The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-03-18
President Makes a Somewhat
Sharp Reply to Roosevelt
ABOUT THE JUDICIARY RECALL
He Also Stated to Massachusetts, Legis-
lature To day That He Favors Pres
idential Primaries Surrounded
by Certain Conditions.

Boston, March ls.-President Taft ar
rived here at O'Clock this morning and
had breakfast at the City club as the
guest of officials of the city The plans
for the day included his address to the
legislature early this afternoon, after a
visit to the Massachusetts, Peace society
convention and luncheon with the PHI
grim Publicity club, and to review the
Evacuation day parade and st. Patrick's
day parade in South Boston later in the
afternoon. He will attend several ban
quets this evening.
Hundreds of persons cheered the pres
ident as he left the station by automo.
bile, accompanied by several other cars.
In his address before the Alassaehu-
setts legislature, President Taft declared
himself in favor of presidential primaries
surrounded by certain conditions for the
coming campaign.
wherever full and fair notice of the
! election can be given, wherever adequate
election safeguards can be thrown
around to protect a preferential primary
| for the presid ency, wherever the consti
| tuition OF the state permits its being
made applicable to the present election, |
! favor and welcome IT,"
4 1t was his first personal reply to the
! challenge to preferential primaries is
sued some time ago by Senator Dixon,
4 Col. Roosevelt's manager. President Taft
did not refer to the challenge how
ever.
The president made rather pointed
reference to the proposition ''let the
| people rule" and had something to say
about the recall of the judiciary and the
recall of judicial decisions.
irresponsible assault upon either or
I incorporate language or ON baseless as
sumptons of corruption or bias or in
competency made by those whose state
ments have influence with any part Of
our people, are serious menace TO en-
during government" said the president.
His address in part follows:
''You have recently passed what is
called presidential primary law for
the election OF delegates to the national
conventions, upon which will fall the
duty of selecting the presidential nomi
nees OF the respective parties. | have
not had opportunity critically to exam
inc the new law but am sure it makes
proper provision to meet the obvious re-
quirements. / am glad that you have
done this. The question of how dele
gates are to be selected to any political
convention, or how nominees are to be
selected by party, was originally a !
matter Of merely voluntary and party |
adjustment, but so important to the |
public at large did the character of the |
candidates to be selected by each party |
become, that the state has properly in
terfered so as to throw safeguards |
around the exercise by all those who
belong TO a party OF their privileges
to have voice in the choice of their |
party candidates.
a am now going to stop and discuss
in detail the question OF direct primary I
elections, their uses and abuses. | think
everyone will admit, however, in order
that they may accomplish the good they (
are intended to accomplish, they should I
be safeguarded by effective provision as
to the party eligibility Of voters who
participate in them, and by penal provi-
sions securing conformity to rules of
such eligibility, and the honest casting
and counting of the ballot.
Il do not hesitate to say that in my
judgment a voluntary primary outside
the law known by its informal char
acter as soap box primary, is worse
than none, for it gives full opportunity
to the ineligible electors OF the other
party to cast unfair votes and without 7
the sanction and safeguard of penal pro-
visions in respect to casting and count
ing the ballots is an open avenue for
fraud and violence.
at is eminently appropriate that in
every election and in the discussion of
all issues that affect the republic we
should discuss and hear much of the
popular will and of the right of the
people This is a government based on
popular control,
"We all concede that the operation of
elections and the operations of govern
menS are not perfect, and are sometimes
subject to corrupt influence and control,
and that it is the part of patriotism to
remove, as far as possible the obstacles
which prevent honest primaries, honest
elections and the honest administration
of the government in the interest OF the
people but the continued iteration and
reiteration of the proposition let the
people rule if it has any significance at
all, and is intended otherwise than to
hatter the people, is intended to be a
reflection on the government that we
have had down to the present time
Nov, in spite of all the corruption,
in spite of all the machine politics, in
spite OF every defect in the operation of
our government that can be pointed out,
I do not hesitate TO say that the history
of the last l35 years shows that the
people have ruled They may have been
defeated at times by corrupt and cor
rupting influences. congressman and leg /
islatures. may have been halted by sub
teTranean methods in carrying out what
theepeople desire, but in the end, under
our present constitution and our pres
ent laws we have had a really popular
government.
Il don't mean to say that we cannot
make il better. | don't mean to say
that we may not remove some obstacles {
by which corruption or machine methods {
NAV be minimized. but what | do say is
that the cry that the people do not rule
and are not in control or an intimation 4
TO that effect. does not do Justice to the j