The Cecil Whig., 1912-06-01
WEIGHING THE
CANDIDATES
Continued from page a.

methods.
l. The Tariff: All agree II must be
revised downward. But how? Through
recommendations made by tariff board
to the President? Or to the House? Or
shall the House appoint its board from
it's own membership? Or shall the
House and Senate have a joint board
Or shall there be no board? Shall the
committee of the House prepare bills as
formerly, but schedule by schedule ra-
ther than en- masse?
2. Big Business: All agree 1t must be
curbed. But how? Nobody wants to
hurt business. But business must stop
hurting people by unfair methods and
ui.iair prices. How can we stop business
hurting without hurting business? Shall
we restore competition or develop CO.
operation? Shall we license corpora
tions? Shall a commission supervise
Big Business as the railroads are super
vised?
3. Popular Government: All agree that
government is means and not an end
that consent of the governed" is first
source and final authority That judges
and legislators and executives and con-
stitutions are several parts of the gov
ernment machine. That the machine
ought to run obedient 70 the will of the
governed. All agree that the machine is
not so running. That special interests
are tampering with the engineers and
conductors, so that, like bandits they
may ditch the train, loot the express
cars, and hold up the passengers. All
agree as to the conditions. But there is
divergence of opinion as to the cause
and cure The advocates of director
popular government ha!ieve in rep
resentative government. They claim
that we now have delegated, instead of
representative, government, with Big
Ehsiness doing the delegating. They
claim that the elaborate machinery of
checks and balances designed to protect
the rights of the minority is being used
by very small minority to oppress the
great majority. They favor the initiative
and referendum, by which they asset the
people may temporarily take charge of
their own trains when their officers are
disobedient to them BY the recall they
may put the officers off the train between
stations and select others.
The opponents of popular" govern
Hedt MAINTAIN that representative gov
eminent in its present form is the best
possible; that it has not failed; that the
people will go 10 smash trying to run
their own trains; that they will be un-
able to find good officers if they go over
the officers heads constantly and threat
en- to yank them off the trains every
minute. That such method would re-
pei competent, conscientious officers,
and invite only the spineles1 That
clever bandits could ditch more trains
under popular" government than under
the present regime.
thefe are other questions, included
under, or allied with, rne three main is
sues. Finance included with Big Bust
ness. Reciprocity allied to the Tariff.
Ihe growing power of the Federal Gov
ernmeat, Government Ownership, I'm.
perialism, Dollar Diplomacy, Ship Sub
sidy. Panama, Peace. All told, enough
questions, surely, with new ones crop
ping up, to strain the capacity Of the
biggest. | wonder sometimes why men
tempt Fate so blithefy
Now let us look at the records of the
candidates in the attitude of stockholders
seeking President.