The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1912-03-26
LET PEOPLE RULE,
SAYS ROOSEVELT
Opposes Presidents Attitude on
Popular Government.
PEOPLES VOICE MUST PREVAIL
cheercd for Speech in Opening Active
Campaign for Observation-Disclosures
Taft as Opposed to the Majority.
Stands squarely on His Columbus,
O., Address.

~so"es SHss'y v" ''e SS's"Sssi
O., Address.
The salient passages in Colone.
Roosevelt's forceful campaign speech,
delivered In Carnegie hall, New York,
Wednesday evening, are given below:
The great fundamental issue now
before the Republican party and be
fore our people can be stated briefly,
IL is, are the American people fit to
govern themselves, to rule themselves,
TO control themselves?
believe they are. My opponents
do not | believe in the right of the
people to rule. ] believe that the ma
jority of the plain people OF the Unit
ed States will, do, day in and day out
make fewer mistakes in governing
themselves than any similar class or
body OF men, no matter what their
training. will make in trying to gov
ern them. believe again that the
American people, as a whole, are capa-
BILE of self control and Of learning by
their mistakes. Our opponents pay lip
loyalty to this doctrine, but they show
their real beliefs by the way in which
they champion every device to make
the nominal rule OF the people sham.
have scant patience with this talk
nj the tyranny Of the majority. When.
| ever there Is tyranny OF the majority,
! shall protest against II with all my
heart and soul. But we are today suf.
fering from the tyranny Of the minor.
tiles. II is small minority that is
grabbing our coal deposits, our water
powers and our harbor fronts. A
small minority is fattening on the sale
of adulterated foods and drugs. II Is
a small minority that lies behind mo-
| nOpclies and trusts. II Is small mi
nority that stands behind the present
law of master and servant, the sweat.
shops and the whole calendar of so
cial and industrial injustice. II is a
small minority that Is today using our
convention system to defeat the will
of majority Of the people In the
choice of delegates to the Chicago con
vention.
My opponents charge that two things
II my program are wrong because
thcv intruie into the sanctuary of the
judiciary.
The first is the recall of judges and
the second the review by the people Of
judicial decisions on certain excep
tional questions. have said again
and again that do not advocate the
recall of judges in all states and In al
communities. The integrity of ON
judges, from Marshall to White and
Holmas-and to Cullen and many 9th
ers in our state-is fine page o
AMERICAN. history. Butt say IL so
berl" Democracy has right TO ap
proach the sanctuary of the court!
when a special interest has corrupt,
found sanctuary too, and this Is exact
" what has happened in some of tn,
states where the recall of the judges
is living issue. Is 1t not equal!
plain that the question whether Civ
en- social policy is for the public goot
Is not of a judicial nature, but SHOULD
be settled by the legislature or in tn,
final instance, by the people them
selves?
The president of the United States
Mr.. Taft devoted most of a recen
speech to criticism of this proposition
He says that, 1T Is utterly withou
merit or utility and, instead of benz
In the interert OF all the people an,
Of the stability of popular government
IS sowing the seeds of confusion AM
tyranny" BY this he of course mean
the TYRANNY of the maiority-that Is
the tyranny of the American people a
2 whole. He also says that my pro
posal which, as he rightly sees II. 4
merely proposal to give the peopl
a real, instead Of only nominal
chance to construe and amend stat
legislation with reasonable rapidity
would make such amendment and In
, terpetation depend on the feverish
Uncertain and unstable determination
q. successive votes on different law
Nv temporary and changing major
itics." and that 1T lays the axe at tn
foot of the tree OF well ordered free
dom and subjects the guarantees o
life, liberty and property without rem
!. edy, to the-ftful impulse of a tempe
rnrv majority Of an electorate"
This criticism Is really less crit
cism of my proposal than a crit
cism OF all popular government
is wholly unfounded unless II I
founded on the belief that the peopl
are fundamentally untrustworthy. Thi
E the question that propose to sui
NIT to the people. How can the pre-
vailing morality or preponderan
opinion be better and more exactly as
certained than by vote OF the people
The people must know better tha
the court what their own morality an
their own opinion is, ask that yo
here you and others like you. you tn
people, he given the chance to stat
your own views OF justice and publ
morality and not sit meekly by an
have your views announced for you b
well meaning adherents of outwor
philosophers. who exalt the pedantr