The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-02-22


as snaH Bnsizess-InteFests Of
Wage-Worker Must BE Looked
Aeter--For 0emtsfne Equality Of
Opportunity Rights OF Man Of
More importance Than the Rights
Of PEoperEy'-Direct Nominations
by the People Advocated.
Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 21s--4n his
mddress before the Ohio Constitutional
convention In session hsFe, ex-PNe9a-
dent Roosevelt spoke substantially
&s fellows:
Mr.. President, and Members Of the
AOhio Constitutional Convention:
I am profoundly sensible Of the
gbonor you have done me In ask1ns
ane to address you. You are engaged
lM the fundamental work Of self-gov.
ernment; you are engaged IN framing
, constitution under and in accord
ance with which the people are to get
and to do Justice and absolutely 20
Sule themselves. No representative
boyly can have higher task. TO
garry it through successfully there Is
aeed to combine practical common
Rsnse of most herd-headed kind with
spirit of lofty idealism. WfthoWt
1dealig-n your work will be but sor4
did makesaHsft; and without the hard
headed common sense the ideaiasm
will be either wasted or worse than
wasted.
si1ail not try to speak to you OF
Snattays OF detail cannot touch
upun them all; the subject Is too vast
and tho time too limited; II any one
OF you cares to know my views OF
these matters which do not today
discuss, viii gladly send him
cory OF the speeches made in 1870.
which think cover most of the
ground.
believe In pure democracy. With
lincoln. hold that "this country.
with It's institutions, belongs to the
people who inhahft it Whenever they
shall grow weary OF the existing
government, they can exercise their
constitutional right OF amending It.
We progTesst yes believe that the peo-
Pile have she hight, the power, and the
duty to protect themselves and their
own welfare; that human rights are
EBu@RenS over all other rights; that
wemash should be the servant, not the
rnasaer, Of the people. We believe
that unless representative govern
nneRt does absolutely represent the
peNnke It Is not representative govern
Slaent at all. We test the worth Of
OIL n1sn and all mea sures by asking
huw they contribute to the welfare
Of the men, women and children of
eEaroan this nation is composed. We
Rrs engaged in on6--of the great bat
&Ses ug the age-Aong contest waged
RgaaNst privilege on behalf OF the
DOmnHon welfare. We hold it prime
dirty OF the people to free our gov
ernment from the control OF money
In poaatscs. For this purpose we sd
vccate, not as ends In themselves, but
Rs weapons in the hands OF the peo-
pie, all governmental devices which
wiki make the representatives OF the
people more easily and certainly re-
gDGAsihle to the peoples WILL !.
Constitution and the People.
am emphatically believer in
cCnstTtuttonalism, ard because Of this
TACT no less emphaticaily protest
against any theory that would make
OF the Constitution q means OF thwart-
ing instead OF securing tae absolute
right OF the people to rule themselves
and to provide for their own social
and Industrial well-being. All consti-
tuthona, those of the states no less
than that Of the nation are designed.
and must be interpreted and admin
tssered. so as to At human rights.
Lincoln 80 interpreted and admins
tered the nationa, Constitution Bu-
chanan attempted to reverse, attempt
ed to fit human rights to, and limit
them by, the Constitution. It was
buchanan who treated the courts as a
fetish, who protested against and con-
demned all criticism of the judges
Tor unjust and unrighteous decisions.
and upheld the Constitution as an in
strument for the protection OF priv
ilege and Of vested wrong. It was
Lincoln who appealed to the people
against the judges when the judges
went wrong, who advocated and Sc
cured what was practically the recall
OF the Dred Scott decision, and who
treated the Constitution as a living
force for righteousness We stand
for applying the Constitution to the
ISSUES OF today as Lincoln applied it
TO the issues of his day.
I old it to be the duty Of every
public servant, and OF every man who
in public or in private life holds .
position OF leadership In thought or
h1tion, to endeavor honestly and fear.
aessay to guide his fellow-countrv-
men 10 right decisions; but I emphat-
icalRy dissent from the view that it is
eaxner wise or necessary to try to do
wise methods which under THE Const,
tuition VIII automatically prevent the
people from deciding for themselves
waaat governmental action they deem
SuBt and proper. Constitu.
tionrHnalscss should make it clear be-
yond shadow Of doubt that the people
IN their legislative capacity have the
power TO enact into Law any measure
tney Deem necessary for the better
aSSns Ct soefaa and Industrial condi-
Reas, The wasdcw a framing Sny