New-York tribune., 1912-03-21
Peoples Remedy for an Evil.

When. rs the result Of years Of education
and debate. a majority OF the people nave
decided upon remedy iCr an rEll from
which they suffer and have chosen a lcSis-
laturc and executive pledged to embody that
remedy in law, and the law has Locn
finally passed ana approved regard ~ az az
monstrous that bench OF judges sla,t
then say to the people: You must b'SlH
an over again. First amend your roISu,
tuition (which will take four ycarsl second
secure the passage Of a new law lWnCn
will take two years moraI: third, carry that
new law over the weary course OF lug2uon
(which viii take no human being KNOWS
how ioHgI; fourth submit the Wholc MAJ
ter over again To the very same judges WHO
have rendered the decision to which You
| object. Then if your patience holds out
and YOU finally prevail. the will of the ma
iority Of the people may have It's way,
Such a system is not popular government
but a mere mOCkcry Of popular govern
iment. II is a system framed TO malhthIh
and perpetual" social injustice. ana u can
Ibc defended only by those who disbeheVe
i IN the pcope. who do not trust them anu
| am afraid I must add. vino have no real
and living sympathy with them as l!'E
struggle for better things In lieu or II J
propose - practice by which the will or
majority Of the people. VIXEN they nave de-
tcrmincd upon n remedy, shall, " their VIII
; persists for minimum period oi two Years
go straight forward until II becomes n rul-
! ing force Of lCc. / expressly propose 10
provide that sufficient time he taken 10
make sure that the remedy expresses the
-"
mcnt. and not the whim, OF the people, but
! when that has been ascertaincd am not
willing that tho will of the people Shali
hc frustrated. If this he not a wise rem
cmy let those who. criticisc II propose
wise remedy, and not Conflnc Themselves
10 railing AZ government 10y majority nt
| the American people as government by inc
mob. To propose. az an alterudtiy" rem
! Cdy, slight notifications of impeachment
. proceedings 10 Ia propose no remedy at all
! u Is to bid us be content with chan when
Wp demand broad
The dccisious Of. which We complain are.
| as a rule. based upon the constitutional
! provision that no person shall he deprived
| Of life. liberty or property without due
process Of law. The terms 'lito. liberty
, and property" have been used IN cOnstitu-
tions OF the English speaking peoples since
| Magma Charta. Until within the last sixty
! years they were treated as having specific
/ meanings. property meant tangible prop
orty; liberty" meant freedom from per
soual restraint. or. I'm other word-, from
imprisonment in its largest definition
New Meaning for property"
About $50 our courts began to attach to
! these terms new meanings Now prop
erty" has come to mean every right Of
yalu" which q person could enjoy, ana
! liberty has been made 20 Include the
: right TO make contracts AS n result, when
the stat" limits the hours for which women
may labor. II IL told by the courts that
this law dcprivos them of their liberty
and when il restricts the manufacture Of
| tobacco I'm "A tenement, II IL told that the
Law dcprves the landlord of his property,
| Now | do not believe that any people. ana
| especially our free American people, VIII
| long consent that the term liberty" shall
! Toe defined for them by bench of judges
| Every people has defined that term for IT.
| self I'm the course OF its historic develop
| Wcnt. or course II Is plain enough to SEQ
! that, In a large way. the political history
! OF man may be grouped about these three
| terms, NE, liberty and property There
is no act Of government which cannot be-
brought within their definition, and II tho
! courts are 10 cease TO treat them as words
having a limited. specific meaning, then
our whole government is brought under
the practically irresponsible supervision Of
Judges. AZ against that kind Of a govern
ment | insist that the people have the
right. and can bg trusted, To govern them
selves This our opponents deny; and the
issue IS sharply drawn between us.
II my critics would only show the Same
sober Judgment Of which they declare the
people at large TO he incapable they would
realize that my proposal Is one Of iuodera-
tion and common sense. I wish - quote
the remarks uf William Draper Lewis.
dean Of the law school OF the University
uf Pennsylvania: ITO lawyer the most
interesting suggestion Colonel Roosevelt
has made IS To allow the people. after con
sideration, TO rc-enaCt legislation which a
court decision has declared IL contrary to
some clause In the existing state constltu-
tion.
In support of his stand for the recall
Iappllcd to judicial decisions on COnstitu-
tional questions Mr.. Roosevelt further
quoted Mr. Lewis, who i'm defending the
doctrine of the COurlbus speech said
that the Roosevelt idea supplies an in
strumcnt by which the majority can en-
force its will In the most conservative
way"
Again, in the closing words of his
speech. Mr.. Roosevelt turned for inspira
tion TO the prc-revolutionary days OF
France, asserting that had France lis
, tened TO men like Turgot, instead of
drifting along with bourbon reaction
aries, short sighted ultra conservatives
and the like" it would have been spared
a Robespicrre.
There is no danger OF a revolution in
this country" ne said. The speaker add
ed on this line:
prefer to work with moderate, with ra-
tional conservatives, provided only that
they do i'm good faith strive forward tow
ard the light. But when they halt and
turn their backs to the Hight and sit with
the sCorners Oh the seats of reaction, then
must part company with them. We IN"
people cannot turn back. our aim must be
steady, wise progress.
Friends, our task as Americans is to
strive FOR social and industrial justice,
! achieved through thc genuine Fulc OF the
people. This Is our end, our purpose. The ]
| methods for achieving the end are merely |
eXpcdientS. TO be finally accepted or re- !
! jected according as actual experience shows
that they work well or ILL., But In our
hearts We must have this lofty purpose, !
| and we must strive for II in all earnestncss
| and sincerity, or our work Will come 10
! nothing. In order to succeed need |
| leaders of inspired idealism. leaders To
whom are granted great visions. who Dream
| greatly and strive to make their dreams
| come true: who can Kiude the people with /
the fire from their own burning souls.
Hope Of the World Here.
The leader for the time being whoever |
| he may be, IL but an instrument. to be
used until broken and then TO be east aside;
and If he is worth his salt he will car" n"
! more when he Is broken than a soldier
| cares when he Is sent whore his life *
! forfeit in order that the victory may bC
the Watchword for all OF us Is spend and
bc spent. II is of little matter whether any
one man falls or succeeds but the cause
shall not fail for II ls the cause OF man
kind We here ir America, hold In our
hands the hope Of the world the fate ot
the coming years and shame and disgrace
will be Ours IL In our eyes the light Of high
resolve is dimmcd. II We trail In the dust
continent we merely build another country
OF great but unjustiy divided material pros
| perity, we shall have done nothing; and We
Shall do as little II we merely set the greed
OF envy against the greed OF arrogance. ana
thereby destroy tho material wcllbeing OF !
| To turn this government either into gov
erumtnt by a plutocracy or government
bv a mob would b 10 repeat on larger
scale the lamentabIe failures OF the world
that Is dead We stand against all tyranny,
nv the few by the many. We stand for
the rule of the many In the interest OF all