The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-03-24
BY Associated Press.

Portland, March 23.-The most dras-
tic criticism yet leveled at President
Taft by his predecessor in Office WAS
contained In a speech here tonight by
Theodore Roosevelt. Col. Roosevelt
spent twelve hours here and received
a cordial reception. Before big
crowd Roosevelt repeated the state
ments he made In New York that
Taft had declared in favor OF q gov
esrnmenr "by q representative part )f
the people In its actual workings,
he said, "the presidents scheme is
governing the people for the people
by the bosses"
He took issue with statements In
recent speeches made by President
Taft. He quoted Abraham Lincoln 10
prove that the presidents theory OF
government meant government by "a
combination of political and financial
privilege"
SAYS TAFT STATES ISSUE.
THE president OF the United States
has in a number of recent speeches
ably and correctly stated the issue be-
welt. I'VE stand for the right of the
people to rule and we stand for this
as a real and living fact and not as
juggling formula ingeniusly devised so
as not to find expression in fact. In a
recent speech the president para
phrased Lincoln's great statement that
this is a government of the people, for
the people and by the people, propos-
ing as a substitute that we should
hereafter act on the theory that this Is
a government of the people, for the
people by a representative part Cor
class of the people. 1t Is dangerous
work for any man to try to Improve
on Lincoln's doctrines OF popular SOW
ereignty and popular right
'fOf course everybody, whether a be-
lever in despotism or In Democracy,
agrees that there must be goveEnnsnt
or tbs peopies In the next place even
the ruling classes IN b depotism all
ways publicly state that their govern
ment is for the people. The point of
difference between the believers Ia
genuine democracy and genuine
popular rule and those who openly or
secretly dfsbelieve In such genuine
popular rule and believe In govern
ment by minorities comes in connec-
tion with Lincolns third proposition
that the government should be by the
popular rule and believe In govern
ment or rule by a part of the people,
by a minority of the peace, by privi-
legged class or caste. over the rest of
the people have always insisted under
every form of minority government,
from aristocracy to plutocracy, that
they were really representing the peo-
pie but that they knew how to repre-
sent the people and how to govern
them a great deal better than the peo-
pie did themselves. 1t is on this point
that we follow Abraham Lincoln and
take direct issue with the president.
In actual practice the presidents
theory Of government of the people not
by the people but by representative
part of the people means simply go1-
eminent of the people by the bosses.
Thanks to the very bosses In question,
thanks to the representatives of politi-
cal and financial privilege and even,
am sorry to say, a proportion OF judi
cial officers, we have had this kind OF
government which the president up
holds in many parts Of our country
and 1t has not been satisfactory ex-
pertinent. In actual practice such a
so-called representative part Of the
people represents and will always rep
resent nothing whatever but privilege
The chief present adherents of the
president. gentlemen like Senator PEN
rose, Senator Gallinger, Mr.. Barnes
Mr.. Mckinley, Mr.. Tawney and their
associates, are precisely the men who
under the presidents theory would be-
as they to a certain degree already are,
tn representative part of the people
which gowns the rest of the people,
and which dos not really represent
Jnem at all Dut miSrepreSentS them.
In short, in its actual workings the
presidents scheme would be govern
ment Of the people for the people by
the bosses.
ARE FIT TO RULE.
AS against this theory of govern
ment we hold that the American peo-
pie are fit to rule themselves and that
no small part of them is to be per
mitted to govern the rest We hold
that the American people are to gov
ern themselves and that they choose
their representatives not TO rule over
them but merely to manage the public
business.
This Is not a difference OF words
This is fundamental difference which
explains why In SO many matters the
progressives do not feel that the presi
dent however good his intentions, can
Continued on Para EIstn..