:
The vote upon most measures sub
mitted to the ballot is usually very hight;
there is not much popular discussion. and
quick Interest in affairs which its orig
inatoTs hsd hoped to see excite II
among Legislators without in fact quick
ening the people 90 the exercise of any
real control in anairs
If 1t has thus failed In the compare
lively simple affairs of small Switzer-
land, how much more dismal must be
the failure In this country with its