Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1912-02-24
PRESIDENT NAILS
CAMPAIGN LIE
Taft Never Declared That
People Are Unfit for
Self.Government
DENIAL FROM WHITE HOUSE
First of Its Kind Since the Pres.
ent Executive Went Into
Office.

(By Special Leased Wire to New MeXican)
Washington, D. c., Feb. 24-Presi-
dent Taft today denied emphatically
that in speech in New York on Lin
coins birthday he said: that the
people are not fitted for self govern
ment."
In the first official statement Of
| this kind that the White House has
| ever issued during the Taft admins
tration, the President calls the cir
cUlation of this story "falsehood.' -
The White House statement fol
lows;
Among the falsehoods that are be-
ing assiduously circulated by persons
and papers opposed to the President
| is one that in his Lincolns Day
speech the President argued that
the people are not fitted for self-goy-
| ernment"
President Taft said nothing on that
occasion which possibly could be tor
tlred into any such construction.
The speech in which the President
made reference to popular govern
ment was delivered at the banquet of
the State Bar Association in New
York on the night of January 90
What he then said on this subject,
and it was correctly quoted in the
newspapers, the following day, was
this:
Popular government We all believe
in. There are those of us who do not
| believe all people are fitted for popu-
lal government. The fact is we
| know they are not. Some of us dare
not say SO, but do; and the question
whether a people is fitted for popular
self government so as to make tnat
government best for the people is de-
termned by the ability of the major
ity of that people to place on itself
the restraint by which the minority
shall receive justice from the majority
Ii is the question of self-imposed re
straint that determines whether peo
pie is fit to govern ITSELF"
A Slam at Roosevelt.
Washington, D. c., Feb. 24--Wiil,
it is not admitted by anyone at thu
White House who has authority t
speak for the President that his cor
rection of the Interpretation PLACED
by some people upon his New Yorl
speech included Colonel Roosevelt
ILolitical leaders here believe such t(
be the case.
Many of President Taft's friend!
: have asserted that Colonel Roosevelt
had Mr.. Taft in mind in his Columbu!
speech when he said: Many eminen
lawyers who more or less frankly dis
believe in our entire American system
OF government for, by and of tht
| people, violently antagonize this pro
, posal. They believe, and sometimes
assert that the American people arr
, not fitted for popular government
and that it is necessary to keep tn.
= judiciary independent of the majorit,
t or of all the people; that there mus
2 be no appeal to the people from th'
: decision of court in any case; ant
that therefore, the judges are to b.
S established as sovereign rulers owe
1 the people. | take absolute issue witt
y all those who mold such a position >
:, In the same connection, Colone
Roosevelt also said:
IF the American people are not fl
, for popular government, and if the
should of right be the servants an
. not the masters of the men whor
they themselves put in office, the
u Lincoln's work was wasted and th
whole system of government upo
which this great democratic republi
: rests is failure
After speaking at length of eth
> position which these eminent lawyer
= take and applaud" Colonel Rooseve
=, said, "the only tenable excuse for sue
:, a position is the frank avowal ths
= the people lack sufficient intelligenc
:, and morality to be fit to govern then
y selves"