Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1912-03-26
ARE FIT TO rule,
SAYS ROOSEVELT.
People Capable Of lf-control
and Of Learning by Their
Mistakes.
ANSWERS TAFT and OTHERS

iumbus Speech and Utter
W Refutes All Arsu-
ments Brought
Against It
New York, March 21.---Col. Thee
dore Roosevelt delivered an address
on the subject OF THE Right of the
People to Rule" IN Carnegie hall in
this city last evening, before an en-
thusiastic audience that tested the
capacity of the auditorium. Colonel
Roosevelt said:
The great fundamental issue now
before the Republican party and be-
fore our people can be stated briefly.
It is, Are the American people fit to
govern themselves, to rule them
selves. to control themselves? ] be-
Heve they are. MY opponents do not.
/ believe in the right of the people to-
rule. l believe that the majority OF
the plain people Of the United States
will, day in and day out, make fewer
mistakes in governing themselves
than any smaller class or body OF
men, no matter what their training,
Will make in trying to govern them.
II believe, again, that the American
people are, as whole. capable OF
self-control and OF learning by their
mistakes. Our opponents pay lip-loy-
atty to this doctrine; but they show
their real beliefs by the way In which
they champion every device to make
/ the nominal rule of the people a
I sham
have scant patience with this talk
Of the tyranny OF the majority.
Whenever there is tyranny OF the
majority, / shall protest against It
with all my heart and soul. But we
are today suffering from the tyranny
I Of minorities. It is q small minority
that is grabbing our coal deposits, our
water powers and our harbor fronts.
A small minority is fattening on the
sale OF adulterated foods and drugs.
II Is small minority that lies behind
monopolies and trusts. 1t Is small
minority that stands behind the pres
emit law of master and servant, the
sweat-shops, and the whole calendar
OF social and Industrial injustice. II
! IL small minority that Is today u.s.
Ing our convention system to defeat
the will of majority Of the people In
the choice of delegates to the Chi.
cago convention. The only tyrannies
from which men, women and children
arc suffering In real lie are the tyran-
- t<,.. 80 ,,spyritiou
If the majority OF the American
people were In fact tyrannous over
the minority. II democracy had no
greater self-control than empire, then
indeed no written words which our
forefathers put into the constitution
could stay that tyranny.
No sane man who has been famil.
lar with the government of this coun.
try for the last twenty years will com.
plain that we have had too much of
the rule of the majority. The trouble
has been a far different one-that. at
many times and in many localities,
there have held public Office in the
stA ,es and in the nation men who
have, in fact, served not the whole
pccnle. but some special class or
special interest. am not thinking
only of those special interests which
by grosser methods, by bribery and
crime, have stolen from the people.
am thinking as much Of their re-
spectacle allies and hgureheads, who
have ruled and legislated and decided
az II in some way the vested rights
Of privilege had first mortgage on
the whole United States, while the
rights OF all the people were merely
An unsecured debt Am ! overstating
the case? Have our political leaders
always. or generally, recognized their
duty to tile people az anything more
than duty to dispense the mob, see
that the ashes are taken away, and
distribute patronage? Have our lead.
ers always. or generally. worked for
the benefit of human beings. to In
crease the prosperity OF all the peo-
ple, to give to each some opportunity
OF living dc emily and bringing up his
children well? The questions need no
answer.
NUW tuett IstS SPt uuE up iucitht'
deep in the hearts OF the people--not
Of the bosses and professional politi.
clans, not of the beneficiaries Of spe.
ciai privIlege-a pervading belief OF
thinking men that when the majority
OF the people do in fact, as we'll as
theory. rule. then the servants OF the
people will come more quickly to an
ever and obey, not the commands OF
the special interests, but those OF the
whole people To reach toward that
end the Progressives OF the Repub.
lican party in certain states have
formulated certain proposals for
change In the form OF the state gov
ernment-certain new checks and
balances" which may check and bal
ance the special interests and their
allies. That is their purpose.
First. there are the Initiative and
referendum" which are so framed
( that il the legislatures obey the com.
mand of some special interest, and
obstinately refuse the will OF the ma
jority. the majority may step In and
legislate directly. No man would say