The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-03-18
TAFT Makes YELLED THRUST
AT ROOSEVELT IN SPEECH I
ON PRIMARY AND RECALL
a
irresponsible Assaults Are
Serious Menace To Enduring (
Government" He Says
ALSO HITS AT OSBORN
Asks Legal Safeguards For Di-
rect Vote and Opposes
Judiciary Plan

bOSTON, Mass, March 1S.-De-
houncing presidential primary, as
an open avenue for fraud and
Violence" unless properly safeguard
cd by legal regulations, President
Tart today gave his reasons for 0p-
posing primary unless ample legal
machinery Is provided. The presi-
dent spoke to the legislature OF
Massachusetts.
In discussing the agitation for the
recall of judges and the recall OF
judicial decisions the president de-
clafed that IL Is impossible for all the
people TO take a direct part In all
the functions OF the government. He
salo the constitution founded a gov
ernment "of the people, for the peo-
pie, by a representative part OF the
people" He denied the propositions
that whatever is right IL constitu-
tional"
Many read a direct attack on Col.
Roosevelt into the concluding state
ment OF the president, when after de-
PleFiRg the agitation against the
courts and the constitution, he said
irresponsible assaults upon either
In Incorporate language or on base
less assumptions OF corruption, orr
bias, or incompetency, made by those
whose statements have influence with
any part or the people, are a serious
menace to enduring government"
The president was given an extra
ordinary ovation when he appeared
on the floor. the members standing
and applauding for over two minutes.
The president said in part:
"One can easily discover a ten
dency In modern politics TO exalt
above the written law and above thel
written constitution what is called
popular will as II that were higher
law to which We must all admit al.
iegiance and, by obeying II, ignore
or transgress statutory and cOnstitu-
tional limitation This heresy is
not stated exactly in the form of an
assertion that judges and others are
to ignore statutes and constitutions
because OF a conflicting popular will:
but it is in the mere insidious proposi-
ton that plain construction of the
statute or of the constitution Is TO be
defeated and a strained and otherwise
! impossible construction put upon the
: language of the statute or constitu-
tion, In Difference to what Is supposed
{ to be the popular will. There 10 no
| rule for ascertaining what this popu-
lar will is. except the observation
and imagination of the person who Is
appealing TO 1t.
The continued reiteration OF the
proposition, Let the people rule IL
| It has any significance at all, and Is
| irtended otherwise than TO fiatter
the people, is intended to be refiec-
tion on the government that we have
had down TO the present time. Now.
in spite OF all the corruption, in spite
OF all the machine politics, in spite
OF every defect in operation or our
government that can be pointed out.
| do not hesitate to say that the his
tory OF the last 1876 years shows that
the people have ruled
"The occasion for these remarks is
the attack upon our judiciary and
the proposal, by judicial recall, or re-
call of judicial decisions, to destroy
it's independence and thus to take
away from the arch OF government
the keystone. I deny that there Is In
the decisions OF the courts, or the
character or the judges, or the result
tContinued on Page Four)