The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-02-21
Ex-president Refutes Presi-
dents Opinion that the
People Are Not Competent
to Recall Judges.
COLUMBUS ADDRESS
VERY PROGRESSIVE
Speech Before Ohio Consti-
tuition Makers Taken as the
Colonel's Platform Should
He Be Nominated.
(National News Association

\NdtlOnA1 news ASSOCidllonb
COLUMBUS. O., Feb. 21.-Ex.Presi-
dent Theodore Roosevelt raped Presi-
dent Taft and advocated practically
every progressive measure advanced
during the last few years, in his ad-
dress before the Ohio Constitutional
here today.
Using the phrase, I'VE Progress
ives" Colonel Roosevelt came out
with the most complete declaration OF
his ideas that he has given In many
and defined the views that
will probably form the basis of his
platform in case he is nominated for
the Presidency. .... ......
Among the progressive measures
urged by the Ex.President, were:
Government supervision of corpora
tions.
Direct election OF senator's.
The short ballot.
Direct nominations by the people.
including national convention dele
gates.
The initiative and referendum.
The recall, including recall OF judg-
es and special recall or specific tudici-
al decisions.
" Taft 10 8roadsidsd.
In nnaeking Tor the recall ofs tadeoa,
Colonel Rooscvelt delivered 3 bEoo1as
side against President Taft's recent
utterance to the effect that the people
were incompetent to decide when =
Judge should be recalled. and there
fire should not have the power.
Our aim," Colonel said. IFS to get
the right type OF Judge. to keep him
ON the bench as long a. possible: to
keep off the bench. and. II necessary.
take off the bench, the wrong type
of Judge.
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 Ameri-
can people tquoting President TAFT;
that there must be no appeal to the
people from the decision Of court in
any case; and that therefore the
judges are to be established - soy-
u
ereign rulers over the people.
Il take absolute issue with all those
who hold such a position. l regard it
as a complete negation OF our whole
system of government: and IL II be-
came the dominant position In this
country, it would mean the absolute
upsetting OF both the rights and the
rule of the people. The only tenable
excuse for such q position is the frank
avowal that the people lack sufficient
intelligence and morality to be tit
to govern themselves"
Shows Inconsistency.
That such q position shows incon-
sistency was the comment Of Colonel
Roosevelt. The people are intelligent
enough to make constitution and not
intelligent enough to interpret II; they
are competent to choose officials but
incompetent to hold them responsible
for the way they exercise their pow
ers. under such a view, he said.
II do not say that the people are
infallible," he added, but do say that
our whole history shows that the
American people are more often sound
in their decisions than in the case with
any of the governmental bodies to
whom, for their convenience. they
have delegated portions of their pow
er"
Colonel Roosevelt urged the recall
Of specific decisions as being even
more necessary than the recall Of the
judges themselves. He cited ~ m
AL 80