El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-03-21
TYRANNY OF THE nIN0RIYY IS THE
CURSE Of AMERICA, SAYS ROOSEVELT

ing in real life are the tyrannies Of
minorities.
Now there has sprung up a feeling
deep in the hearts Of the people-not
of the bosses and professional poll
ticians, not OF the beneficiaries Of spe-
cial privllege-a pervadlng Del1eT OF
thinking men that when the majority
Of the people do in fact, as well as
theory, rule, then the servants Of the
people viii come more quiclzlg 10 ans
Wer and obey, not the commands Of the
special interests, but those Of the whole
people To reach toward that end the
Progressives of the Republican party
in certain states have formulated GER
tain proposals for change in the form
Of the state Overnment-certain new
checks and balances" which may
check and balance the special interests
and their allies. That is their pur-
pose
First. there are the Initiative and
referendum which are so framed that
If the legislatures obey the command
of. some special interest, and Obstin-
ately refuse the VIII Of the majority,
the majority may step in and leglslate
directly.
the real one-nCt the New YORK one
and that. too, the "PrOgreSsiVes' offer
as check on the special interests
Refers to Taft.
'Ir. Taft again and again, in quo
tations I have given and elsewhere
through his speech. expresses his dis
belief in the people when they vote at
the polls. In one sentence he says that
the proposition gives powerful effect
TO the monetary impulse Of g. ma 5or-
ity of an electorate and prepares the
way for the possible exercise OF the
erossest tvrarv' Elsewhere he speaks
of the 'feverish uncertainty and I'M
stable determination Of laws by tenn
pOrary and changing maJor1ues; and
again he says that the system 1 pro-
pose would result IN suspension or
application of constitutional guarantees
according to popular Whfm, winch
would destroy all possible consistency
in constitutional Interpretation.
should much like to know the exact
distinction that is to be made between
what Mr.. Taft calls the fltful i'm
pulse of q temporary majority when
applied to a question such as that
raise and any other question Remem-
Der that under my proposal to review
q rule Of decision by popular vote,
amending OF. constituting, to that extent
the constitution, would certainly take
at least two years from the time OF
the election of the legislature winch
passed the act. Now. only four months
elapse between the nomination and the
election of a man as president TO iii
for four years the most important OF
flee in the land In one Of Mr. Tart
speeches he speaks Of the voice 81 the
people as coming next to the voice
apparently. then. the decision Of
the people about the presidency, after
four months elaboration, IS to be
treated as next TO the voice of Cod
but if after two years Of sober thought
they decide that women and children
shall be protected in industry, or men
protected from excessive hours Of lab
or under unhygienic conditions, or
wage workers compensated when they
lose life or limb in the service OF 9TH
ers then their decision forthwith be-
comes a 'whim and feverish' and 'un-
stable and an exercise Of the gross
est tyranny and the laying Of the
ak TO the foot Of the tree of freedom
IT seems absurd to speak of a con-
clusion reached by the people after
two years elaboration, after thresh-
inc the matter out before the legisla-
ture. after threshing it out before the
governor. after threshing it out be-
fore the court and by the court. and
then after full debate for four or six
months. as the fitful impulse OF a
Temporary majority
IF Mr.. Taft's language correctly de-
scrfbes such action by the people, then
he himself and all other presidents have
been elected by the fitfuI impulse If
a temporary majority; then the con-