The Washington times., 1912-02-21
SAYS JUST LAWS
]. WOULD PUT STOP
!. TO RECALL DEMAND
j
Wants Voter to Have More
: Direct Voice in PreSiden-
tial Nominations.
CONTINUED from First Page.)

y from flTSt Page.)
iraged against privilege on behalf of the
common welfare. We hold IL a prime
duty of the people to free our Gov
Sernment from the control of money in
politics. For this purpose we advo-
Gate, not as ends in themselves, but as
weapons in the hands of the people,
all governmental devices which will
tp1ake the representatives of the people
sn1ore easily and certainly responsible
to the peoples will
Conservation for the People.
4 This country. as Lincoln said, belongs
to the people. So do the natural re-
Sources which make it rich They
supply the basis of our prosperity now
and hereafter. In preserving them,
Which is national duty, we must not
forget that monopoly is based on the
control of natural resources and nat
ural advantages, and that it will help
the people little to conserve our natural
wealth unless the benefits which it can
yield are secured to the people. Let
us remember also, that conservation
does not stop with the natural re-
Sources, but that the principle of max
Ing the best use of all we have requires
with equal or greater insistence that
we shall stop the waste of human life
in industry and prevent the waste of
human welfare which flows from the
inhfair use of concentrated power and
Seagerness for profit blinds them to the
cost of what they do. We have no
;higher duty than to promote the eff
cheney of the individual. There Is no
hon. ~ "
r L am emphatically believer in con-
stitutionalism, and because of this fact
! no less emphatically protest against
Constitution a means Of thwarting in
stead Of securing the absolute right of
dhe people to rule themselves and to
provide for their own social and indus
trial well-beinE. All constitutions, those
iof the States no less than that OF the
nation, are designed, and must be in
terpreted and administered. so as
70 Mt human rights. Lincoln so
National Constitution. Buchanan at
tempted the reverse. attempted to 1T
human rights to. and limit them by, the
Constitution. 1t was Buchanan who
created the courts as fetish, who
protested against ana condemned all
criticism of the judges for unjust and
nnrishteous decisions, and upheld the
Constitution as an instrument for tha
protection of privilege and of vested
wrons. 1t was Lincoln who, appealed
70 the people against the judges when
Ihe judges went wrong. who advo-
GATED and secured what was practically
And who treated the Constitution as a
living force for righteousness. We
stand for applying the Constitution to
the issues of today as Lincoln applied
4 to the issues of his day; Lincoln
mind you, and not Buchanan. was the
raj upholder and preserVer of the Coh-
stitution, for tfe true progressive, tho
Progressive of the Lincoln stamp, is
ihe only true constitutionalist. the only
real conservative. the object of every
american Constitution worth calling
much must be what ii is set forth to be
N the preamble to the National Con
Etttution. Ito establish justice that is
70 secure justice as between man and
man by means of genuine popular self
government If the Constitution is sue
eessfullY invoked to nullify the effort
60 remedy injustice, it is proof positive
either that the Constitution needs inn
mediate amendment or else that it is
heing wrongfully and improperly con-
Strued.
81 therefore very earnestly ask
YOU clearly to provide in this Constitu-
lion means which will enable the PEG,
pie readily to amend it If a: any point
II works injustice. and also means
which will permit the people them
selyes by popular vote after due de-
Gnd without appeal, TO settle what tine
proper construction of any constitution
81 point is. 1t is often, said that ours
IS a government of checks and bal.
ances. But this should only mean thai
these checks and balances obtain as
among the several different kinds Of
Representatives of the people-judicial
Executive, and legislative-tO whom the
people have delegated certain portions
of their power. It does not mean that
the people have parted with their pow
er or cannot resume 1t. The division
of powers" is merely the division among
the representatives of the powers dele
gated to them; the term must not be
held to mean that the people have di'
Yided their power with their delegates
The power is the peoples, and onl'
the peoples. 1t is right and proper
that provision should be made rendc"'
ing it necessary for the people to tak1
ample time to make up their minds or
any point; but there should also be
complete provision to have their de
cision put into immediate and living
effect when it has thus been deliber,
ately and definitely reached.
Proper Method of Changing.
81 hold it to be the duty of every pup
Nc servant, and of every man who il
public or in private life holds posi-
ton of leadership in thought or action
TO endeavor honestly and fearlessly t.
Guide his fellow countrymen to righ
decisions; but l emphatically dissen
from the view that it is either wise o.
Necessary to try to devise methods
which under the Constitution will au
tDnna tically prevent the people from de
ic1dlhS TOT themselves what govern
isnental action they deem just and prop
Eer 1t is impossible to invent Constl
,futional devices which will prevent tn
popular will from being effective 70
wrong without also preventing
from being effective for right. TIL
only safe course to follow in this gTea
American democracy is to provide 70
making the popular judgment really eff
.fective When this is done, then IT /
our duty to see that the people, haVln
the full power, realize their heavy re
sponsiblity for exercising that powe
Alright But it is a false constitution
salism, a false statesmanship, to en-
.deavor by the exercise of a perVerte
Ingenuity to seem TO give the peopl
'full power and at the same time I
Brick them out of It, Yet this Is pre-
.eisely what is done in every case wher
The State permits its representative
whether on the bench or in the LegislG
'ture or in executive office to deCIar
that IL has not the power to right gray
Etocial wrongs, or that any of the OF
sficers created by the people, and ri9nt
aully the servants of the people, ca
set themselves up TO be the master
Hof the people Constitution~makeT
Should make It clear beyond shado'
6hf doubt that the people I'm their legis
lative capacity have the power to enat
Into law any measure they deem neces
-. g.. k.s Of ,9,I -,