Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-03-30
SHALL THE PEOPLE, RULE?
ssN6r Rruan,s announcement that Qe

would refuse to go to the Baltimore
Convention as delegate instructed 1ol
Gov. Harmon betrays peculiar streaK
81 insurgency in citizen who for
many years has been paradlng tne
and under banner emblazoned with
The stirring woods, shall the people
rle?'" the Springfield, Mass, Repuo'
ican observes.
"Mr. Bryan discovered that democ'
.acy was in peril long before MI
Roosevelt became conscious OF its aan,
ger. He was demanding presidential
5rimaries when Mr.. Roosevelt was
stone deaf to that aspect OF popular
- Mr.. Bryan and MT
Roosevelt are SO much alike, however
|sn their views on many great puphc
ISSUES that a position the one takes
Today may merely forecast the position
he other will take tomorrow. We can
lot help feeling that Mr.. Roosevelt,
ike. Mr.. Bryan, would most emphatlc'
<tlly refuse to accept from any primary
sEhatever instructions for his guidance
"a national convention in case those
|ssnstructions should not coincide with
ais own ideas. -
" "The inconsistency is glaring, OF
Nourse. Consider Mr.. Bryan. That the
y eople should rule; that their chosen
and delegates are
81 .erely their agents or servants mas
zen the very gospel of his preaching
Ihese fifteen years. The presidential
<rimary is designed expressly to en-
HE the people to determine directly
Ina choice Of presidential candidates;
Ind Mr.. Bryan ought to be proud De'
%ond measure to accept the lnstruc'
Sons of the democratic voters OF Ne
&raska. even when they dictate the
Bhoice Of q candidate whom he cannot
indorse. His nat REFUSAL
= serve as q delegate under such cir
reveals Mr.. Bryan as fail
M 10 meet the supreme test OF democ-
|Iacy, as he has interpreted 1t In count
Ssss speeches. :,
"This is often the way with such
saders OF the people History is lit
cred with their refusals to be ruled
= the people they have insisted should
3 the rulers. Both Mr.. Bryan and
rs. Roosevelt are illustrations OF
steadily increasing interest In THIS
Particular. When in position OF
Commanding leadership, each has ex'
ssarcdsed his will in the most arbitrary
ks1anner and has shown nothing but
over criticism and OPP
POSITION. They have both interpreted
lie peoples will in terms OF their own
iii. As party chieftains, they were
Hespots.
"such leaders of the people are dan
ferrous. Their main fault, we are con-
zsinced. is temperamental In that they
IRE usually swallowed up In their own
4 goism. They sincerely believe that
|saae people should rule, especially
then someone else is in power; but
ghen in power themselves they can
lever conceive of anyone, much less
sS.e people, being wiser than they are
III q particular case. They them
elves must rule, or perish In the at
ssmpt.
y tThere Is certain irony in the way
dessrs. Bryan and Roosevelt constant
ly refer to Lincoln as the great demo-
crat, the supreme man Of the people,
whom they would emulate. Lincoln
was strong in every fiber and he was
a true leader of a democracy. But he
no more resembled w. ]. Bryan or
Theodore Roosevelt, in those personal
and temperamental qualities which
really determine the salient character
istics Of mans leadership, than
George Washington resembled julius
Caesar or Genghis Khan"