The Adair County news., 1912-04-03

government and when they must >ac-
cept it accept 1T with reluctance and
hedge around it with every species Of
restriction and check and balance so
as to make the power of the people as
limited and as ineffective as possible.
Mr.. Taft fairly defines the issue when
be says that our government is and
should be q government of all the peo-
pie by representative part of the peo-
pie. This is an excellent and moderate
description of an oligarchy. 1t defines
our government as government of all
Of the people by a few of the people.
| am not speaking jokingly nor do l
mean to be unkind. for l repeat that
many honorable and we'll meaning men
Of high character take this view and
have taken it from the time of the for
nation of the nation. Essentially this
view is that the constitution is a strait
jacket to be used for the control of an
unruly patient-the people. Now. I
hold that this view is not only false.
but mischievous, that our col D buttons
are instruments designed to secure jus
tice by securing the deliberate but eff
fective expression of the popular will.
that the checks and balances are valua-
BILE as far and only so far as they &C
complish that deliberation and that if
Is q warped and unworthy and improp-
err construction of our form of govern
thwarting the popular will and of pre-
venting justice. Mr.. Taft says that
"every class should have "voice' in
the government. That seems to me a
very serious misconception of the
American political situation. The real
trouble with US is that some classes
have had too much voice. One of the
most important Of all the lessons to be
taught and to be learned is that a man
should vote not as a representative of
a class. but merely as a good citizen,
whose prime interests are the same as
those of all other good citizens.
Taft's disbelief In the People"
AIr. Taft again and again. in quota
tons / have given and elsewhere
through his speech. expresses his dis
belief in the people when they vote at
the polls. In one sentence he says that
the proposition gives powerful effect
to the momentary impulse of major
tty of an electorate and prepares the
way for the possible exercise of the
grossest Tyranny" Elsewhere he
speaks of the "feverish uncertainty"
and unstable determination" of laws
by temporary and changing MAORI
ties" and again he says that the sys-
tenn | propose would result in suspen-
sion or application of constitutional
guarantees according to popular
whim," which would destroy 'all pos
sible consistency" in constitutional in
depreciation. l should much like to
know the exact distinction that is to
be made between what Mr.. Taft calls
''the fitful impulse of temporary ma
jority" when applied TO question such
as that 1 raise and any other question
Remember that under my proposal to
review a rule of decision by popular
vote. amending or constituting TO that
extent the constitution, would certainly
take at least two years from the time
of the election OF the legislature which
passed the act. Now. only four months
elapse between the nomination and the
election of a man as president, TO fill
for four years the most important of
fee in the land. In one of Mr.. Taft's
speeches he speaks Of 'the voice OF
the people as coming next to the voice
Of God" Apparently, then, the decision
Of the people about the presidency, aft
err four months elaboration, is to be
treated as next 10 the voice Of God,
but if after two years OF sober thought
they decide that women and children
shall be protected in industry, or men
protected from excessive hours of labor
under unhygienic conditions. or wage
workers compensated when they lose
life or limb i'm the service Of others,
/ then their decision forthwith becomes
a "whim'' and "feverish" and ''unsta-
bic" and an exercise of 'the Srossest
/ tyranny" and the laying of the ak TO
F! the foot Of the tree of freedom" That
! Is the old, old doctrine which has been
acted upon for thousands Of years
abroad and which here in America has
been acted upon sometimes openly.
sometimes secretly, for forty years by
many men in public and IN private
| life, and / am sorry to say by many
/ judges: a doctrine which has in fact
! tended to create a bulwark for privi-
! lege. bulwark unjustly protecting
! special interests against the rights of
I the people as 4 whole. This doctrine
/ is to me a dreadful doctrine, for its eff
| feet is, and can only be, to make the
courts the shield of privilege against
! popular rights. Naturally, every up
holder and beneficiary of crooked priv
/ ilege loudly applauds the doctrine. 1t
| IS behind the shield of that doctrine
that crooked clauses creep into laws.
| that men of wealth control legislation.
"Just Judges Safe"
/ Remember | am not discussing the
/ recall Of judges-althOugh | wish it
4 distinctly understood that the recall is
a mere piece Of machinery to take the
place of the unavoidable impeachment
which Mr. Taft in effect defends and
that if the days of Maynard ever came