Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1912-06-21

MIN Dy the cry OF the Dig neWSpa-
pers that be is preaching subver-
sion of law and order. That
charge against him is weak, and
to my mind absurd. We all
know he made a good president
for seven years, and his very
platform based on giving the
people a more direct voice in
government are answers enough
to the charge against dictator.
ship.
The fact remains that where
ever the people. have had a
chance to vote for him on the
issues proclaimed by him he has
won overwhelmingly. This too
in spite of the unanimous oppo-
sition of the press. Every news
paper in New York that I have
seen both democratic and repubA
lican lambasted him with fury
and scorn, but nevertheless look
what he did in New Jersey. The
vote in New York would have
been exactly the same victory
had there been a real vote.
Everybody knows this. The
fact Of the matter. is every man
of intelligence knows that the
newspapers have systematically
misrepresented him and they
cannot fool the people in that
way. They have foolishly at
tackled him for criticising the
judges on the bench, Whereas
there isn't a man living with any
thinking power at all, that has
not himself known of judicial de-
cissions that should be and
ought to criticised.
/, The ruling opinion of many de-
cisions is itself criticised by the
minority opinion Of the judges
on the same bench. And very
often the dissenting opinion car
ries the conviction to the MAORI
I ty of the people no doubt. So to
say that judges are above criti-
cism in their decisions is going
pretty far-too far by a long
shot.
The fact is so we'll know that
many of oul most far-reaching
supreme court decisions have
been decided by political bias of
the individual members of the
court, that to refute the state
|ment is impossible. Not that
the personal probity of the
|judgesjare to be questioned, but
simply that no man can sink his
political bias altogether. AS |
understand Roosevelt's PROPOSE
tion in his recall of judicial de-
cisions" it is simply to refer
such decisions that nullify by
nice distinctions of law. either by
reading certain meanings Of
words into statute or by hair
splitting technicalities. such de-
cisions that nullify the attempts
made by the legislatures for the
good of the people, should be re-
ferred to the people for their in
depreciation. By this is meant
not necessarily a reflection on
the judges, but merely to test
the justice of their decision in
such such cases. It is. no
adequate remedy to say to
change the constitution to con-
form to the decision-as we are
now trying to do in the income
tax case. The cumbersomeness
of it makes it almost impossible
and though an overwhelming
majority of the people favor it,
it is doubtful when the effort
will succeed.
On the other hand do not see
why this recall of decisions
should be a great menace, as be-
fore any such recall could be in
volved there would be all all sorts
of time for deliberation. In fact
the proposition appears to me as
being very business like method
of progressing toward the ulti-
mate goal of a real democratic
form of government.
I have no sympathy whatever
with the doctrine that the ma
jority of the people are in dan
ger of Poing off on a tangent
contrary to right and justice.
They may have been in danger Of
this a century ago in countries
composed of ignorant men as in
the French Revolution, but in
enlightened country such as ours,
and with full discussion and
knowledge | cannot conceive of
people acting unwisely in a given
clear cut proposition.
Again as ! understand it, this