Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1912-04-12

so or it NAV be- on days The Who'll. .
Impll, alton OF such restriction il thai /
the people regard the sessions OF the I
legislature as a necessary evil. as
something % be guarded against and I
limited and restrained as anything I
else dangerous aud under suspicion F.
would ~ restrained. No one who l
feels the fun American pride In our |
institutions can fail 10 deplore these
evidences OF distrust Every patri- /.
otir American must hope that the |
time win come. and come very soon
when the reasons Tor this kind OF
Iisfrust and the reasons for taking /
as much power as possible out OF the |
hands OF our legislatures and pro-
yidIng for as much as possible by
Constitutional provision shall have
gone by % will pass just so soon
JAZZ our legislative methods become
open. and just 20 soon as the kind
uf leadership exercised In lawmaking
Is responsible leadership. Just so
soon as every one knows who A. Is
.haI BIS directing matters Of this fun
iausufW SORT just that soon will
suspicion pass away and knowledge
take Its place, and that knowledge
tIU .sc confidence and self-respect.
Suspicion turks only where there is
ignorance. only whore IL is difficult
.I not impossible 10 find out what IS
really a0.ur on.
The increasing dependence Of the
country upon its executive officers Is
tbrUHiug upon them a double func-
ton They must undertake the bus
.ucs- OF AGITATION, that II IL to say
/ the business Of forming and leading
opinion and IL will not be very eff
feDual or scryiceable for them TO do
that unless they take the next step
and make bold 10 formulate the meas
urcs by which opinion is TO be pu'
| into effect What the result OF this
win be- upon our forms OF govern
mental procedure we can only con-
lecture. Rat one thing Is plain, II
puts a tremendous responsibility up
Ion executives and at tho same time
brings them out into such blazing
Hight Of publicity that they are
/ checked as they never were checked
/ before IN the exercise Of thir pre-
r0catIves Their new powers, if they
bc new, arc not powers Of compul-
sion. they are only powers OF lead
| orship They can not oblige leEisla-
lures 10 carry out their decisions.
I They can only seek TO lead and in
struct public opinion Their strength
/ is nothing except when their fellow
citizens agree with them and stand
back Of them In the great business
of politics
More Thorough Dchnt" Needed.
The defect of the whole method g.
. that q does not lead 10 sufficiently
/ thorough debate There Is no one
Of equal authority and influence with
the executive 10 debate public mat
ters officially with him; no single
legislator occupies his place of adj
vantage In getting al public opinion
There Is no one In situation Of au-
thorltv which enables him 10 answer
the governor or the president as ef-
fectiyely as the governor or the pres
ident can himself speak by reason OF
his larger authority. This Is not a
desirable state Of affairs The great
thing to be desired Is debate debate
among authoritative persons as well
as debate upon the stump. and tho
more ACKNOWLEDGING. the more fear
less this debate Is, the better
Moreover. il Is still further belit-
thing to our legislators that the dis
cussions led nv our executive should
be made outside Of the legislative
chambers. To do this Is to make the
little debate that occurs In the legis-
lature thing Of little or no signifl-
canoe. and II is clearly desirable. in
deed imperative. that in order tina;
The authority of our legislative bod
les should be revived the most effec-
tive and thorougheoing debate should
take place within their chambers
! Undoubtedly the hope Of the imme-
date future is that. by slowly get
ting rid Of machine control and tho
control Of secret interests of other
kinds inside orr legislative chambers
they may Thoroughly REGAIN their
'relf-rossossion and their seli-rcspect
and in regainine these maF return
10 their one-time practice OF debate
and put everything that thoy do "a
the public ordeal That way les the
recovery Of their prestige. and ! think
there can te no doubt that the pres
ent processes Of reform will presently
bring about that much to be desired
result, when the people will agaii
depend. and depend with confidence
upon their Legislators and not lear
as II for rescue upon their execu'