Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-03-07

law that 10 consonant with morality
and public policysas understood by q
majority Of the people: and II In actual
practice the courts respected such con-
stitutional prohibition then there would
be no need for what I propose; be-
cause in such case there would be full
recognition Of the absolute right Of the
people to decide the policy of their reps
resentatives, legislative and judicial, in
these matters-and this is all for which
contend
But in actual practice know no
state where such conditions prevail;
they certainly do not prevail in the
state Of New York. Therefore hold
that provision should be made in the
constitutions of the several states
which. in the event Of a clash between
the legislature and the court as to the
constitutionality OF such legislation as
I have spoken of, should permit the
people themselves to decide what the
true Interpretation Of the constitution
is. am not concerned with terminal
ogy. Whether this is called referend-
UNI to the people or whether it is called
a shorter and simpler way Of amending
the constitution. to my mind matters
nothing. The essential thing Is to get
the power for the people,
A Silly Argument.
TT is not merely untruthful but silly
10 say that such process would leave
us at the mercy of the mob Such q
process as I advocate would take at the
very least two years time. If in two
years the people can not come to a
sober and deliberate Judgment. then 1t
is impossible that they should ever so
come. If they have not the character
and the intelligence to enable them. at
ter two years elaboration, after seeing
the whole matter threshed out by the
legislature and before the executive and
by the court. ard finally by public
speakers in an election, to themselves
decide what they meant when they
framed the constitution, then it Is idle
to talk of their being fit to frame
constitution
The wisest judges have always fully
recognized this right Of the people to
rule, this right Of the people to be their
own masters and ultimately to decide
their own policy. I do not propose to
give the people any new power. I pro-
pose to restore to them the power out
Of which they have been defrauded,
the power which 1t Is their right and
their duty to exercise. propose
to provide a better and more ef-
fective method for the exercise Of the
power reserved and inherent in the
people to make or unmake their con-
stitution or construe the constitution
in accordance with their well-consid-
cred needs I preach no new doctrine.
The proposal that make for the sew
eral states was in actual practice, acted
upon by the people Of this whole nation
but a very short time after the consti-
tuition was adopted.
"4All I ask Is that what the people
of the nation have actually done the
people Of each state shall actually be
allowed to do. Let the power so Sc
cured to them be real and not a nom
inal power power Of actual exercise:
a power which shall not be exercised
save after sober and deliberate thought.
but which shall permit such sober and
deliberate judgment Of the people to
become, as it should become. the I'M
questioned law Of the land.
I'm concluding, then. let me ask those
who disagre with me frankly to state
whether or not they believe that the
people have the right to rule themselves
and to settle for themselves the course
they wish to pursue as regards great
and vital questions Of public policy. II
our opponents do not believe in this