Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-01-25
|N0N-PARTISAN
SCHEME MI POPULAR R
MANY REPRESENTATIVE MEN
+ ENROLLED AS MEMBERS or
CONSTITUTIONAL CLUB.
CHARTER is BRIEF
Chief Object Of Organization is to
Preserve Representative Govern
nent as Ordained Under tho
Constitution.

The Constitutional Government club
of Ottumwa, Iowa, having as its motto
"Of all that's good in government, the
republic of our fathers has the best,
now numbers among it's members over
200 representative men of OttumWa OF
all political beliefs. The club is non
partisan. Daily membership is in
creasing and the advocates Of the
movement expect at least a majority
of the voters of the city of OttumWa
to have been enrolled within a
month. The charter of the club, which
gives its objects and purposes, is as
follows:
I'VE, the undersigned charter men,
bers of the Constitutional Government
club, of Ottumwa, Iowa, have united
under said name as an organization
whose object is to preserve represent
tative government as ordained under
the constitution. The Constitutional
Government club of Ottumwa is not a
political faction or party. In signing
this charter We do not renounce our
utilization with any political party OF
| which We may now be member nor
is this club move to promote parties
or the election Of men to Office.
The initiative, referendum and re-
call as advocated in certain quarters,
if generally adopted, would work
radical change in the long established
| theory and structure OF constitutional
government in America. We believe
the triumph of this propaganda
| throughout the United States would
sooner or later result in the overthrow
Of orderly liberty.
Gin obedience to sense Of patriotic
duty, we, therefore, pledge our intiu'
ence and efforts TO turn back this So
cialistic tide which threatens to sub
merge our land. And We call on pa
triotic citizens everywhere to appeal
to that loyalty to the republic of the
fathers which has preserved it to our
time
Booklet Gives Views.
A booklet containing the names OF
q partial list of the club members. to- |
gether with other information and
views is now being distributed about |
the city: The individual expressions
Of William McNett George L. Gillies
H. l.. Waterman, Ed l.. Roth, M. A.
Roberts, r. R. Ramsell, j. j. Smith,
Thomas Stodghill. Senator ]. F. Web
Der and Very Rev F. w. Hoppmann,
John w. Lewis some time ago touch
on the purposes Of the club.
That the movement has the APPROX
al of some we'll known public men in
both main political parties, is evidenc-
ed by numerous letters received by
the club. Some of these are reproduc
ed as follows:
Major 'Lacey's Views.
0cLolncco Tan % 1912 |
Constitutional Government club,
Ottumwa, Iowa:
cordially approve Of the non-parti-
san movement in your city in favor
Of standing by the republic of our
fathers, as outlined in the published
charter of the Constitutional Govern
ment club of Ottumwa.
: The present craze for the initiative
and referendum is supported by the
that it's promoters are pre-
senting something new, and that, of
course, everybody must be for some ,
thing new in order to be progressive.
In the last days Of the Roman re-
public the laws were all enacted by
the tribes or centuries voting directly 4
upon the law, and there were no con-
stitutional limitations upon the au-
thority of the people. The popular
theory of the candidates was to offer
free bread and free circus 1t
was common things also to distribute
money among the voters-somethlng
like the recent primary in Wisconsin.
This method of enacting legislation
has led to the republic throwing the
into the hands Of one man
who had just come back from across
The Rubicon. In the attempt to have
all the citizens do everything directly
It becomes a relief to leave 1t to one
man, even though that one man was
4 Tiberius or Nero.
Under this system the law was
passed banishing Cicero from Rome
and making it a criminal Offense to {
move to repeal the law. K
1t is proposed now to make constitu- I
ions easily amendable by the people;
t is proposed that a law passed by
he people by direct vote shall not
De held unconstitutional. 1t is also (
proposed that equality of taxation shall
lot be required, and notice our senior
senator has recently announced him.
self as opposed to equal state taxation
Il presume upon the theory that by
-elieving the largest number Of voters
rom taxation they would show their !
at the primaries and at
he polls.
1 think you overlooked the beginning l
# all our trouble, and that is the I
of party responsibility
5y the statewide primary. It
In the south, where this scheme was {
invented, there are no parties-merely I
actions; and they sent us a jeff t
Davis and a Vardaman to the senate
Is representatives of this system a
10 party can be held responsible for
is acts when its primaries are not q
controlled by the parties, and are con- i
rolled by officials who have no inter- i
at in the party's acts and who throw I
he partys control to its enemies. A r
rue republican government is one by i
,arty, and the party in power should v