Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1912-02-24
ISSUES OFFICIAL STATEMENT
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PRESENT
ADMINISTRATION THE WORD
"FALsEHooD" is USED.
NOT ALL THE PEOPLE CAPABLE
THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE HAD SAID
/ THAT. SOME ARE MORE
FITTED THAN OTHERS.

Wd5HlH6JOu, Il oD. z4-FrS5l06uJ
Taft today denied emphatically that
in speech in New York on Lincoln's
birthday he said that the people are
not fitted for self government" In
the first official statement of this
kind that the White House has ever
issued during the Taft administration,
the president calls the circulation of
this story 'falsehood." The White
House statement follows:
Among the falsehoods that are be-
ing assiduously circulated by persons
and papers opposed to the president
is one that in his Lincoln's day speech
the president argued tnat the people
are not fitted for self government.
President Taft said nothing on that
occasion which possibly could be tor
tured into any such construction.
"The speech in which the president
made reference to popular government
was delivered at the banquet of the
state bar association in New York on
the night of january 20. What he
I then said on this subject, and ftswas
correctly quoted in the newspapers,
the following day was this:
Popular government we all believe
In. There are those of us who do
not believe all people are fitted for
popular government. The fact is, we
know they are not. Some Of US dare
not say SO, but I do; and the question
whether a people is fitted for popular
self government so as to make that
government best for the people Is oe-
termined by the ability of the majority
of that people to pisce on itself the
restraint by which the minority shall
receive justice from the majority. 1t
is the question of sefrimposed re-
straint that determines whether a
people is fit to govern ITSELF"
Roosevelt Is Included.
While it is not admitted by any one
at the White House who has authority
to speak for the president that his
correction of the Interpretation placed
by some people upon his New York
speech included Colonei Roosevelt,
political leaders here believe such to
be the case. Many of President Taft's
friends have asserted that Colonel
Roosevelt had Mr.. Taft in mind when
in his Columbus speech he said:
MANY eminent lawyers who more
or less frankly disbelieve in our en-
tire American system Of government
for. by and of the people, violently an
tagonize this proposal. They believe,
and sometimes assert that the Amer
ican people are not fitted for popular
government, and that 1t is necessary
to keep the Judiciary Independent OF
the majority or of all the people;
that there must be no appeal to the
people from the decision of court in
any case: and thar therefore. the
judges are to be established as SOW
ereign rulers over the people. I take
absolute issue with all those who hold
such a position.
In the same connection Colonel
Roosevelt also said:
"If the American people are not fit
for popular government and If they
should of right be the servants and
not the masters Of the men whom
they themselves put in office. then
Lincoln's work was wasted and the
whole system of government upon
which this great democratic republic
rests is a failure
After speaking at length of ''the
position which these- eminent lawyers
take and applaud Colonel Roosevelt
said:
"The only tenable excuse for such
a position is the frank avowal that
the people lack sufficient intelligence
and morality to be 1T to govern them
selves"