Judith Gap journal. [volume] (Judith Gap, Mont.) 1908-19??, 1912-03-29
LET. PEOpLERULE.
SAYS ROOSEVELT
Opposes Presidents Altitude on
Popular Government.
PEOPLES VOICE MUST PREVAIL

cheered fer Speech In Opening Active
Campaign Tor Nomination-Quetes
TAFT ~ Opposees to the Majority.
Stands squareIy On His Columbus
co., Address.
The salient passages in Colonel
1oossvelt's forceful campaign speech.
delivered in Carnegie Hall. New York.
Wednesday evening". are given below:
The great fundamental issue now
1eters the Republican party and be.
0pre our people can be stated briefly.
Il 10. are the American people fit to
govern themselves. to rule themselves.
% control themselves?
I believe they are. My opponents do
not ] believe in the right Of the peo-
pie 70 rule. believe that the majority
Of the plain people Of the United
States will and do. day in day out,
make fewer mistakes. in governing
themselves than any similar class or
body OF men, NO matter what their
training, will make in trying to gov
0rn them. believe the American peo-
pie ~ whole are capable Of self con
troll and Of learning by mistakes. Our
opponents pay lip loyalty to this doc
Urine, but they show their real beliefs
~ the way in which they champion
every device to make the nominal
rule OF the people . sham.
have scant patience with this talk
Ut the tyranny OF the majority. When
Z shall protest against it with all my
Asart and soul. But we are today sui
0ering from the tyranny Of the minor.
idea. 1t IL I small minority that is
grabbing our coal deposits. our water
oowers and our harbor fronts. A small
minority is fattening on the sale Of
0Aulterated foods and drugs 1t is q
s0all minority that lies behind
mon0polies and trusts. 1t 10 q small
minority that stands behind the pres
mt law Of master and servant. the
0Weatshops and the whole calendar Of
social and industrial injustice. 1t IL
small minority that 10 today using
eur convention system to defeat the
will Of = majority OF the people in the
GAoice Of delegates to the Chicago con-
vention.
things in my program are wrong be-
cause they intrude into the sanctuary
- the judiciary.
The nrst 10 the recall Of Judges and
a. second the review nv the people
u judicial decisions on certain excep-
&3onal questions. l have said again
and again that l do not advocate the
recall Of judges in all states and in
al communities. The integrity OF our
Judges. from Chief Justice Marshall
- White and H0lmes-and to Cullen
and many others in our state-is a
1ns page Of American history. But
say 1t soberly-democracy has a
tight to approach the sanctuary OF
IL courts where . special interest
has corruptly found sanctuary to. and
1Ais Il exactly what has happened in
some OF the states where the recall, Of
the judges 10 living issue. Is it not
equally plain that the question wheth-
- given policy Is for the public
1pod 10 not Of . judicial nature. hut
oAould be settled BY the legislature or,
u the hnal instance. by the people
themselves?
The president Of the United States.
Nr. Taft. devoted most Of a recent
speech to criticism Of this proposition.
He says that 1T Is utterly without
merit or utility and, instead OF being
In the interest OF all the people aud
ct the stability Of popular government,
b sowing the seeds Of confusion and
tyranny" BY this he Of course meant
the tyranny Of the majority--that Ia
the tyranny Of the American people
~ a whole. He also says that my
proposal (Which. as he rightly sees it.
10 merely proposal to give the people
real instead of only nominal
chance to construe and amend legis.
1ation with reasonable rapidity), would
make such amendment and interpreta-
ton depend on the feverish. uncer-
tain and unstable determination Of
successive votes on different laws by
temporary and changing majorit!cs.'
and that 1T lays the axe at the foot
At 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"
This criticism is really less a criti.
cism of my proposal than a criticism
Of all popular government. 1t is
wholly unfounded. unless it is found
Cd on the belief that the people are
fundamentally untrustworthy This is
the question that l propose to submit
to the people. How can the prevail
ing morality or a preponderance opin
ion be better and more exactly ascer
tanned than by vote of the people?
The people must know better thar
che court what their own morality ant
their own opinion 10. ask that 20,
here. you and others like you. you thu
Ueople. be given the chance to stat,
your own views of justice and publ,
morality and mt sit meeklv nv an,