The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-03-29

means, comrades, 10 nave IN tue
hands of an intelligent, militant work
ing class the political power to recall
the present capitalistic judges and put
on the bench our own men? Was
there ever such an opportunity for eff
fective work? No, not since social
ism first raised its crimson banner
on the shores of Morgan's country!
The election for governor and state
officers of California does not occur
until 1914. But, with the recall at
our command, we can put our own
men in office without waiting for a
regular election
"Mr. Wilson's advocates may an
swer that Debs was writing of the
recall of judges, and I5r Wilson halts
when confronted with this application
of the principle. Buc Dehs could.
with equal force have supported a
.easure for the recall of governors.
as to which he and Mr.. Wilson are
agreed, upon the ground that, in the
event of the conviction of the McNa-
maras, he and his comrades could
insist upon their pardon by the gov
ernor, or recall him, and, under the
system of recall, could have had in
office an executive who would do
their bidding.
Indeed, Debs himself is consistent
and logical like Roosevelt. because he
does not confine the blessings of le-
call to the judges, but proclaims, i'll
IFS editorial, with the recall at our
command, we can put our own men
in office withc It waiting for a regu-
Ia. election IL the light of the sub
seCuent confessi.,1 of the McEama
-as this editorial, in the Appeal to
Reason, is very interesting reading
and Is a remarkable endorsement of
Mr.. Wilson's principle of recall.
1T would be easy to cite instances
where, if the power to recall had ex-
listed to the extent advocated by Mr..
Wilson, most mischievous conse-
quences would probably have ensued.
The probabilities are that George
Washington would have been recalled
at the time of the great excitement
when he took his stand land wise
and proper stand it was), against the
French representative, Genet, greatly
to the straining of his popularity.
James Madison would have been in
Iserious peril during the intense polit-
ical excitement and agitation, that
preceded in the year 1912, the war
with England. 1t would have been
easy to have made Grover Cleveland
la victim in the summer of 1898, when,
against his party, he was making a
splendid fight for a financial system,
which is now regarded as safe and
sound. L. @. C. Lamar would have
been recalled when he voted against
the Bland silver bill, Notwithstanding
the positive and peremptory instruc-
tions of both houses of the legisla-
ture of Mississippi, demanding that
he vote for the bill; the same body
that passed a resolution commencing
} his colleague, Bruce, the colored SEN
ator, who was in favor of the bill, and
who. according to the legislature of
Mississippi, represented property
Mississippi rather than Lamar. The
Iconduct of the legislature furnishes
disgraceful page in the history of the
state. A political wave had swept
over the country and sane advisers
were at a discount. The very men,
who, in the heat of their foolish an
ger, would have recalled Lamar and
deprived his state and country of his
magnificent services, would have soon
seen that Lamar was right and they
were wrong, but the mischief of the
recall would have been done.
Lamar was representative of the
type of Edmund Burke, a type that
would disappear if the recall receiv-
ed full recognition and endorsement,
and. in order to test the wisdom of
any particular policy, we must ask the
question, what would be the conse-
quences if it were pushed to its log
ical result? Let us hear Burke's
great words as to the real duty of a
representative: 1t ought to be the
happiness and glory of representa-
tive to live in the strictest union, the
closest correspondence, and the most
unreserved communication with his
constituents. Their wishes ought to
have great weight with him; their
opinions, high respect; their business,
unremitted attention. But his un-
biased opinion, his mature judgment,
his enlightened conscience, he ought
not to sacrifice to you, to any man,
or to any set of men living. . >
Nrsssr ,k,&s