Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-21
Nh. Roosevelt at Columbus.

Is Theodore Roosevelt's Columbus creed
national republican doctrine today? Does
majority of the republican party stand
behind his utterances at Columbus in
lighting form to force them upon the
Chicago convention?
We need not dwell upon the pronounce
mentS in favor of a short ballot, popular
election of United States senators, and
the Stacking of cunning in the opera
lions of big business. Interesting as they
are their significance is small by conf
parison with Mr.. Roosevelt's pronounce
nlent in favor of the initiative and ref
erendum and the recall, the latter to ex-
tend as a last resort to judges. Is that
national republican doctrine? Or can Mr.
Roosevelt make IL SO?
No new arguments are advanced. Mr..
Roosevelt rests his case as populism pure
and simple does The old system has
broken down and needs to be strength
ened The peoples representatives have
not been attending to the peoples bust
ness Legislation has been Influenced by
special and selfish considerations. Let
this be corrected by a direct participation
in legislation by the people themselves.
Let them initiate measures. and, after be-
ing licked into shape, let those measures
be referred to the people for final judg
ntent Every man his own statesman.
Judges on the bench have not always
decided questions in the peoples inter-
est Miscarriages of justice have not
been frequent. but none should have &C.
Cured Let steps be taken to prevent
them in future or instantly correct them
when they occur and punish judges who
offend public opinion by their decisions.
Present processes to that end are made
quate. Impeachment is slow. Court pro-
oeedings are even slower. Let it be made
possible to get at" offenders-recall them
promptly and secure new decisions by
new officials chosen by the people to do
the peoples will in given cases. Every
man his own lawyer. notwithstanding the
time-honored description of the client in
such case.
Mr.. Roosevelt doubts if the recall would
often be required. The reply is that by
empowering it upon the allegation he
makes the machinery for agitation would
be set up and agitation invited. That
agitation would result and judges be
harassed by frequent criticisms and
threats from selfish rather than general
sources seems certain. Agitation In that
line would tend to become an industry.
Mr. Roosevelt is cloudy and infelictous
i'm his citation of the bred Scott case,
and what followed under Mr.. Buchanan
and Mr.. Lincoln. Mr. Buchanan's weak
ness was not in bowling to the fancy de-
cision of the Supreme Court, for all had
TO do that. but in his supineness in the
face Of preparations for disrupting the
Union, which were going on under his
very nose. His Secretary of War, John
h. FLOYD, was a leader in the movement,
and did not quit the cabinet until with
i'm few weeks of Mr.. Lincolns inaugu-
ration Had Andrew Jackson been in the
White House very different story would
have been told.
Mr.. Lincoln's strength was not in his
criticism of the Dred Scott case-admi
rabIe as that was-but in the promptness
and vigor with which he met the emer-
,gency when the men who had profited by
thai decision appea.ed from the court to
arms. Mr. Lincoln took no action for the
recall of the bred Scott decision, but
acted solely for the preservation of the
Union. He stated in plain terms that,
much as he abhorred slavery, his supreme
object was TO save the Union and that
if he could do that without freeing the
saves he would. The shareholders by
appealing to arms raised a new issue
which far overshadowed the bred Scott
decision, and Mr.. Lincoln accepted their
challenge and defeated them.
The country is expecting a letter in a
few days on the subject of Mr.. Roose-
yelt's attitude toward the Chicago nonii-
nation. The belief is that he will signify
a Willingness to accept ii if his party
tenders it. Notwithstanding Mr.. Roose-
velt's tremendous personal popularity and
following is this tender to be expected on
the basis of the Columbus deliverance?
Is 1t on the cards for the republicans
who agree with Mr. Roosevelt to go into
the convention arena and. after the hard
est of struggles. commit their party TO
a candidacy which would make populsm
the issue, with man as leader against
whom the third-term issue and his views
upon it would also be raised?