The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-03-27
LET PEOPLE RULE,
SAYS ROOSEVELT
OPPOSES PRESIDENTS ATTITUDE
ON POPULAR GOVERNMENT.
Peoples Voice Must Prevail
eheered for Speech In Opening Active
Campaign for Observation-Disclosures
Taft as Opposed to the Majority.
Stands squarely on His Columbus,
Ohio, Address.


The salient passages in Colonel
Roosevelt's forceful campaign speech,
delivered in Carnegie Hall, New York,
Wednesday evening, Is given below:
The great fundamental issue now
before the republican party and be-
fore our people can be stated briefly.
1t is, are the American people fit to
govern themselves, to rule them
selves. to control themselves?
l believe they are. My opponents
do not. l believe In the right OF the
people to rule l believe that the ma
jority of the plain people In the Unit
ed States will. do. day in and day
out, make fewer mistakes in govern
ing themselves than any similar class
or body of men, no matter what their
training, will make in trying to govern
them. I believe again that the Amer
lean people as . whole, are capable Of
self control ana of learning by their
mistakes. Our opponents pay lip 10y
atty to this doctrine. but they show
their real bsiiefs by the way in which
they champion every device to make
the nominal rule Of the people a sham.
have soant patience with this talk
Of the tyranny Of the majority. When
ever there is tyranny Of the majority
shall protest against it with all my
heart and soul. But we are today
suffering from the tyranny Of the mi
noritiss It is a small minority that
Is grabbing our coal deposits. our
water powers and our harbor fronts.
A small minority IL fattening on the
sale of adulterated foods and drugs.
1t is a small minority that lies behind
monopolies and trusts. It Il q small
minority that stands behind the pres
emit law of master and servant. the
sweatshops and the whole calendar Of
social and Industrial injustice. 1t Is
Q small minority that is today using
our convention system to defeat the
will Of q majority Of the people In the
choice Of delegates to the Chicago
convention.
My opponents charge that two
things in my program are wrong be-
cause they fhtrude into the sanctuary
OF the judiciary.
The hrst 10 the recall Of judges and
the second the review by the people
of judicial decisions ON certain excep-
tional questions. I have said again
and again that do not advocate the
recall Of t1Aeas 10 all states and in all
communities. The integrity Of our
Judges, from Marshall to White and
Holmes-and to Cullen and many 9TH
ers In our state-is a fine page Of
American history. Butt say it 60
berly-denocracy has Q hight to ap-
proach the sanctuary Of the courts
when a special interest has corruptly
found sanctuary. and this IL exactly
what has happened In some Of the
states where the recall of the Judges
Is living issue. II 1t not equally
plain that the question whether q civ
en- social policy u for the public good
is not Of judicial nature. but should
be settled by the Legislature or In the
final instance, BY the people them
selves?
The president Of tho Unftsd States,
Mr.. Tan, devoted most Of q recent
speech to eriticise scns Of this prop
osition. He says that ut h utterly
without merit Or utility and. instead
of being In the interest Of ali the PEG
pie and Of the SANITY Of popular
government. is Sowing the seeds Of
confusion aAA tyranny" By this he
OF course meant the tyranny Of the
majority-thas II the tyranny Of the
American people as = whole.
He also says that my proposal.
(which as b rightly sees it is merely
q proposal TO Elvs the people a real
instead Of enly . nominal chauoe to
constsue and amend state lsgislat1on
with reasonable rapidly, would make
such amendment and Interpretation
depend on the feverish, uncertain
and unstable determinations Of sue
eessve votes On diGersat laws by
Temporary and changing masoritiss,"
Ind that ''it lays the axe at the foot
sf the tree Of well ordered freedom
Ind subjects the guarantees Of lite,
liberty and prosperity without remedy.
10 the fitful impulse OF temporary
majority Of an electorate"
This criticism 10 really less a crit
Dcism Of my proposal than . criticism
pf all popular government. II "a Who'll
" unfounded, unless 1t is founded on
the belief that the people are funda-
mentally untrustworthy. This Is the
question that ! propose to submit to
the people. How can the prevailing
morality or a preponderant opinion
be better and more exactly ascer-
tanned than by a vote of the people?
The people must know better than
the court what their own morality and
their own opinion is ] ask that you
here, you and others like you. you, the
beople, be given the chance to state
your own views of justice and public
morality and not sit meekly by and
have your views announced for you
by well meaning adherents OF outworn
philosophers, who exalt the pedantry
of formulas above the vital needs OF
human life.
Mr.. Taft's position is the position
that has been held from the beginning
of our government, although not al
ways SO openly held. by large num-
Der Of reputabls and honorable men
WANT 4