The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-09-02

legislature by sinister influences and
the governor will not veto it, the
people may do so themselves. This
10 called the referendum. s
The Recall.
They also propose. instead of adj.
ministering the law without let or
hindrance, without delegation of au-
thority. which would be the primary
exercise Of the right Of q free people,
to delegate its administration as is
usual. but reserving to themselves the
right, inasmuoh as they vote for an
officer before they know what kind
of an officer he viii make, to vote
against him when they discover what
kind of an officer he actually ought
to be, should he prove unsatis-
factorily. This is what in common
parlance today ls called the recall
These are called by their opponents
experiments, and we are constantly
met by the statement that the initi-
alive, referendum, and recall are ex-
periments, when the fact is just the
reverse. The natural fundamental
thing is for a people to act for them
selves. When they delegate the func-
ton to others, such delegation is the
experiment. 1t may he necessary,
but none the less experimental =:
Their Coming Is Sure.
For one, am not very much ex-
E.ercised over the result of this vote. A
great many people who believe In
progressive policies and progressive
principles are somewhat unduly the
subject of worry and disappointment,
If, for any reason, the progress Of a
movement is temporarily delayed or
miscredited. That never worries me
for a moment, because realize that
fundamental principle can no more
be permanently stayed than the oper-
alton of any other natural law. The
forces which make for a policy ul-
tlmate1y In free government are as
absolutely resistless as is the law of
gravitation. 49,
Fathers Of the Constitution. y
A great deal has also been said in
this discussion about the fathers of
the constitution. I yielded to no man
IN my devotion to the loyalty, the
patriotism, and the wisdom of the
men who founded this government;
but they we're only human. They
had no vision beyond the most thor.
| oughly possible developed human
| vision; nor can we forget that much
of their work was accepted by a
narrow margin in the constitutions
convention and by narrow margin
| when 1t was adopted by the states
They made the constitution, and thu
constitution contains certain declara.
lions of principle; those declaration.
of principle never have have, beer
and never will be repealed, not be-
cause Of the wisdom Of the men wat
formulated them, but because prin
( ciple is immortal and immutable.
| On the other hand, they placed ii
that great instrument certain limita
lions upon the free play Of the nat
ural forces Of free government, no
the guarantees of principles which
have just referred to, but Limitations
upon the natural direction of tn,
spirit of free institutions. Some o
those limitations have already bee:
removed by natural operation; and .
believe that every single limitatio,
t Ia -the.-federal :.eenstit i
a limitation upon the ultimate ex
i'ercise of the right Of free governmea
by a free people in the manner hes
adapted to their use will inevitabl
4 yield to that law of government
= which carries free government In 1t
4 last: analysis to popular government
4 You can no more establish an ope1
outward barrier against the final ez
erc1se by the citizen of the right q
suffrage than you can turn back TIL
wheels of human progress. The re
suit was that in a few years tn
American people: practically did ava
with the presidential elector, al
though they still retain the FORM
Voting for President.
! Without ever changing line i
the constitution the American pee
pie began a process whereby toda
within the states, of course countin
the votes directly for president a
though there were no presidentis
electors on the ticket. In my stat,
and no doubt in other states, the
have gone so far as to provide this
the voter need not even go throug
> the formality of voting for the electo
but may mark his ballot opposite tn
name of the presidential cadidat<
and that carries ipso facto the vol
for the electors.
Now, we are told that the castin
by. the people of a direct vote fl
president Is an experiment. VIII
senators. the delegation of that pow<
: was the experiment. The natur,
thing was for the people to ha1
: voted for president as they voted fl
; governor or constable. The deleg.
ton, say again, was the experiment
and, at the risk of tiresome repet
ton, am going to emphasize tn.
thought, because running all throue
this discussion in congress and GU
side Of congress is the idea that v
. | tn ~ =