The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1912-04-12
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tuohtinued IRON Dags one.

AAaN
FIN his recent speech in Louisyflfe,
M. Roosevelt declared that Presi.
dent Taft ranks himself akainst The
progressives' and shows himself Re.
dictionary, because he opposes the re.
cah Of judicial decisions by the PEG.
tple. Yet Senator GaFollette, who Is
genrally regarded as the leader oi
the progressiyes, has meyer endorsed
NJ. Ruoseyeit's doctrine OF the re.
csli Of judicial decisions. ms Mr.. La.
Toilette then a hopeless reaetIonafy,
Bthe foe of popular government, and
an enemy Of the peopIes
"Thls wonderful proposal Of Mr..
Rooseyelt's to apply the;recall to the
decisions Of the courts would under.
mine the independence of the judici-
larry. And the independence Of the
judiciary. whether in monarchies7 OF
I'm republics is. the sole safeguard OF
liberty and of justice. It has always
been the aim of tyrannical kings to
make Judges dependent upon them.
selves. But the friends Of liberty
and Justice have fought this policy
and prevailed, so that today in all
ciyiliged countries judges are abso-
IIlutely. Independent, and they can not
jdischsrge their function as inter
Epreters of justic and the law on any
other condition.
Laws and constitutions are or
derby restraints which the people
have imposed upon themselves.
Government, and especially the ad-
ADMINISTRATION Of justice, must be de.
liberste and free from passion il it
is to be Just and orderly. Reforms
ers of Mf: RooseyeH,s cast OF
mtpd as soon as they conceive
projects Of reform want to see them
carried out quickly, Yet the goal
tot civilization is deliberate democ-
,racy which gives sober heed to its
second thoughts.
Nowadays, besides advocating
1.-THE recall of decisions, Mr.. Roose-
lvelt is claiming a monopoly for his
recognition of the right of the peo-
Hple to rule. And President Taft
Having pointed out that since chill
drep and young men under twenty
one years of age. and women Eek
cept in a few states) are. allowed to
vote, the people who do vote con-
stitute only one-fourth of the whole,
and are, therefore, in sense repre-
sentative Of all the people-becanse;
say. President Taft has declared
this voting fraction of the people
representative of the entire popu-
tlation, Mr.. Roosevelt charges Pres
ident Taft with denyfE - right
Of the people to rule and asserting
that they should be ruled by the rep
resentatives OF political and financial
privilege. Was ever misrepresentt-
ton of one PUBLIC man by another
more gross and unjust than this?
1.-THE electorate. says President Taft,
the people who vote by actual count
are not more than a fourth of the
population, and that being so, the
constitution puts restrictions upon
them SO that they may mot abuse
1.-The power which they exercise over
A all the people. This, Of course, is
q very strong argument for a writ
ten constitution and very strong
objection to overriding It by the re-
\ can of judicial decisions. Now, in.
stead of meeting this argument fair
.kly, Mr.. Roosevelt has attributed to
president Taft's statements not only
a meaning foreign to the language
be used but abhorrent to his
Thought and to the thoughts of every
democrat, in in the world. Presi-
Iaent Taft, says Mr.. Roosevelt, is a
lreactionary; he objects to the peo-
4 pie ruling themselves. but insists
they must he ruled by others, and
tthen to heighten this undemocratic
lclImax he defines these others as the
Representatives Of political and
financial privilege, machine poll
Iticians in close alliance with grafters
lin big business. Was ever an obvi-
Gus fact, simply stated by an honest
man. so perverted from Its intent
land meaning?
1--WE live in time OF unrest. Po-
Ilitical, social and economic changes
are impending. Yet the American
I people will not abandon their eco
nomic system OF individual enter
prise and free contract and plunge
Into the vast uncertainties and i'm
Ipracticabilities OF socialism, Nor
IWill the American people exchanges
their century old federal govern
Iment for a new nationalism; rever-
enclag their great. and noble consti.
IA,,tI6y, 4bnv will rekain their eRecu.