The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1912-02-17
CRAZE FOR DEMOCRACY

THE initiative and referendum, pri-
maries of every conceivable form and
compiexity, the recall, including the
recall for Judges, are having q tremen
dous vogue in these days. They are Iii
expressions of common idea now ex-
tremely populer-the desire not only
49, he people should rule but that
they should rule directly and without
the Intervention of those forms of gov
eminent which the experience of the
world and the lessons of history have
shown conclusively to be necessary safe
guards of sane government that shall
protect life, liberty and property from
the caprice of ths mob, the tyranny Of
temporary ma.orities and the mistakes
Of the thoughtless and ignorant led by
the demagogues.
The eager supporters of all these de-
vices imagine that they are striving for
an unassailable ideal when they say that
they wish to have the authority of gov
eminent come fresh, Immediately and
direct from the people," and thus they
show their ignorance of he history of
government. Pure democracies-where
the they? Lost in the dust heaps of his
tory. Rule by the people directly and
without delay? Who, not insane, would
like to have his lif, and liberty and
fate submitted to the test of an uprOar-
ious vote and the imme late decision OF
any majority?
The people who are excrting the great
inHp in nd in r
ing popular. opinion as to government
are those who know nothing about it,
1t is as if the men picked out by chance
should be intrusted with the task of
conducting chemical laboratory or of
erecting a bridge across the river. 1t is
pity that these Constitution makers
or would be destroyers cannot be forced
to read the article by Albert Fink in the
North American Review on the Recall
of Judges" Mr.. Fink shows pretty clear
ly that the phraie in the Federal Con-
stitution which guarantees to every
State in this Union republican form of
government" means re preventative
government; that the recall and such de-
vices are contrary to the spirit and let
ter of a republican form OF government;
publican form of government is the indie
pendence of the judiciary; that the re-
call would destroy the independence of
the Judges and, finally, that even if the
Constitution were not in existence the
degradation of the judiciary by the use
of the recall wo' Id be senseless folly
and a menace to lie rights and safety
OF all men.
Mr.. Fink examines the discussions pre-
ceding the adoption of the Constitution
and shows by wonderful array of au
thorities that the very object of franz
ing the Constitution under which this
Republic has waxed great and prosper
Gus was D save the people from the pit
falls that have been the ruin of nearly
all democra cies. The Constitution of
the United States has been success be-
cause it has saved the people from
their errors and folies, from ignorance
and lack of experience. John Randolph
observed:
That the general object was to pro-
vide cure for the evils under which
the United States labored (before the
adoption of the Constitution; that in
tracing these evils to their origin every
man had found it in the turbulence and
follies of democracy; that some check,
therefore, was to be sought for against
this tendency of our governments
1t is not necessary to go to ancient
times for examples of the democratic
failure, the United ates itself before
the present Constitution, with it's eab-
crate checks and balances, affords the
ATTEST pyDmn1p llpphnrinp ity
This government has prevail tied and sue
seeded because it has avoided the perils
which must inevitably come from too
much democracy. "a republic" said
Madison, by which ] mean a govern
ment in which the scheme of represen-
tation takes place." offered the cure for
the evils inseparable from oapricious
rule. AS for the direct rule of demo-
cracy, he declared:
"a common passion or interest will IN
almost every case be felt by majority
of the whole; a communication and con-
cert will result from the form of gov
eminent itself; and there is nothing to
check the inducements to sacrifice the
weaker party or an unpopular individ-
ual"
A government Immediately responsive
to the wish of the people and, then,
equally responsive to the next wish, is
as unstable as water and presents the
same evils which were long inseparable
from the Latin American Republics.
They had constitutions, but were as i'm
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