The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-03-21

by bribery and crime, have stolen from
the people. 1 am thinking as much of
their respectable allies and figureheads
who have ruled and legislated and de-
cided as If in some way the vested
rights Of privilege had d first mortgage
on the whole United States, while the
rights Of all the people were merely an
unsecured debt.
ITO further the rule Of the majority"
continued the speaker, the progress
ives of the Republican party In GER
tain states have formulated certain
proposals for change in the form of
the state government-certain checks
and balances which may check and
balance the special interests and their
allies
INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM.
First, there are the initiative and
referendum which are so framed that
II the legislatures obey the command
of some special interest, and obstinate
ly refuse the will Of the majority, the
majority may step In and legisiate d.
rectly.
Then there Is the direct primary
the real one, not the New York one
and that, too, the progressives offer
as check on the special interests.
Most clearly OF all does it seem to me
that this change Is wholly good-for
every state. The direct pri
mary, If accompanied by a stringent
corrupt practices act, will help break
up corrupt partnership Of corporations
and politicians,
A REcAPlTULATtoN.
80 that no man may misunderstood
me- let NE recapitulate:
Il. I am not proposing anything In
connection with the supreme court Of
the United States, or with the federal
constitution.
"2. I am not proposing anything
having any connection with ordinary
suits, civil or criminal, as between in
dividuals
"8. I am not speaking Of the recall
of judges.
"A. I am proposing merely that in
police power, when a state court has
set aside SIS unconstitutional a law
passed by the legislature for the gen
eral welfare, the question of the valid
ity of the law-which should depend,
| as Justice Holmes so well phrases Ii,
upon the prevailing morality or pro-
ponderant opinion-be submitted for
final determination to a vote Of the
people, taken after due time for con-
sideration-
THE president of the United States,
Mr.. Taft, devoted most Of recent
speech to criticism of this proposition.
He says that it is utterly withou,
merit or utility, and, instead Of being
In the interest of all the PEI
pie. and of the stability Of popular
government, Is sowing the seeds Cf
confusion and tyranny (By THE he
of course means the tyranny of the
majority, that is, the tyranny of the
American people as a wholel He also
says that my proposal (Which, as he
rightly sees, is merely a proposal to
give the people real, instead Of only
/ ~ g.
amend a state constitution with rea-
| sonable rapidity) would make such
amendment and Interpretation depend
| on the feverish, uncertain and unstable
determination of successive votes on
different laws by temporary and
changing majorfties:' and that 1t lsys
| the axe at the foot OF the tree Of we'll
ordered freedom, and subjects the
guarantees of life, liberty, and prop
| erty without remedy to the fitfuI i'm
pulse of a temporary majority Of an
electorate
CRITICISM Is UNFouNDED.
'.This criticism Is really less criti-
| cism Of my proposal than criticism
of all popular government. 1t is wholly
unfounded on the belief that the pto-
pie are fundamentally untrustwogfhv,
| If the supreme courts definition of due
process in relation to the police power
| is sound, then an act of the legislature
| to promote the collective interests of
| the community must be valid, If it en-
| bodies a policy held by the prevailing
| morality or a prepondersnt opinion to
be necessary to the public welfare.
| This Is the question that l propose 10
| submit to the people. How can the
prevailing morality or a preponderant
| opinion be better and more exactly
ascertained than by vote of the peo-
! pie.
HITS TAFT A BLOW.
mfr. Taft fairly defines the Issue
| when he says that our government Is
| and should be a government of all the
people by a representative part of the
/ people. This is an excellent and mod
crate description of an oligarchy. 1t
| defines our government as a govern
| ment of all of the people by a few OF
| the people"
Mr.. Taft, said Col. Roosevelt, de-