Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-03-19
PRESIDENT TAFT
FOR PRIMARIES
lcontInued from F,rst paxel


and is Intended otherwise than TO fiat
ter the people. Ia Intended to be q reflec.
tion on the government that we have
had down to the present time. Now. In
spite OF all the corruption. in spite OF ali
the machine politics. in spite Of every
defect In the operation OF our govern.
ment that can be pointed on. DO no,
hesitate TO state that the history Of the
last is years shows that the people have
ruled. They may have been defeated at
timeA BY corrupt and corrupting In
fluences; congresses and legislafures may
have been halted by subtsrranean meth
DDS In carrying out what the people de-
nre. but In the end. under our present
constitution and our present laws we
have had really popular government.
Il do not mean to say we cannot make
1t better. do not mean TO say we may
not remove some obstacles by which cor
ruption or machine methods may be
minimized. but what do say 10 that the
cry that the people do not rule and are
not In control. or an intimstion 10 that
affect. does not do justice TO the Amer
loan people or their history and holds NC
up TO the world st large In a light which
does not DO US justice. Certainly there IL
nothing In the growth OF this country
from the adoption Of the constitution
until now. or within the last twenty or
thirty years. that iustIfies any attack
upon our structure Of government. or sap
ping Of the foundations that have stood
70 firmly and upon which our whole
popular civilization has been reared.
Defends the courts.
'-The occasion for these remarks IL the
attack on our judiciary and the proposal
by judicial recall. or recall OF judicial
decisions 10 destroy its independence and
thus TO take away from the arch Of gov
eminent the keystone.
Il deny that there Is In the decisions OF
the coufts or the character Of the judges,
or the result or litigation. that which Jus
tifles such radical innovation. am not
unmindful Of the necessity for the judicial
reform. but that depends not upon chang
Ing the character OF the judges. but upon
the change OF procedure. the expedition
Of Judgments and the reduction Of the
expense Of litigation. - .ss
One easily can discover tendency In
modern politics TO exslt above the written
law and above the written consultation
what 10 called popular viii. as II that
were higher law TO which We must all
admit allegiance by obeying Il and ignore
or transgrsss statutory and constitutional
limitations.
This heresy 10 not exactly In the form
Of an assertion that Judges and others
are TO ignore statutes and constitutions
because OF . conflicting popular win. but
Il is In the more insldious proposition that
plain construction Of the statutes or OF
the constitution Ia to be defeated and q
strained and otherwise impossible con-
struction put on the language OF the
statute or constitution. In Difference 20
what Is supposed to be the popular will
Right IL Law.
The president here quoted a western
governor. whom he did not name. who
had declared Whatever Is right is con.
stitutionai." and who had taken LIN
coins. The life Of this nation is greater
than any constitution" to sustain his
view.
III u impossible TO escape the meaning
Of such view said the president "and
that is that the plain construction OF ths
constitution is to Be perverted because !
thought the people at present would
prefer not to be subject to the limitation
contained IN the constitution lawfully
adopted. The quoted words Of Lincoln
have no application. II Is not true thai
Whatever 10 right 10 constitutional I'M
less the declaration Of the right 10 con
tained In the constitution. or 10 cot for
hidden by II.
Popular win TO be effective and con