The Detroit times., 1912-02-19
AWAKENING OF THE PEOPLE
THE ONE SOVEREIGN REMEDY
FOR ILLS OF GOVERNMENT
JACOB GOULD scHURMAN.
Evils Will Disappear When
Citizens Take Full Share in
Ruling Selves"
FAVORS REF ER + ND u M
FAVORS REFEREN u M
Strongly Opposed To Recall of
Judges and Doubtful Of
Value of Initiative

The one sovereign remedy for all
.he ills OF government OF which we
complain is the awakening of the peo-
| PIE to take their full part in ruling
themselves; the citizens of a republic
must all be good citizens IL the re-
public Is to continue" said President
Jacob Gould Schurman, OF Cornell
university. famed as a publicist, who
| is in Detroit as the guest OF the
Bankers club.
Il believe that II half the energy
being spent In devising new forms for
| he expression OF the popular will
" ere concentrated upon arousing the
ueople to do their duties as citizens,
land educating them In the problems
10 be solved, that the evils OF which
we hear so much would speedily
vanish.
Il do not believe In the recall as
q pplied to Judges, and am rather
doubtful as to its desirability when
|applied to our short-term officials.
Aristotle said. centuries ago, that
democracy could be as much of a
|tyrant as any monarch, and the move
|rlent 10 get the judges under popular
cont oil Is an act in the direction OF
popular tyranny. A large portion of
The struggle for freedom in England
was directed toward the emancipa-
ton OF the Judges from the control
of the monarch, so that they might
he independent of him in every re-
spect | do not believe that Judge
should be subjected TO the possible
tyranny of the people, either.
"Jadges should be free TO give their
Auht IF
nd reason and the established law,
md If there were sword in the form
|Cf recall hanging over their neads
there is no question but what they
F, ould be tempted to decide with the
popular whims and passions OF the
our. The best OF them, OF course,
would not do so, but we must TAKE
|ilto account average human nature.
Il believe In the referendum In I'M
nortant matters. especially in leglsla.
ton appropriating large sums Oh
money We have voSed on numper
OF such measures in New YORK state
recently. | cannot see the usefulness
cf a general referendum.
II believe that the initiative is
rather dubious measure also. IL seems
q me that Il would tend to under
mine representative government
We send representatives TO the capitai
10 legisate for us, and then any cllf-
!, N who can get a certain percehlase
r the voters TO favor his measure can
O ahead and make laws for the state,
.unr representatives will lose lnelr
functions. The tendency VIII newt
bly be to take the law-making po"er
entirely out OF the hands OF those VINO
re elected to exercise IT.
Il believe thoroughly in representa-
..xa government. IL is the great con-
,rihution of the Anglo-Saxon race 10
ne science Of government, and l loon
,.ith apprehension on anything that
: IN tend 10 undermine its principles.
There is no one who believes more
rrmly than in the doctrine Let lhe
conie rule but | believe that they
I-,n exercise their power best through
t,a system that has been established
nd has been found best by the expert
cnce of centuries"
President Schurman was entertain
I'd. Monday morning, by I. Goooioe
edgar. Monday noon the former
residents OF the Bankers club OF De-
iroIt gave him luncheon in the De.
,roit club In the evening he VIII
,neak before the Bankers CLUB at lts
emi.annual banquet, and II is ex-
uected that he will take up some
,hase of the currency reform problem.
tuesday evening he will speak at
dinner of the Michigan Cornell
Ilumni association, in the University
club. -,
TIE banquet os the Bankers club
-S-tIT he neid fH the Hotet PontCndr-
,rain at o'clock sharr. Previous 10
.the banquet. reception will be held.
William Livingstone, president oil the
Dime Savings bank, is chair,
TI;I1 or ttre reception eeHHI'littee, -aha
Inc other members are as follows:
George III. Barbour. Frank w. Biar,
lem w Bowen, Philip Breitmeyei' H.
p. Bergman. Emory W. Clark, Charles
y Collins, John NJ. Dwyer. Dexter NJ.
h Ferry. Jr., Walter J. Hayes, W. /.
Holiday, Charles G. jerks, J. ii;
Johnson, George II. Kirchner, Howard
! Lesher, Philip II. Mcmillan, II. w.
>-tla Caorpe n Russell, IL IL. San