The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-04-01
He ATTACKS TAFT
Links Presidents Name With
the LOrimer Case.
Denies That He Ever Assumed
Role of a Dictator.

Detroit. Mich, April Theodore
Roosevelt denounced the action of the
majority of the Dillingham; committee
in upholding the right of William
Lorimer to his seat in the United
States senate in his speech here.
This action, the colonel said. illus
trated in actual practice the working
''of the presidents theory of govern
ment by representative part of the
people, If the question were put up
to the people represented in the SEN
ate by Dillingham;, or Gamble, or
Jones' he added, they would not have
decided the issue as the senators did
1T seems to me-" he continued,
''that the Lorfmer case is strong
argument for more direct government
by the people, a strong argument for
the direct election of the senators by
the people"
Mr.. Roosevelt did not spare words
when discussing the Lorimer case
II wish to call your attention to the
latest instance of the working in actual
practice of the presidents theory of
government of the people by what he
calls "a representative part of the
Abraham Lincoln's statement was that
we needed a government of the peo-
pie. for the people, by the people, and
that the proposed improvement is to
have il n govern ment by a representa-
tive part of the people.
I'm practice as 1 have already said,
this has always meant government by
thoroughly unrepresentative part of
the people against the interest of the
whole people; it means and can only
mean government of the people for
the special interests by the bosses.
Reactionaries Aid Lorimer.
THE immediate illustration of this
fact is afforded by what the senate
committee has done in the Lorimer
case. The reactionary members of both
parties on the committee have stood
by Mr.. Lorimer and, against the pro
test of the minority, have recommended
that he be allowed to continue in his
place
DO you think that the representa-
tives who have acted in this way really
represent the people? 1 don't. Do you
think that this specimen of govern
ment of the people by a representative
part of the people, called-that is,
really by a misrepresentation part Of
the people-representS an Improvement
on government by the people? 1 don't.
For instance, one of the gentlemen
who signed the report on behalf of Mr.
Lorimer was Senator Dillingham; of
Vermont. 1 do not for one moment
believe that if the people of Vermont
could vote on this issue they would
vote to retain Mr.. Lorimer in the SEN
ate. I do not for one moment believe
South Dakota would have voted for
Mr.. Lorimer, and yet their senators,
Messrs- Gamble and Jones, did.
1T seems to me that this Lorimer
case, so far from being an argument
in favor of the presidents position that
we should have government of the PEG
pie by part of the people. is a strong
argument for more direct government
by the people-a strong argument for
the direct election of United States
senators by the people.
Never "Dictate6i'' to People.
plants most often made against me is
forsooth, that L was a dictator when L
was president. do not think the COM
plant has had much effect except among
the old women of our own sex but l
would like you to remember for your
selves just to whom it was that l on any
occasion tried to dictate, just how die
tated.'
Never in any instance was there SO
much as an accusation that 1 was try
ing to dictate to the people. The accusa-
senators and congressman.
We'll, mind you, the only way 1 tried
men was by getting the case put as plain
ly and wildly as possible before the
people. and then letting them do the die
tating if they chose"
Mr.. Roosevelt also denounced the rail
road bill it was sent into congress by
the present administration. In it's orig
inal form, he said, it was "a thoroughly
mischievous and improper measure"
Railroad Rate Bill.
The one bit of progressive legislation
in the last congress was the railroad rate
BILL" he said. LAS submitted for action
by the administration this was a thor
oughly mischievous and improper meas
ure, which would have meant the undoing
of most of the work that had been done
in the last twenty years, for it legalized
monopoly without furnishing any addi-
tional safeguards in the way of control.
This was doing the exact reverse of
what the progressives have always stood
for. for we have insisted upon the most
thoroughgoing and far reaching control
of monopoly where as a practical matter
it proves unwise or impossible to break 1t
up.
THE administration plan was cham
pioned by Senator Aldrich and put
through the committee unchanged. 1t
was reconstructed upon the floor of the
senate by the progressive senator's
against the violent opposition of the re-
dictionaries who championed the admin
istration.
only one of the essential features of
the original administration bill was left.
This was the provision for a commerce
court. AS a matter of fact this is the
only provision of the bill that in practice
has worked badly. 1t has tended in effect
to a large degree to nullify the expert
decisions of the interstate commerce com
mission. 1t represents retrogression in
that respect
But the rest of the bill, for which the
progressive senators alone are entitled TO
the credit, has represented a real and
great Improvement.