The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-01-05
WOODROW WILSON
IS FAvOR|1E OF
MAUR\ DEMOCRATS
NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR AP-
PEARS TO BE THE LEADER
HERE.
HIS POSITION CLEARLY STATED
Views Of the Well Known Reformer
Are About In Line With the Major
lty Sentiment of the People Of This
Section-The Recall.

lty Sentiment of the People Of This
section--The Recall.
While there has been discussion
here of presidential possibilities
there is little doubt that at this time
Woodrow Wilson, of New Jersey. is
a prime favorite with the majority or
the local democrats who have ex-
pressed themselves. Harmon has
some followers in the county and so
has Champ Clark. Underwood would
have following If any one believed
that he stood ghost Of show for
the nomination but the opinion gener-
ally prevails that the Harmon people
are encouraging "favorite son" booms
in order to draw strength from Will
son.
While Wilson Is the general favor
| tie here, the democracy of Maury
county is not in national affairs what
might be called radically progressive.
There are hundreds of democrats in
the county who believe in the initia-
tive and referendum and the number
is growing. However, an advocate OF
the recall of the judiciary is hard to
find. This is just why Wilson ap-
peals with such force to local DEM
!, ocrats. He is progressive but not a
radical. It is safe to say that his
| views touching these matters recent
| ly given to Prof. r. H. Dabney, for
merly of Tennessee, but now Of the
University of Virginia, will meet gen.
eral approval here:
my Dear Heath We did not have
a chance when was with you to have
our talk about the initiative, referen-
dunn and recall. 1t may be worth
while, therefore, in view Of the i'm
portance Of the subject, for me to
summarize somewhat more formally
what said to you in scraps.
I'm the first place, with regard to
my own state of mind, surrendered
to the facts, as every candid man
must. My whole preposession-my
whole reasoning-was against these
things. But when / came into con-
tact with candid, honest, public spir-
tied men who could speak with re-
gard, for example, to Oregon) from
personal observation and experience,
| they floored me fiat with their mar
ration of what had actually happen
ed I found in the men who had ad-
vocated these things, who had put
them into operation, and who had &C.
complished things by them, not crit
les or opponents of representative
government, but men who were eager
to restore it where it had been lost,
| and who had taken-successfufly
taken-these means to recover for
the people what they had unquestlon-
ably lost-control of their own ar
fairs.
"In short they were not trying to
change our institutions. The nitia-
tive referendum and recall were to
their eyes Gas they are to mine)
merely a means to an end-that end
being the restoration of the control
of public opinion. Where opinion al
ready controls, where there is now
actual, genuine representative gov
eminent, as | believe there is in Vir-
ginia and in the South in general,
they are not necessary. Each state
must Judge for itself. l do not see
how it could be made subject of ma
tional policy. The people will, in my
opinion, demand these measures only
where they are manifestly necessary
to take legislation and the control
of administrative action away from
special, hopelessly entrenched inter
ests. They are no general or univer-
sal panaceas.
"The recall Of judges / am absolute
ly against, and always have been. It
is a remedy for symptom, not for a
disease-the disease being the con-
troll of the system by influences which
general opinion has ceased to con-
troll.
"It interested me very much to find
that even in Oregon literally no one
thought of these good methods Of &C
ton as a substitute for representative
institutions, but only as means of
stimulation and control. They are
as devoted to the idea of our repre-
sentative institutions as we are-and
are bent upon realizing these ideas
in practice That is their conscious
object
"As for the recall it is seldom used