Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-02-27
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS SPEECH

A Careful reaQluS u eA-1 oetuoAAt
Roosevelt's speech before the Ohio Con-
! stitutional convention will not increase
the public's estimation Of him as a
I statesman. It lacks the clear cut, 1or.
chile sentences that have been one OF
Col. Roosevelt's strong characteristics.
It scarcely touches upon anything ex-
cept the recall OF judges and the EN-.
ployers liability act. 1t is a sort OF
real and implied fault finding Of court
decisions more than plain. lucid ex.
preston of what should be the duties
Of the convention he was addressing.
He seemed inclined to take the ex'
ception rather than the rule as the
basis for large part of his speech.
One Of these exceptions is the bred
Scott decision. This decision was to
the effect that negro was the
private property of his owner wherever
he might be found in the United States.
This was during the days OF slavery
and has no application now and mas
never had in any way since the Eman-
oipation Proclamation. That feature
should remove 1t entirely from any
possibility as basis of comparison
with conditions now The parts Of the
speech that do not deal with the re-
call OF Judges or the liability act do
not give much information because
they seem to be almost without point.
He, unequivocally declared himself
for the direct election by the people
OF officials and then in another place
advocated the short ballot" the effect
OF which is that a few people are
elected to the main Offices and they
appoint those under them instead OF
letting the people elect all Of them.
This seems to be conflicting. He advo-
Gated the nomination Of delegates to
the national convention by direct pri-
mary, also the election of senators by
direct vote He strongly advocated
the initiative and referendum and says
the people should have the power to
recall officials but should do it only
upon occasions Of the most absolute
necessity. Continuing he says "a
Judge must not do anything wrong be-
: cause there is popular clamorlfor II,
and then further on in his speech ne
says that when Judge decides what
the people as whole can or can not
do. the people should have the right
! to recall that decision If they think it
wrong" Right there the question
comes up as to how he would apply
his own doctrine Would he have the
Judge make decision against popular
clamor and then have that popular
clamor which the Judge thought
wrong" be the cause Of recalling or
discrediting the Judge? .t
The colonel says that those who
take position against the recall in
effect hold that the people haven't
enough Intelligence to frame and adopt
constitution or not enough intelli-
eence to apply and interpret the con-
stftution which they themselves have
made.
The people who are against the re-
cali are in accord with representa-
tive government. 1t was the in
tention of the trainers of the consti-
tuition that this government be conduct
ed by representatives OF the people It
tvas not the thought of our fore
fathers that every man would or could
know enough about the details Of all
governmental matters to make an
absolute decision about 1t himself.
The people themselves, have not In the
past and will not in the future as a
mass, make any claim to knowing
enough about the Interpretation Of the
law, constitutional or statutory, to
make an individual decision In every
case that will be decided in the
courts. To assume that they will is
absolutely unreasonable. A lawyer
himself, who devotes his entire time
to the study of his profession, does not
10 into any law suit without especially
preparing himself for that case.
The makers of the constitution did
not attempt to put any barriers In the
way Of the popular desires of the peo-
pie, but they did try to study out a
plan that would obviate sudden or
thoughtless action being taken at a
time Of some temporarily popular pas
ton or whim. They made one branch
OF our national government subject to
election directly by the people and the
other by representatives of the people.
They provided that the action of these
bodies should be passed upon by a
judicial body They sought to make
the popular will govern but at the same
time they provided that there should
always be abundant time for discus
sion and consideration. They tried to
provide a means whereby the public
mind could be thoroughly and we'll in
formed and that the machinery of the
government should not be so rapid as
to cut off the opportunity for study and
a due deliberation about all govern
mental matters.
The Courier has high regard for
ex-President Roosevelt It believes
that he has been a big force in bring
Ing about observance of the law and
that he has in some ways been power
for good in the nation. But his Col
umbus speech is not document that
inspires confidence in his judgment.
The fact of its weakness i'm some parts
and its radicalism in other parts will
decrease rather than add to his popu-
larity as a public leader.
To carry out his ideas as set forth
In that speech would be to keep up
continuous ssss and agitation.