Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1912-03-28
ROOSEVELT HITS
TAFT SOPH|STR|ES
Arguments Of the President
Torn to Tatters.
TO RULE is PEOPLES RIGHT
Colonel Declares His Confidence in
Plain People-ShouId Have Power
to Redress Own Wrongs
Shows UP Inconsistencies
of His Opponents.

of His Opponents.
New York, March 21-Former Pres
ident Roosevelt delivered an address
last night in Carnegie hall before an
enthusiastic and demonstrative audi
ence. He refuted with characteristic
vigor and logic the arguments made
against his Columbus speech by Pres
ident Taft and others. He said:
THE great fundamental issue is now
before the Republican party and be-
fore our people can be stated briefly.
1t is, Are the American people fit to
govern themselves, to rule them
selves, to control themselves? l be-
lieve they are. My opponents do not.
/ believe in the right of the people to
rule. believe that the majority Of
the plain people of the United States
will, day in and day out, make fewer
mistakes in governing themselves
than any smaller class or body of
men, no matter what their training,
will make in trying to govern them.
I believe again that the American
people are as a whole capable of self
control and of learning by their mis-.
takes. Our opponents pay lip loyalty
to this doctrine, but they show their
real beliefs by the way in which they
champion every device to make the
nominal rule of the people ashamed.
I have scant patience with this talk
of the tyranny of the majority. When
ever there is the tyranny of the ma
jority, shall protest against it with
all my heart and soul. But we are
today suffering from the tyranny of
the minorities. 1t is small minority
that is grabbing our coal deposits,
our water powers and our harbor
fronts. A small minority is fattening
on the sale of adulterated foods and
drugs. 1t is small minority that lies
behind monopolies and trusts. 1t is
a small minority that stands behind
the present law of master and SER
want, the sweatshops and the whole
calendar Of serial and industrial in
Justice. 1t is small minority that is
fit the will of the majority of the peo-
pie in the choice of delegates to the
Chicago convention.
-s Is the Peoples Right.
my opponents charge that two
things in my program are wrong be-
cause they intrude into the sanctuary
Sof the judiciary. The first is the re-
call of judges and the second the re-
view by the people of judicial deci-
sions on certain constitutional ques-
tons. l have said again and again
that l do not advocate the recall of
Judges in all states and in all commu-
mites. The integrity of our judges,
from Marshall to White and Holmes
and to Cullen and many others in
our own state-is fine page of Amer
lean history. Butt say it soberly-
democracy has right to approach
the sanctuary of the courts when a
special interest has corruptly found
sanctuary there, and this is exactly
what has happened in some of the
states where the recall of judges is a
living issue. Is it not equally plain
that the question whether a given
social policy is for the public good
is not of a judicial nature. but should
be settled by the legislature, or in
the final instance by the people
themselves?
"The president of the United States,
Mr.. Taft, devoted most of a recent
speech to criticism of this PROPOSE
ton. He says that it is utterly with
out merit or utility, and instead of
being in the interest of all the people
and of the stability of popular gov
eminent. is sowing the seeds of CON
fusion and tyranny QBy this he, Of
course, means the tyranny OF the ma
1ority. that is, the tyranny of the
American people as whole.) He
also says that my proposal (Which, as
ne rightly sees, is merely proposal
to give the people a real instead of
only a nominal chance to construe
and amend state constitution with
reasonable rapidity) would make such
amendment and Interpretation de
pend on the feverish, uncertain and
unstable determination of successive
votes on different laws by temporary
and changing majorities,' and that 1T
lays the ak at the foot of the tree of
well ordered freedom and subjects
the guarantees of life, liberty and
property without remedy to the fitful
impulse of a temporary majority of an
electorate
Is Wholly Unfounded.
This criticism Is really less criti-
c1sm of my proposal than criticism
OF all popular government. 1t is
wholly unfounded, unless it is found
ed on the belief that the people are
fundamentally untrustworthy. This
Is The question that 1 propose to sub
NIT to the people. How can the pre-
yailing morality or a preponderance
OF opinion be better and more exactly
ascertained than by vote of the peo-
pie? The people must know better
than the court what their own moral
ity and their own opinion is. / ask
that you, here, you and others like
you, you, the people, be given the
chance to state your own views Of