Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1912-02-24
new ANANIAS CLUB
IS STARTED WITH
STATEMENT FROM
WHITEHOUSE
President Taft Declares Story
That He Said People Unfit
for Self Government Is a
FalsehoOd.
CAMPAIGN STARTS OFF
WITH THE UGLY WORD

(ny EveninE Herald 4. r. Leased Wire
Washington. Feb. 2i.--Prcsidenl
Taft today denied omphatlcally thai
In a speech in New York on Llncoln'i
birthday he said: But the people arc
rot fitted for SELF government" In the
first official statement of this kind that
the White House has ever issued dur
ing the TAFT administration. The
president calls the circulation OF this
story "falsehood."
Tho White House statement fol-
lows:
Among the faisehOods that are be
Ing assiduOusly circulated by persons
and papers opposed 90 the president
Is one that In his Lincoln day speech
the president argued that the people
are not fitted for seligOvernment.
President TAFT said nothing on that
occasion which possibly could be tor
tured into any such construction.
THE speech In which the president
made reference to popular governmei
was delivered az the banquet OF the
state Rar Association In New York on
the night of January 90. What he
then said on this subject and It was
correctly quoted In the newspapers.
the following day, was this:
Popular government we all be-
lieve ia. There are those of US who
do not believe all people are fitted
for popular government The fact is
we know they are not Some OF u
do not say so but ] do. II Is the ques.
ton OF seif-imposed restraint that de-
terminos whether a people Is ft TO
govern Itself"
While Il IL not admitted by anyone
at the White House VINO mas author
ity 10 speak for the president that his
correction OF the Interpretation placed
by some people upon his New York
speech Included Colonel Roosevelt.
political leaders here believe such to
be the case.
Many Of President Taft's friends
have asserted that Colonel Roosevelt
had Mr.. Taft IN mind when, Ia his
Columbus speech, he said;
MANY ointment lawyers who more
or less frankly disbelleve in our en-
tire American system OF government
for. by and Of the people, Violently
antasoni2e this pror 9sal They hes
lievo and sometimes assert that the
American people are not fitted for
popular government and that Il is
necessary TO keep the judiciary in
dependent OF the majority or OF all
the people,; that there must be no
appeal 20 the people from the deci-
sion - a court in any case, ana that
therefore the judges are Is be cstab-
lished as sovereign rulers over the
people. / take absolute issue with all
who hold such position"
In the same connection Colonel
Roosevelt also said;
III ;hc American people are not
tit for popular government and II
they should OF right be the Servants
and not the masters OF the men Who
they themselves put In office, then
lipcoln's wurk was wasted and Tie
whoic system OF government upon
which this great democratic republic
rests Is failure"
After speaking al length OF the
position which these eminent law
yers take ana applaud" Colonel
Roosevelt F4id;
''The only tenable excuse for such
a position Is the frank avowal that
the people lack sufficient inteliigonee
and morality to be fit TO govern
themselves"