The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-02-23
A CHARTER Of
DEMOCRACY.
ROOSeYelt'S Address Before tie
Ohio Constitutional Convention
FAVORS RECALL OF JUDGES.

Approves Initiative and Referendum,
Direct Nomin ations and Popular
tdsction of Senators.
Ar. President and Members Of tae
Ohio Constitutional Convention:
am profoundly sensible of the hon
or you have done me in asking NE 30
address you. You are engaged in the
fundamental work OF self government.
You are engaged in framing a cor #..
tuition under and in accordance wi,H
which the people are to get and to DE-
Justice and absolutely to rule thCm.
selves. No representative body can
have higher task To carry it through
successfully there is need to combine
practical common sense Of the NOS,
hard headed kind with spirit of loft!
deaiism.
believe in pure democracy. With
Lincoln hold that this country. with
rs institutions, belongs to the raOplo
who inhabit it. Whenever they shall
grow weary OF the existing govern
ment they can exercise their constitu
6onal right Of amending it." We pro.
gressives believe that the people have
The right. the power and the duty to
protect themselves and their own we,
fare; that human rights are supreme
ever all other rights; that wealth
should be the servant not the ma ter
Of the people We believe that unless
representative government does aDsO
htely represent the people it Is not
70 tira or oil
test the worth Of all men and all meas
ares by asking how they contribute to
the welfare of the men, women arG
children of whom this nation is con-
posed. We are engaged in one Of tie
great battles Of the age long COntes
waged against privilege on behalf OF
the common welfare. We hold II .
prime duty of the people to free oC.
government from the control of mono.
in politics.
This country, as Lincoln said, be
longs to the people. So do the natural
resources which make it rich. The
supply the basis of our prosperity nov
and hereafter. In preserving them
which is national duty, we must H.
forget that monopoly is based on the
control of natural resources and nat
ural advantages and that it will help
the people little to conserve our MAJ
Nral wealth unless the benefits which
It can yield are secured to the paop'o
Let us remember also that cOnsc~, .
ton does not stop with the natural -
sources, but that the principle Of nal:
ing the best use of all we have r.
euires with equal or greater insistencr
that we shall stop the waste Of human
hfe in industry and prevent the waste
of human welfare which flows from
the unfair use Of concentrated pOwo"
and wealth in the hands of men who's
segerness for profit blinds them to tbr
cost of what they do. We have =.
higher duty than to promote the ell
cheney OF the individual There IS Eo
surcr road to the efficiency of the ua-
Non.
Power Is the Peoples.
l am emphatically a believer in con
stitutiOnalism, and because Of this fact
] no less emphatically protest aga.asi
any theory that would make Of the
constitution a means of thwarting in
stead Of securing the absolute right Of
the people TO rule themselves and to
provide F." their own social and ju
Sustrial y,l being. All constitution
those Cf the states no less than tina
o. the nation, are designed and T. UIs.
be interpreted and administered SO
10 iii human rights. Lincoln SO Il
te"p"C and administered the M
tiOnal constitution. Buchanan Al
tempted the reverse, attempted to q
human rights TO and limit them D."
the constitution. 1t was Buchlual
who treated the courts as a fe Sh
who protested against and condemned
all criticism Of the judges for unju'.
and unrighteOus decisions and upheld
the constitution as an instrument for
the protection Of privilege and OF vest
ed wrong. 1t was Lincoln who an
peG!ed TO the people against the judges
when the judges went wrong, who ad-
vocated and secured what was prlc-
tically the recall Of the Dred Scott de
clsion and who treated the cOnstitu-
tion as living force for rlghteou9-
ness. We stand for applying the con
coin applied it to the issues of his day.
Lincoln, mind you, and not Buchanan.
was the real upholder and preserve"
of the constitution. for the true pro
gresslve, the progressive Of the Lin
coin stamp Is the only true constitu-
tlon2list, the only real conservative
If the constitution is successfully n,
vo.icd to nullify the effort to remedv
Injustice 1t is proof positive either that
the constitution needs lmmedla' G
amendment or else that 1t Is beln"
wrongfully and improperly construed
] therefore very earnestly ask you
clearly to provide in this constitution
means which will enable the people
readily to amend 1t II at any point II
works injustice and also means which
Will permit the people themselves by
popular vote, after due delberatlon
and discussion, but finally and with