Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-12-11

can club, in which he discussed the re-
cent disaster to the Republican party,
Mr. Moss speech was Illuminating,
not perhaps so much on account of
what he meant. but at least on account
Of what he said.
Mr. Moss spoke with sorrow Of the
great detection of the radical or popular
vote from the Republican party at the
late election.
He paraphrased the farmers descrip-
ton of an automobile. and said that the
Republican party reminded him of
pair OF pants walking down the street
without anything inside Of them.
Then Mr. Moss continued his speech,
and in the course OF it made another
noteworthy remark. He said that he
did not believe in the recall of judges,
and the reason that ne did not approve
of this idea was because he did not be
| lieve in turning the courts over to
mob rule"
There is lesson in these two para
graphs of Mr. Moss speech which Mr..
| Moss teaches to the discerning, but
which he himself and most of the Re
! publican leaders seem too obstinate and
opinionated 10 recognize, even in the
face of the educational experience Of
the ecent election.
Why does not Mr. Moss realize that
| there may be a very definite connection
IA certain consecutiveness of cause
| and effect-between the two paragraphs
! in his speech?
! Why can not Mr.. Moss see that the
reason there are no popular legs in the
pants" of the Republican party is be-
cause of the unpopular un-Republican
UNI American actions ana opinions ana
expression of the leaders of the Re
publican party?
| Perhaps it is useless to attempt to
! approach or affect the mind of the Old
fashioned reactionary Republican. That
mind is hard set in the grip of his pref
udices. 1t is like the skeleton Of some
extinct animal, buried in the stratum
| of a geological period that is past. 1t Is
! like one of the fishes hidden in the
da' kness Of the Mammoth Cave-a fish
which has been so long without light
that it has lost the means Of detecting
! light if ever a ray should reach it.
| But Young Republicans have as vet
| the eyes to see and the ears to heat
and | would like to place before them
some plain facts in contradiction Of
Mr.. Moss sentiments.
The initiative, the referendum. the
recall, direct primaries and the other
items of the Progressive program are
only exercised in practice through the
political expression of the viii of the
! majority, and the majoIity of the Amer
lean people is not mob and majority
rule is not mob rule.
The whole government of this Ameri-
can nation is based on the principle of
majority rule, and the whole Of major
ity rule is based on confidence in the
wisdom and intelligence and patriotism
Of the mass of the people
If you, Mr.. Moss, and many other Re
publican leaders, consider majority rule
mob rule" YOU naturally hesitate to
allow a majority Of American citizens
the same control over their public prop
erty and public employees that all in
dividuals are allowed in their private
business.
Therefore you object to the referen-
dunn and the recall
If you Republican leaders believe that
the majority is a mob and that ma
jority rule is mob rule, you naturally
object to free expression of this ma =
jority rule in the nomination of your
candidates.
Therefore you oppose direct nominal
tions and popular primaries.
Therefore you hold packed conven-
tions.
Therefore you nominate men chat the
people do not want and reject the men
that the people do want.
If you Republican leaders are CON
WINGED that majority rule is mob rule,
you naturally oppose the unhampered
operation Of that principle in politics.
Therefore you have depended in
elections upon the power of money the
pull Of political machines and the SIMS
ter secret influence OF the privileged in
terests.
Therefore you have been guided 10y
the selfish shrewdness Of the favored
few and not by the wisdom and the
judgment and the patriotic spirit of the
majority of the people.
Therefore you have been disastrously
and deseryedly defeated
Mr.. Moss and gentIemanly leaders of
the Republican party in general, the
reason there are no popular legs in the
Republican pair Of pants" is because
the people have no confidence in the pa
triotism and caDaCity of the Repnbli