Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-03-21

fundamental issue now before the re-
publican party and before our people
can be stated briefly. 1t is, are the
American people fit to govern them-
selves, to rule themselves, to con-
troll themselves? / believe they are.
My opponents do not"
With these words Theodore
Roosevelt last night opened the first
/ speech he has delivered since the pup
/ lie announcement of his willingness
to accept the republican nomination
for president. His subject was The
Right of the People to Rule The
speech, delivered at Carnegie hall
under the auspices of the civic forum,
elaborated much that Colonel Roose-
welt said in his Columbus, Ohio, ad-
dress, and answered in detail certain
arguments of President Taft in re-
ply. 81 stand on the Columbus
speech" said Colonel Roosevelt,
1.-The principles there asserted are not
new, but / believe that they are nee
essary to the maintenance of free
democratic government.
After his opening declaration Colo
mel Roosevelt continued:
al believe in the right of the peo-
PIE to rule. / believe that the ma
jority of the plain people of the
| United States will, day in and day
out, make fewer mistakes in govern
ing themselves than any smaller
class or body of men, no matter
what their training, will make in try
TA
again, that the American people are,
as a whole, capable of self-control
and of learning by their mistakes.
Our opponents pay lip-loyalty to this
doctrine; but they show their real
beliefs by the way in which they
champion every device to make the
nominal rule of the people sham.
81 have scant patience with this
talk of the tyranny of the majority.
Whenever there is tyranny of the ma
iority, l shall protest against it with
all my heart and soul. But we are
; today suffering from the tyranny of
minorities. 1t is a small minority
that is grabbing our coal deposits,
our water powers and our harbor
fronts. A small minority is fatten-
ing on the sale of adulterated foods
and drugs. 1t is a small minority
that lies behind monopolies and
: trusts. 1t is a small minority that
stands behind the present law OF
master and servant, the sweatshops
and the whole calendar of social and
industrial injustice. 1t is a small
minority that is today using our con
vention system to defeat the will oil
majority of the people in the
choice of delegates to the Chicago
convention. The only tyrannies from
! which men, women and children are
I suffering in real life are tyrannies o.
mlnorities.
mo sane man who has been ia
miliar with the government of thii
country for the last 20 years will
complain that we have had too mucl
of the rule of the majority Thu
trouble has been a far different on,
that, at many times and in man.
localities there have held public of
flee in the states and in the nation
men who have, in fact, served no
/. the whole people, but some specia
class or special interest. ! am no
thinking only of those special inter
ests which by grosser methods, b.
& bribery and crime, have stolen iron
: the people. l am thinking as nue.
of their respectable allies and figure
4 heads, who have ruled and legislate
and decided as If in some way tn
vested rights of privilege had frs
mortgage on the whole United State:
while the rights of all the people wer
merely an unsecured debt.
''To further the rule of the me
jority," continued the speaker, eth
progressives of the republican part
in certain states have formulate
certain proposals for change in tn
form of the state government-cel
tain checks and balances which ma
check and balance the special intel
ests and their allies.
First, there are the initiatiy
and referendum which are so fran
ed that If the legislatures obey I'll
command of some special interest an
obstinately refuse the will of the mi
jority, the majority may step in ar
'legislate directly.
Then there is the direct primal
the real one, not the New YoI
one-and that, too, the progressiv,
offer as a check on the special il
terests. Most clearly of all does
seem to men that this change
wholly good-for every state.
The direct primary, If accompanied
stringent corrupt practices act, wi
help break up corrupt partnership I
corporations and politicians.
so that no man may misunde
stand me, let me recapitulate:
I'D / am not proposing anythir
in connection with the supreme cou
OF the United States or with the fe
eral constitution.
"(2) / am not proposing anythir
having any connection with ordinal
suits, civil or criminal, as betwes
individuals.
"(3) 1 am not speaking of the r
call of judges.
"(4 l am proposing merely tn
in a certain class of cases involviI
the police power, when a state cou