The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-02-21
ROOSEVELT PRAISED
La TOILETTE, LEADER
Because He Started Practical Workers
and Thinkers In Wisconsin Toward
Turning That State Into An "Ex-
pertinent Laboratory of Wise
Governmental Action"

4 Columbus, O., Feb. 2l.--"Big business
the fitness of the American people fol
! sslIgoyernment. the recall of judges, and
IN for the progressives legislation
in onsin instituted by and fur
IL 4 BY. Senator Robert NJ. La Fol
lette, when he was governor, were top.
les discussed by Theodore Roosevelt in
an address to-day before the Ohio con
stitution convention here. Colonel
Roosevelt chose as his subject, "A Char
ter of Democracy"
! Of what he termed big Business,
Colonel Roosevelt had this to say:
THE antitrust law does good inso-
far as it can be invoked against COM
binations which really are monopolies or
which restrict production or which ar
tificially raise prices. But insofar as
/ its workings are uncertain or as it
threatens corporations which have not
been guilty of anti-soeial conduct, it
1 does harm. There should be fixed gov
enImental policy which shall clearly de-
/ fine and punish wrong-doing and give in
advance full information to any man as
to just what he can and just what he
cannot legally and properly do"
| As to the fitness of the American
people for government, Colonel
Roosevelt said
"Many eminent lawyers believe that
the American people are not fitted for
popular government and that it Is nec-
essary to keep the judiciary 'independ-
ent of the majority of the people |
take absolute issue with all those who
hold such position"
Of the recall of judges, he said:
"1'he question is one of expedieney
merely. Each community has the right
to try the experiment for itself in what
ever shape it pleases. | do not believe
in adopting the recall save as last
resort when il has become clearly evil
dent that no other course will achieve
the desired result"
Senator La Toilette was mentioned
but once, as follows;
Following Senator La Toilette num-
ber of practical workers and thinkers
in Wisconsin have turned that state
into an experimental laboratory Of wise
government action in aid of social and
industrial justice. They have initiat-
ed that kind OF progressive government
which means not only the preservation
OF true democracy but the extension of
true democracy into industriaIism as
well as into politics.
Mr.. Roosevelt said in part:
THE people have nothing whatever TO
fear from giving any public servant
power so long as they retain their own
power to hold him accountable for his
use Of the power they have delegated
to him. You will get the best service
where you elect only few men, and
where each man has his definite duties
and responsibilities, and is obliged 10
work in the open, so that the people
know who he is and what he is doing,
and having the information that will
enable them to hold him to account for
his stewardship.
Il believe in providing for direct nom
nations by the people, including therein
direct preferential primaries for the
election OF delegates TO the national nom
mating conventions. / believe in the
election OF United States senators by
direct vote. | believe in the initiative
and the referendum, which should ue
used not to destroy representative gov
ernment, but to correct it whenever it
becomes misrepresentation.
Il believe that the initiative and ref
erendum should be used, not as substi-
tutes for representative government. but
as methods of making such government
really representative. Action by the in
itiative or referendum ought not to be
the normal way of legislation; but the
power to take it should be provided in
the constitution, so that if the repre-
sentatiyes fail truly to represent the peo-
pie on some matter of sufficient mpor-
tance to rouse popular interest, then the
people shall have in their hands the
facilities to make good the failure.
"And / urge You not to try to put
constitutional fetters on the legislature,
as so many constitutions makers have re-
Gently DONE Such action on your part
would invite the courts to render nuga-
tory every legislative act to better social
conditions. Give the legislature IN en-
tirely free hand; and then provide BY the
initiative and referendum that the peo-
pie shall have power to reverse or sup
plement the work of the legislature
should it ever become necessary.
"As to the recall, do not believe
that there is any great necessity for it
as regards short-term elective officers.
There remains the question of the recall
of judges.
81 do not believe in adopting the recall
save as last resort, when it has become
clearly evident that no other course will
achieve the desired result. But either
the recall will have to be adopted or else
it will have to be made much easier than
it now is to get rid, not merely of a
bad Judge, but of a judge who, however
virtuous, has grown so out of touch. with
social needs and facts that he is unit
longer to render good service on the
bench. II is nonsense to say that im-
peachment meets the difficulty. In actu
al practice we have found that impeach-
ment does not work, that unfit Judges
stay on the bench in spite of it, and, in
deed, because of the fact that impeach
ment is the only remedy that can be useo
against them.
"a quicker, more summary, remedy
is needed, some remedy at least as sum
mary and as drastic as that embodied in
the Massachusetts, constitution. And
whenever it be found in actual practice
that such remedy does not give the
needed results, l would unhesitatIngly
adopt the recall"