Imperial Valley press., 1912-08-06

tive. To use such measures as the
initiative, referendum and recall in
discriminatory and promiscuously ON
all kinds of occasions would undoubt-
edly cause disaster; but events have
shown that at present our institutions
are not epresentative-at any rate
in many states, and sometimes in the
nation-and that we cannot wisely af-
ford to let this condition of things
remain longer uncorrected. We have
permitted the growing up of breed
of politicians who, sometimes for i'm
proper political purposes, sometimes
as means of serving the great special
interests of privilege which stands be-
hind them, twist so-called representa-
tive institutions into a means of
thwarting instead of expressing the
deliberate and well thought out judg-
ment of the people as a whole. This
cannot be permitted.
Largely under the influence of
special privilege in the business
world, there have arisen castles of
politicians who not only do not repre-
sent the people, but who make their
bread and butter by thwarting the
wishes of the people.
People and the Courts
The American people, and not the
courts, are to determine their own
fundamental policies. The people
should have power to deal with the
effect of the acts of all their govern
mental agencies. This must be extend
, ed to include the effects of judicial
acts as well as the acts of the execu-
tive and legislative representatives of
the people. Where the judge merely
does justice as between man and man
not dealing with constitutional ques-
tions, then the interest of the public is
only TO see that he is a wise and up
right Judge Means should be devised
for making it easier than at present
to get rid OF an incompetent Judge
means should be devised by the bar
and the bench acting in conjunction
with the various legislative bodies to
make justice far more expeditions
and more certain than at present. |
deny that the American people have
surrendered to any set of men, no
matter what their position or their
character, the final right to determine
those fundamental questions upon
which free self government ultimately
depends.
Social and Industrial Justice
Il especially challenge the attention
of the people to the need of dealing in
far reaching fashion with our human
resources, and therefore our labor
power. In century and a quarter as
nation the American people have
subdued and settled the vast reaches
of continent; ahead lies the greater
task of building upon this foundation,
by themselves, for themselves and
with themselves, an American COM
monwealth which in it's social and
economic structure shall be four
square with democracy With Eng
land striving to make good the human
wreckage to which a scrap heap
scheme of industrialism has relegated
her, with Germany putting the pains
taking resources of an empire at the
work Of developing her crafts and in
dustrial sciences, with the far east
placing in the hands of its millions
the tools invented and fashioned by
western civilization, it behooves
Americans to keep abreast of the
great industrial changes and to show
that the people themselves, through
popular self government, can meet an
age of crisis with wisdom and
strength.
ITO the second end, we hold that
minimum wage commissions should be
established in the nation and in each
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