The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-21
Criticizes Presidents
Talk of Tyranny Of
the Majority. y
FIRST ADDRESS
OF HIS CAMPAIGN
Roosevelt Stands by His Colum-
bus Speech and Makes Fur
ther Appeal to Plain Peo-
ple"-Leads Fight Because
He Must, Not Because
He Wants To.

New York. March 2p-ln his first
speech Of his campaign for the presi-
doniiai nomination, Colonel Roosevelt
Tonight contrastcd his position with
that taken b. President Taft. The
real issue he said. Vas whether The
American people should govern them
selves.
Colonel I;oosevelrs speech was de-
livcrcd before a crowd which filed
Carnegie Hall. 50 many persons
wished TO hear him that an over
flow meeting was Held in smaller
Hall within the same building. colonel
Roosevelt was received with marked
enthusiasm.
Prcsidcn, Taf,'s recent speech at
| Toledo VA. referred 10 several times
by colonel Roosevelt. vino devoted n
large part OF his remarks to a reply.
The great fupdameniaI issue now
before the Republican party ana before
our people can be stated briefly Ii Is,
.tre the American people fit 10 govern
themselves, to rule themselves. 70 con-
troi themselves? ] believe they are
My opponents do not"
With these words Colonel Roosn-
welt opened his speech. His subject was
The Right of the People TO Rule" The
speech. delivered al Carnegie Hall
under the auspices Of the civic Forum.
elaborated much that colonel Roosa-
welt said in his Columbus (O.l adj
dress and answered In detail certain
arguments Of President TAFT in reply.
stand on the Columbus speech"
said Colonel Roosevelt, the principles
there asserted arc not new. but be-
iicvc that they are necessary 10 the
maintenance Of free Democratic gov
eminent"
believes In tho rcopIc.
After his opening declaration. Col
onel Roosevelt continued:
Il believe in the right of the people
TO rule. ! believe that the majority
OF the plain people of the United
States will. Dr. ~, and day out. make
fewer mistakes In governing them
selves than any smaller class or body
of men. no matter what their training
will make I'm trying 10 govern them
believe again. that the American people
are. as whole. capablc of self-control
and Of learning by their mistakes.
Our opponents pay lip-loyalty to this
doctrine, but they show their real be-
itcfs by the way in which they cham
pion every device TO make the nomi-
nal rule OF tho people Il sham
81 have scant patience with this talk
of the tyranny of the majority. Wien
ever there is tyranny Of the ma jority.
] shall protest against IL with all my
heart and soul. But we are to-day
suffering from the tyranny of minor
titles. II is a small minority that is
grabbing our coal deposits. our water
powers and our harbor fronts. \ small
minority is battcning on the sale OF
adulterated foods and drugs. /; is
small minority that lies behind mo-
nopoiies and trusts It is small
minority that stands behind the pres
ent Law OF master and servant. the
t-shoas ana the whole calendar
Of social and industrial injustice 1t
is small minority that is to-day
using our convention system to defeat
the Will OF a ma iority OF the people
in the choice of delegates to the Chi
caEo convention. The only tyrannies
from which men, women and children
are suffering in real life are the ty-
rannies OF minorities.
no sane man who has been familiar
with the government of this country
for the last twenty years will compln in
that we have had too much Of the
rule Of the majority. rhe trouble has
been a far different one--that. at many
times and in many localities, there have
held public Office in the States and in
the nation men vino have. In fact scrv
cd not the Who'll" people. but some spr-
cial class or special interest. | am
not thinking only of those special In
terests which hs grossnr methods by
bribery and crime. have stolen from
the people. ] am think as much Of
their respectable allies and hcurc-
heads, who have ruled and !cCislatcd
and decided as if in some way the
vested rights of privilege had first
mortgage on the whole United States.
while the rights Of all the people were
merely an unsecured debt
Further Rule of Majority.
ITO further the rule nf tho ma iority,"
continued tho speaker. 'rhc progress
siycs Of tho Republican party in Ger
tain states have formulated certain
proposals for change In tho form Of
The state ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS checks
and balances which may check and
balance tho special interests and their
allies.
First there arc the initiative and
referendum. which are 50 framed that
81 the Legislatures obey the command
Of some special interest. and Obstinate
Is refuse tho Will of the majority, the
majority may step in ard lcgislatc ii-
rcctly."
There there is tho direct primary
the real one. not the New York one
and that. too. the proEressives off or
as check on the special interests.
Most clearly of all does 1t seem to me
that this change is wholly good for
every state. E. The direct primary. IL
accompanied by stringent corrupt
practices act viii help break mp cor
rupt partnership OF corporations and
politicians.
$50 that no man may misunderstood
nc let me rccapitulatc:
al. am not proposing anything In
connection with the Supreme Court Of
the United states or with tho Federal
Constitution.
40. am not proposlni; anything hav-
Ing any connection with ordinary suits.