The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-09-02
.ClAPP'S SPEECH IN
DEFENSE 0 RECALL
Minnesota Senator Was Grossly
Misrepresented 81 Associated
Press Report.

Delivers Terrific Broad Side Shots
in Armor of Foes Of
Peoples Rule.
When Senator Moses r. Clapp OF
Minnesota delivered his speech IN the
senate in defense of the claims OF
the people of Arizona and New Mex
leo for admission into the union, the
press reports contained only such
portions of the speech as had no
bearing upon the recall Of Judges.
TIE reports stated that Mr.. Clapp
spent most of his time discussing the
course of his progressive colleague.
That these reports were without
foundation in fact is evidenced from
the, following excerpts from his
speech delivered on the OCCASION:
1.-THE question before the senate is
whether: the senate, SO far as it. has
the authority( shall admit the ter
ritory Of Arizona with constitution
to the liking Of the. people of Arizona,
or whether we, assuming a superior
knowledge and coming from various
states of the union, but none of us
from Arizona, shall arrogate to our
selves to say what shall be wise for
Arizona, and by mere brute force
compel the citizens Of that prospec-
tive state to surrender the rights of
freemen aad adopt a. constitution In
consonance not with the views of the
people of Arizona but to conform
;,
and probably many never will even
cast shadow within the confines
Of Arizona.
The Real PioneeN
must refer to the situation which
exists ordinarily in territories. Tie
first settlers of a territory present a
picture that appeals to the average
American citizen. There is something
grand and heroic about the real
pioneers. They carry, in a certain
sense, their lives in their hands. They
are the pioneers who blaze the path
way for the civilization which, is to
follow. It Is a striking tribute to
the lawmaking genius of. the Anglo
Saxon that the first wave of pioneer
life, in advance of the legislature and
in advance of the courts, establishes
a condition of law and order where
Justice, without the refinements that
are later wrought out in our judicial
system, is administered with~a broad
and liberal spirit, with fairness sell
dom equaled when all the complt-
Gated machinery Of government has
followed in the wake of the pioneer
The Question Considered.
e It has been said the time has come
when we should speak plainly upon
this floor; and without: any unnec-
essary zeal, seeking to avoid the pos.
s1bll1ttes Of exaggerated expression, ]
propose to" deaf with this subject to:
day without gloves. =. s 81. : Il -
The people of Arizona made pop.
ular government the issue in tie
election of the convention which sub
United a constitution to, the people
a constitution which gives ..sthe PEG
pie the fullest possible direct par
ticlpation, in state government, ant
after a campaign of unusual inter
est they adopted the constitution al
most four to one. Their proposed
constitution did not meet the appro
. val of the special interests nor thei
political allies. NY - -.
And now the question which con
fronts the senate is whether or no
the senate, within the power which
it may exercise, shall accord to thos
people that form government recog
nized to be republican within tn,
pudview of the federal constitution
which they themselves selected in de
fiance of all the power and threat
that were brought to bear and mad
against them, or whether, arrogatin
to ourselves the assumption of 6
superior knowledge, we shall use tn
mere brute force of votes to depriv
them of the right to have the govern
. ment which they themselves hav
twice solemnly declared they desire.
The Arizona constitution, with it
broad recognition of. the right of
people to govern themselves, indie
pendent of the dictum of bosses
lobbyists, and special interests, d.
not meet that general approval i
certain circles which the New Mexic
constitution met, and as a result
resolution has passed the house pro
Wding for again submitting to tn
people Of Arizona one phase of tn
proposed constitution.
The Initiative.
1t seems, when we come to an
alyze this. constitution, that what ia
SO disturbed the serenity of the r.
dictionary spirit in and out of tn
senate is the fact that the ,peop]
Of Arizona propose in their const
Triton nothing experimental at al
but propose to simply retain tn:
which originally and naturally is tn
first fruit-in fact, the very heritae
--of free government itself, and thu
Is the right to be part and pare
OF the government. They. in con
mon with other states, propose /
delegate some authority to q legisl:
tue, but they also propose, In cal
the legislature does not pass Law
which 1t ought to pass, that then, n,
as an experiment but as an origin,
proposition in the exercise Of IL
power which originally is given q. frt