New-York tribune., 1912-03-21

Mr. Roosevelt opened his speech IN
Carnegie Hall last night with the state
ment that the Fundamental issue now be
fore the Republican petty was, Are the
American people fit 10 govern them
selves. 10 rule themselves, 10 control
themselves" His own answer was mat
they were. and he added that what this
country had to complain Of now was not
the tyranny of the majority, but the
tyranny Of the minority. Continuing he
said:
Now there has sprung Up feeling deep
In me hearts OF the peUplc-nOt OF the
posses ana professional pondclans, not ni
the benenciaries OF special prlvhege-a pei
Vading benef of thinking men, tnat Whell
the majority OF the people 90 IN Iacl, as
well as theory, rule, then the servants VI
the people will come more QuichIy 20 an an
swer and obey not the comHanuS OF tic
special interests but those OF the Whoie
people. 10 reach toward that ena tne ffo-
gressives of the Republican party IN 70 20
posais for change in the form OF the StdIe
government-certain new "checkS ana pdl- @
ances" which may check ah1 palaTS" me- 'is 10
special interests and their allies. IhaI ~ ~
their purpose Now turn for moment 10
their proposed methods.
The Initiative and Referendum.
First, there are the initiative and ref
erendum." which are so framed that II tne
legislatures obey the command OF some
special interest, and obStinately refuse lhe
will OF the majority, the majority may stSP
in and legisate directly. NO man III, WoG.u ss;"I
Iation by direct vote of the peOple-it would
mean the loss OF deliberauon, OF patlent
conslderation-but on the other hand. no
one whose mental arteries have not long
since hardened can doubt that the proposeu
changes are needed wnen the legislatures
refuse 10 carry out the Will of the people
The proposal is a method to reach an un-
deniaDle evil. Then there Is the recall oI
public oficers-the principle that an ofncer
chosen by the the people who is unIalln-
ful may be recalled by vote or the major,
ity before be finishes his term. | VIII
speak of the recall of judges in moment
leave that aside-but to the other ON
Gers. / have heard no argument advanced
against the proposition save that IL VIII
make the public officer umid and always
currying favor with the mob. That argu-
ruent means tnat YOU can fool all the peo-
pie all the time. and IS an avoWal OF as
belief in democracy. If II be uue-and
believe it Is not---it Is less important than
to stop those public officers from currylng
favor with the interests. Certain states
may need the recall. others may not Where
the term OF elective office Is short II may
pe yluite needless; but there are occasions
when IL meets a real evil and provides
needed check and balance against the Spe-
Then there is the direct primary-the real
one, not the New York one-and that. too,
the Progressives offer as a check on the
special interests. Most clearly Of all does
II seem TO me that this change is wholly
good--for every state. The system OF par
ty government is not written in our consti-
tutions. but il is none the less a vital and
essential part Of our form Of government:
In that system the party leaders should
serve and carry out tho viii OF their own
party There is no need to show how far
that theory is from the facts. or TO re-
hearse the vulgar thieving partnerships OF
the corporations and the bosses or 10 show
how many times the real government lies
ir the hands of the boss. protected from
the commands and the revenge OF the vot-
ers by his puppets i'm Office and the power
~ patronage. We need not be told how he
Is thus intrenched nor how hard he is TO
overthrow, The facts stand out In the his
tory Of nearly every state in the Union.
They are blOts on our political system. The
direct primary viii give the voters meth
Cd ever ready to use. by which the party
leader shall be made TO obey their COM
nand. The direct primary, if accompanied
ny stringent corrupt practice act. viii
help break up the corrupt partnership or
corporations and politicians.
Sanctuary of the Judiciary"
|. Ny opponents charge that two things in
NJ foy programme arc wrong because they in
The FIRST is the recall Of judges; and the
second, the review by the people Of judicial
decisions on certain constitutional ques-
tons. i have said again and again that l
90 not advocate the recall OF judges in all
states and in all communities In my own
state do not advocate II or believe il to
he needed, for In this state our trouble lies
not with cOrrUDtion on the bench, but with
The effort by the honest but wrOngheadcd
Judges to thwart the people in their Strug-
Re for social justice and falr-dealing. The
Integrity OF our judges from Marshall to
White and Holmes-and to Cullen and
many others in our own states fine
page OF American history Butt say It
soberly--demCcracy has right 10 ap-
proach the sanctuary Of the courts when a
special interest has corruptly found sanctu-
sfy there: and this Is exactly what mas
happened in some OF the states where the
recall OF the judges is a living issue. !
would far more willingly trust the whole
pebple TO judge such case than some spe-
cisl tribunal-perhaps appointed nv the
tribunal is not itself really responsible to
the people and lis hampered and clOgged by
the technicalites of impeachment proceed
tngs
/ have stated that the courts of the sew
sral states-not always but often-have
construed the due process" clause OF the
state constitutions as if 1t prohibited the
whole people Of the state from adopting
methods of regulating the use Of property
30 that human life. particularly the lives Of
the workngmcn, shall be safer. fTeer and
happier. No one can successfully impcach
this statement. I have insisted that the
true construction Of due process" IS that
pronounced by Justice Holmes i'm deliver
ing the unanimous opinion of the Supreme
Court Of the United States, when he said
The police power extends TO all the
great public needs. II may be put forth in
sid of what. is sanctioned by usage. or held
nv the prevailing morality or strong and