Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-01

| of the motive for acquisition, saving
| energy and enterprise, and a futile at
| tempt by committees to apportion the re-
| wards due for productive labor. 1t means
| the handspring Of human action that has
| carried the world on and upward for
/ 2,GOO years.
!! Unconscious Trend to Socialism.
| ~ do not say that the two gentlemen
| who now lead. one the democratic party
and the other the former republicans who
| have left their party, in their attacks
upon existing conditions. and in their at
| tempt to satisfy the popular unrest by
promises of remedies. are consciously en-
| bracing socialism. The truth is that they
| do not offer any definite legislation or pol
Icy by which the happy conditions they
promise are to be brought about. but. II
I their promises mean anything. they lead
\ directly toward the appropriation of what
belongs to one mar to another. The truth
| is my friends. both those who have left
| the republican party under the inspiration
| of their present leader and our old OPP
ponents, the democrats. under their candi-
! date are going in a direction they do not
| definitely know. toward an end they can
| not definitely describe. with but one chief
and clear object. and that is of acquiring
! through the promise of q change for the
better. What they clamor for is change.
| They ask for a change in government SO
| that the government may be restored to
| the people. as If this had not been a peo-
| pies government since the beginning of
| the Constitution | have the fullest SYM
pathy with every reform in governmental
and election machinery which shall facili-
| tate the expression of the popular will as
| the short ballot and the reduction in cleo
| tive offices to make 1t possible. But these
gentlemen propose to reform the govern
| ment. whose present defects, If any. are
due to the failure of the people to devote
as much time as is necessary to their
political duties by requiring political ac-
tivity by the people three times that
which thus far the people have been will
ing to assume: and thus they propose
remedies which. instead Of exciting the
people to further interest and activity in
the government. will tire them into such
an indifference as still further to remand
| control Of public affairs to minority.
But after we have changed all the gov
ernmental machinery so as to permit in
Simultaneous expression of the people in
constitutional amendments, in statutes
and in recall of public agents. what then?
Votes are not bread. constitutional
amendments are not work. referendums
do not pay rent or furnish houses, recalls
do not furnish clothing. initiatives do not
supply employment or relieve inequalities
of condition of opportunity We still
ought to have set before the definite
plans to bring on complete equality of OPP
portunity and to abolish hardship and evil
for humanity. We listen for them in vain.
Taking Away Of Safeguards.
Instead OF giving us the benefit of any
specific remedies for the hardships and
evils Of society they point out they fol-
low their urgent appeals for closer asso-
citation Of the people in legislation by an
attempt to cultivate the hostility of the
people to the courts and to represent that
they are in some form upholding injustice
and are obstructing the popular will At
tempts are made to take away all those
safeguards for maintaining the indie
pendence of the judiciary which are SO
carefully framed in cur Constitution.
These attempts find expression in the
policy, on the one hand. OF the recall of
judges. a system under which a judge
whose decision in one case may tenn
porarily displease the electorate is to be
deprived at once Of his Office by a pop
ular vote. perniciOus system embodied
in the Arizona constitution and which
the democrats Of the House and Senate
refused to condemn as the initial policy
Of new state. The same spirit mani
tested itself in the vote by democratic
senators on the proposition. first. to abol-
ish the Commerce Court and. second. to
abolish judges by mere act of repeal. al
though under the Constitution their terms
are for life. on no ground except that
they did not like some of the courts re-
cent decisions. Another form of hostility
to the judiciary is shown In the gro
tesque proposition by the leader Of former
republicans who have left their party for |
a recall Of decisions. so that a decision on
point Of constitutional law, having been !
rendered by the highest court capable OF |,
rendering it. shall then be submitted TO
popular vote to determine whether it |
ought to be sustained. Again. the demo-
cratic party in Congress and convention
shows its desire to weaken the courts by
forbdding the use Of the writ of injunc- |
ton to protect a lawful business against |
the destructive effect of a secondary boy |
colt and by interposing a jury in con-
tempt proceedings brought to enforce its
really class legislation designed to Sc
cure immunity for lawlessness in labor
disputes on the part of the laborers. but
operating much more widely TO paralyZe
the arm OF the court in cases which do
not involve labor disputes at all. The
hostility to the judiciary and the meas |
ures to take away it's power and its in
dependence constitute the chief definite
policy that can be fairly attributed to |
that class of statesmen and reformers
whose absorption and control the repub- |
lican party escaped at Chicago and the !
democratic party yielded to at Baltimore
Stand Of the Republican Party.
THE republican party stands for none !
Of these innovations. II refuses to make |
a change and cuitivating popular hope |
that in the change something beneficial, |
undefin0d will take place. 1t does not |
believe that human nature has changed. |
1t still believes that it is possible in this |
world that the fruits Of energy. courage, |
enterprise, attention to duty, hard work, |
thrift. providence, restraint OF appetite |
and of passions will continue TO have |
their reward under our present system. |
and that laZiness, lack of attention, lack |
OF industry, the yielding to appetite and |
passion. carelessness. dishonesty and dis |
loyalty will ultimately find their own
punishment in the world here. We do
not deny that there are exceptions and
that seeming fortune follows wickedness
and misfortune virtue. but. on the whole
We are optmists and believe that the
rule is the other way. We do not know
any way to avoid human injustice but
TO perfect our laws for administering
Justice to develop the morality of the
individual. TO give direct supervision and
aid to those who are, or are likely TO be-
oppressed. and to give full scope as
possible to individual effort and its re-
ward. Wherever We can see that a stat
ute which does not deprive any person
or class of what is his is going to help
many people. are in favor of it. We
favor the greatest good to the greatest
number, but We do not believe that this |
can be accomplished by minimizing the
rewards of individual effort. or by in |
fringing destroying the right Of prop |
erty which. next to the right of liberty,
has been and is the greatest civilizing