Gilpin observer., 1912-02-22


dren and for women, to provide for
their safety while at work, and to pre-
vent overwork or work under hygieniQ
or unsafe conditions.
How to Achieve Ends Sought.
So much for the ends of goverrr
ment; and have, of course. merely
sketched in outline what the ends
should be. Now for the machinery by
which these ends are to be achieved;
and here again remember only
sketch in outline and do not for mo-
ment pretend to work out in detail the
methods Of achieving your purposes.
Let me at the outset urge upon you to
remember that, while machinery is
important, 1t Is easy to overestimate
Its Importance; and, moreover, that
each community has the absolute right
to determine for itself what that ma
chinery shall be, subject only to the
fundamental law OF the nation as ex-
pressed In the Constitution OF the Uni
ted States. ). In the first place,
believe in the short ballot. You can
not get good service from the public
servant II you cannot see him, and
there is no more effective way of hid
ing him than by mixing him up with
multitude of others SO that they are
none of them important enough to
catch the eye of the average, worka-
day citizen. The professional politi-
clan and the professional lobbyist
thrive most rankly under a system
which provides a multitude OF cleo
tive officers, of such divided RESPONSE
bility and of such obscurity that the
public knows, and can know, but little
as to their duties and the way they
perform them. The people have moth
ing whatever to fear from giving any
public servant power SO long as they
retain their own power to hold him
accountable for his use of the power.
they have delegated to him.
believe in providing for direct NOM
nations by the people, including there
in direct preferential primaries for the
election Of delegates to the national
nominating conventions.
l believe in the election OF United
States senators by direct vote. Just
as actual experience convinced our
people that presidents should be
elected (as they now are in practice,
although not in theory by direct vote
of the people instead Of by direct vote
through an untrammeled electoral COZ
lege, SO actual experience has con-
vinced US that senators should be
elected by direct vote Of the people
instead of indirectly through the vart-
GUS legislatures.
/ believe In the initiative and the
referendum, which should be used not
to destroy representative government.
but to correct 1t whenever 1t becomes
misrepresentation. Here again / am
concerned not with theories but with
actual facts. If in any state the peo-
pie are themselves satisfied with their
present representative system, then
1t is of course their right to keep that
system unchanged; and 1t is nobody's
business but theirs. But in actual
practice 1t has been found in very
many states that legislative bodies
have not been responsive to the popu-
lar will. Therefore l believe that the
state should provide for the possibility
Of direct popular action in order to
make good such legislative failure.
AS to the recall, l do not believe
that there is any great necessity for
it as regards short-term elective Of
ficers. On abstract grounds ! was
originally inclined to be hostile to 1t.
l know Of one case where 1t was ac-
tually used with mischievous results.
On the other hand, in three cases in
municipalities on the Pacific coast
which have come to my knowledge 1t
was used with excellent results.
believe 1t should be generally pro-
vided. but with such restrictions as
will make 1t available only when there
is widespread and genuine public
feeling among a majority of the
voters.
Believes in Popular Government.
Many eminent lawyers who more or
less frankly disbelieye in our entire
American system Of government for,
by. and of the people violently an
tagonize this proposal. They believe,
and sometimes assert, that the Amer
lean people are not fitted for popular
government and that 1t is necessary
to keep the judiciary independent Of
the majority or Of all the people" !"
that there must be no appeal to the
people from the decision Of a court
in any case; and that therefore the
judges are to be established as sover-
eign rulers over the people. take
absolute issue with all those who hold
such a position. regard It as a COM
plete negatlon Of our whole system
Of government; and II It became the
dominant position in this country, It
would mean the absolute upsetting Of
both the rights and the rule of the
people.
do not say that the people are in.
fallible. But do say that our whole
history shows that the American peo-
pie are more often sound in their de-
cislons than is the case with any OF
tho Dnyorp to1 hodIa, 90 r,n1,~, o..