Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-21

NEW YORK. March 21.-'The great
fundamental issue now before the repub-
lican party and before our people can be
stated briefly. 1t is: Are the American
people fit to govern themselves, to rule
themselves, to control themselves? / be-
lieve they are. My opponents do not
With these words Theodore Roosevelt
last night opened the first speech he has
of his willingness to accept the republican
nomination for President. His subject
was The Right of the People to Rule"
The speech, delivered at Carnegie Hall
under the auspices of the Civic Forum
in his Columbus, Ohio. address, and an
swered in detail certain arguments of
President Taft in reply
Hall Packed to the Doors.
The hall was packed to the doors, with
two rows of women in evening dress ex-
Behind the speaker the platform was
filled TO it's capacity, and outside large
crowd assembled and poured into the
Carnegie Lyceum 10 await the colonel
when he had finished with the big meet
ing.
Among those near him on the platform
were some of his ardent supporters, such
as eX-Ambassador Oscar S. Straus, Gift
ford Pinchot and his brother Amos ard
Jacob A. Riis.
Controller Prendergast was chairman
of the evening, and in his short speech he
gave Col. Roosevelt cue by declaring
that the sort of representative govern
ment from which he was trying to save
the people was that represented by the
tender mercies of William Barnes, jr,
and Timothy l.. Woodruff.
Departs From Printed Speech.
From his printed speech Col Roose-
welt quickly departed to take this al
fusion up. saying:
IF you abandon I.incolns formula of
government of the people by the people
for the people and try to substitute gov
eminent of the people for the people by
a small representative class / will tell
you who will be the chief opponents of
it our side of the fence. 1T will be
Brother Barnes and Brother Woodruff,
and / prefer TO govern myself. to do my
own part rather than to have the gov
eminent of a particular Glass;
Mr. Barnes slOwered in his seat but
the audience rose to the declaration and
gave the first round of applause that the
colonels speech had called forth.
AS he spoke of the recall of the judges
he suddenly thrust his notes aside and
with hand appraised and fist clenched he
shouted:
lit was only night or two ago that
Mr.. Calhoun of San Francisco. in the
presence of the President of the United
States himself denounced the recall of
Judges | recall that that measure was
mainly enacted in California because of
the frightful miscarriage of justice in
which Mr.. Calhoun and the special in
terests had part
Hardly once in his speech did Col.
ID Mr. Taff lv 10
referred TO him as the President. With
| tones of derision he quoted his statement
| that every class should have voice in
| the government, and declared that every
man who spoke of a class believed in
| class and worked usually for the special
| class to which he belonged.
Tyranny of the Minority.
Il have scant patience with this talk of
the tyranny of the majority Mr.. Roose-
welt continued. Whenever there is ty-
ranny of the majority, l shall protest
against it with all my heart and soul.
But We are today suffering from the ty-
ranny of minorities. 1t is a small mi
nority that is grabbing our coal deposits,
our water powers and our harbor fronts.
| \ small minority is fattening on the sale
! of adulterated foods and drugs. 1t is a
small minority that lies behind monopo-
| lies and trusts. 1t is a small minority
| that stands behind the present law OF
/ master and servant, the sweatShOpS and
the whole calendar of social and industrial
| in Justice. 1t is small minority that is
| today using our convention system to de-
| feat the will of majority of the people
in the choice of delegates to the Chicago
| convention. The only tyrannies from
| which men, women and children are suf-
fering in real life are the tyrannies Of
minorities.
Recall of Judges.
MY opponents charge that two things