The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-24
| ROOSEVELT MAKES A DRASTIC ATTACK
 ON PRESIDENT TAFT
CONTINUED FROM PAGE n

| ever but privilege. The chief present ad- herents of the President, gentlemen like Senator Penrose. Senator Galinger, Mr. Barnes, Mir Mckinley, MT. Tawney and their associates, are precisely the men who under the Presidents theory would be, as they to a certain degree already are governing the rest of the people, which misrepresents them. The Presl- dents scheme therefore. would be a gov ernment of the people for the people by the bosses.
 We hold that the American people are fit to rule themselves and that no small part of them is to be permitted to gov ern the rest. We hold that the American people are to govern themselves and that they choose their representatives not 10 rule over them. but merely to manage the public business.
 This is not difference of words. This Is a fundamental difference which explains why in so many matters the progressives do not feel that the Presi- dent however good his intentions, can properly represent them or pay to pro- gressive ideas the kind of loyalty which results in the translation of words into actions. How fundamental the difference is was shown by the Presidents selection of Lincoln's birthday as an occasion for
 criticising the men who proclaim tho shlbboeth of the man before the dollar Another Rap at Taft
 This criticism was peculiarly infelici- tous on such an occasion, for it was Lin- coin who April 6, 1859, wrote to the Jef- ferson dinner committee of Boston, saying that the defenders of slavery, hold the l liberty of one man to be absolutely noth- | ing when in conflict with another mans right of property; republicans, on the | contrary, ask for both, for the man and the dollar, but in case of conflict, the man before the dollar" Was Lincoln demagogue?
 Tn this country conflicts between hu- man rights and the rights of privilege | masquerading as property rlghS do free quently arise and such conflicts are oc- curing now. In these conflicts We put the man above the dollar and we are un- affected by the position of those who, as we think unwisely, sheer at us for taking such & position We hear much talk to- day among tho defenders of privileges of fear lest the government confscate prl- vatS property for its own Use. Yet the reverse is the truth. There k more dan ger of coniscation of property for private use under the lax or unfaithful trustees whom the people elect 10 protect theia in- terest--these trustees being representa- tiyes of the people whom the President says by right should govern ths rest of the people.
 '"rhe state made title to property filched with the ignorant or corrupt acqufescence of the trustees in ques- tion are made the instruments by which real man-made property is taken from those who should have 1t so that q few of the people may be permitted to use for their exclusive benefit es- pecially which of right should be of benefit to all
 We progressiyes have seen the wrong In this and have pledged our selves to it's undoing.
 The colonel repeated his we'll known arguments in regard to the state courts Tt is idle folly to say that this is an attack on our constitutional svs tenn" he said, 'On the contrary it ,s proposal to save our constitutional system, The people of the country will not remain attached to the government and the laws unless they are taken into the confidence of sthe man whoro they have delegated t. represent them and unless they know that they them selves ultimately decide how thev tEemEeiyes are to be governed
 fRemembeT always" explained the colonel, that l am not speaking of ordinary cases of justice between man and man, am not asking that the remedy be applied to the federal courts am speaking only of the powers that within the last century have been as- sumed by American state courts"