Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-02-29
TAFT BRANDS It
As A FALSEH00O
Denies That He Said 1.-THE People
Are Not Fitted for Self.
Government

Washington, Feb. 8.-President Taft
yesterday denied cmrhatically that in a
speech in New York on Lincolns birth
day he said that 'the people are not fitted
for self government"
In the frs. official statement OF this
kind that the White House has ever is
sued during the Taft administration. he
calls tho circulation Of this story a
"falsehood." The White House state
ment follows:
Among the falsehoods that are be-
ing assiduously circulated by persons
and papers opposed to the President. is
one that in his Lincoln's day speech
the President argued That the people
arc not fittod for self-government Presi-
dent Taft said nothing upon that occasion
which could possibly he tortured into any
such construction.
1.-THE speech in which the President
made reference to popular government
was delivered a. the banquet OF the State
Bar association in New York on the
night Of January %. What he then said
on this subject, and 1t was correctly
quoted in the newspaper the following
day, was this: Popular government we
all believe in. There are those Of us
who do not believe that all people arc
fitted for popular government. The fact
is we know. they are not.
Some OF us do not dare to say so,
hut do; and the question whether a
people is fitted for popular self-gov-
eminent so as to make that govern
ment best for that people is deter
mined by the ability of the majority
of that people to place upon itself the
restraint by which the minority shall
receive justice from the majority. 1t
is the question of self imposed re-
straint that determines whether Il peo-
PIE Is fit to govern ITSELF
While it is not admitted by any one
at the White House who has author
ity to speak for the President that his
correction of the Interpretation placed
by some people upon his New York
speech included colonel Roosevelt. po-
litical leaders here believe such to be
the case. Many of President Tafts
friends have asserted that Colonel
Roosevelt had Mr.. Taft in mind when.
in his Columbus speech, he said: MANY
eminent lawyers who more or less
frankly disbelieve in our entire AM
erican system OF government for, by
and of the people. violently antagonize
this proposal.
They believe. and sometimes assert
that the American people are not fitted
for popular government, and that 1t is
necessary to keep the judiciary independ-
ent of the ma iority or Of all the people
that there must he no appeal to the peO-
pie from the decision of a court in any
case and that therefore the judges are to
lie established as sovereign rulers over
TIE people. | take absolute issue with
all those who hold such position
In the same connection Colonel Roose-
Welt also said: Il believe if the American
people are not fit for popular gOvcrnmcn,
and if they should of right he the ser
wants and not the masters of the men
whom they themselves put in office, then
1incoln's work was wasted. and the
whole system of government upon which
this great democratic republic resets is a
failure.'
After speaking at length of ''thc posi-
ton which these erinen lawyers take
and applaud Colonel Roosevelt said
THE only tenal'le excuse for such a posi-
ton is the frank avowal that the people
lack sufficient intelligence and morality
to be TT 20 govern themselves