The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-09-26
FavOrs Initiative and Ref erendum, But Opposes
 Recall of Judiciary
ADVOCATES DIRECT
 CHOICE OF SENATORS
Uses Conditions in California as Illus tration-Big Crowds Greet Demo-
 cratic Nominee in Campaign
 Through New England

New Haven, Conn, September &,--Gov. Woodrow Wilson admittedly went further today toward defining his ideas on pro- gressive principles than he has since he became the democratic presidential nom- inee In a speech received with enthnsi- asm at Hartford and another at New Haven tonight the governor explained that he favored the initiative and the referendum as well as the recall of ad- ministrative officers, but that he was un- aualiiedly opposed to the recall of the judiciary.
 The democratic nominee illustrated some of the points in his speech which included comment on the direct primary system and the direct election of United States senators. by references to political condi- tions on the Pacific coast. He said later that these references to California did not contemplate the presence in Hartford and New Haven today of Governor Johnson of California.
 If did not believe that to be progress sive was to preserve the essentials Of our institutions, for. one could not be pro gressive. said Governor Wilson in his Hartford speech.
 Refers to Senate
 After paying tribute to the character of the majority of the men in the United States Senate, the governor said:
 "It would be painful to repeat to you some of the processes by which seats have been bought in the United States Senate and you know, as the whole people of the United States know. that a little group of senators holding the balance of power has again and again been able to defeat programmes of reform upon which the whole country had set its heart"
 The governor spoke of the effectiveness of the direct primary, especially in New Jersey, and turning again to the ques- tion of popular election of United States senators, said:
 And while it is true that American forces are aware that they can conduct American processes without serious de- parture from the ideals of the constitu- ton, it is nevertheless true that we have many shameful instances of practices which we can absolutely remove by the direct election of senators by the people themselves.
 Let's get another step deeper. hope you won't any of you think that I am going too far in even mentioning in your presence those extreme doctrines of the initiative, the referendum and the recall. Il is the last word that makes most men shrink Let no man deceive himself by the fallacy that anybody proposes to sub stitute direct legislation by the people or direct reference of laws voted in the legisls ture to the vote of the people for representative government
 Defines the Initiative The initiative is a means of recap turing the seat of legislative authority or Lehalf of the people themselves, The referendum is means of seeing to it that unrepresentative measures are not put upon the sta tute books. but are checked by being submitted to the vote of the people When you come to the recall, the principle is that if an administrative off ce is corrupt or so unwise as to be do- ing things that are likely to lead to all sorts of mischief, in the future it will be possible by a sedate and slow process prescribed by the law, to get rid of that officer before the end of his term. don't see how any man who is grounded in the traditions of American affairs, par tcularly as they derive their origin from New England, can find any valid objec- ton to the recall of administrative off cers.
 Tt is another matter when it comes to the judiciary. l myself have never been in favlr of the recall of judges. i Not that somc judges haven't deserved to be Iecalled-that isn't the point. But because that is treating the symptoms instead of the disease.
 Disease Lies Deep "The disease lies deeper and sometimes 1t is very, very virulent and very danger ous. Gentlemen, there have been courts in the United States that were controlled hat,a haar prerne courts in our states at which men without privilege could not get justice. There have been corrupt judges, there have heen controlled judges There have been judges who acted as other mems servants and rot as the servants of the public And there can be no moral ob- . jection to removing such men from pub ! lie service.
 .Ah. there have been some shameful chapters in that story. Think of it, the reason you applauded just now is that you feel as I feel, that the judiciary pro- cess is the last ultimate safeguard of the l things that we want to hold stable in this country. But suppose that that safeguard is corrupted suppose that it does not guard my interests and yours, but guards merely the interests of very small group of individuals; and that whenever your in- terests clash with theirs yours will have to give way, though you represent 90 per cent of your fellow citizens, and they only 10 per cent. Then, where is your safe guard and what is it safeguarding, would like to know? The great processes Of equitable thought must control the judiciary, as they control every other in strument of government. But there are ways and ways of controlling it.
 Mentions California Conditions
 sJf tmark you, I say if) at one time the Oputhern Pacific railroad owned the su- Dreme court of the state of California, 0hat was the trouble? Would you remedy . by recalling the judges of the supreme court of California? Not so long as the Southern Pacific railroad could substitute others for them. You wouldn't be cutting deep enough. Where you want to go is to the seat of authority. Where you want to go is to the process by which those judges were picked out. And when You get there you lead to the moral of the whole of this discussion because the moral of it all Is that the peoplesof the United States have suspected until their sus- picons have been justified by all sorts of substantial and unanswerable evidence that in place after place. at turning point 5after turning point. in the history of this Country, we have been controlled by pri-
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