Evening journal., 1912-02-21
A Charter Of
Democracy
Roosevelts Address Before
the Ohio Constitutional
Convention
FavorS Recall
of Judges
Control of Trusts Should be Admin
istrative and Not Judicial-Lin-
coin Pointed Out the Way
We Must Follow.
Mr.. President and Members Of the

Mr.. President and Members Of the
Ohio Constitutional Convention:
am profoundly sensible OF the hon
or you have done me IN asking me TO
address you. You are engaged IN the
fundamental work OF self government.
You are engaged In framing a consti-
tuition under and in accordance with
which the people are TO get and 70 do
Justice and absolutely TO rule them
selves. No representative body can
have a higher task. To carry it through
successfully there Is need to combine
practical common sense Of the most
hard headed kind with a spirit Of lofty
tdealism.
l believe in pure democracy. With
Lincoln / hold that this country. with
its institutions. belongs to the people
who inhabit il. Whenever they shall
grow weary Of the existing govern
ment they can exercise their constitu-
tional right OF amending t." We pro
gressives believe that the people have
the right. the power and the duty TO
protect themselves and their own vel
fare: that human rights are supreme
over all other rights; that wealth
should be the servant. not the master,
OF the people We believe that unless
representative government does ahso-
lutely represent the people 1t Is not
representative government at all. We
test the worth Of an men and MI meas
ures by asking how they contribute 60
the welfare OF the men. women and
children OF whom this nation Is corn
posed. We are engaged IN one OF the
great battles Of the age long contest
waged against privilege on behalf Of
the common welfare. We hold It ,
prime duty OF the people TO free ou'
government from the control Of none,
in politics.
This country. as Lincoln said. be
longs to the people. SO do the natura
resources which make Il rich. The,
supply the basis Of our prosperity nov
and hereafter. In preserving them
which Is a national duty. we must no
forget that monopoly Is based on thi
control Of natural resources and nat
ural advantages and that II viii he'll
the people little TO conserve our mai
ural wealth unless the benefits whicl
It can yield are secured to the people
Let us remember also that conservn
tion does not stop with the natural re
sources. but that the principle Of mall
ing the best use Of all we have rJ
Quires with equal or greater inslstenc
that we shall stop the waste OF huma
life in Industry and prevent the vast
OF human welfare which flows froi
the unfair use of concentrated powC
and wealth in the hands OF men who's
eagerness for profit blinds them TO Il
cost Of what they do. We have n
higher duty than to promote the ef
cheney Of the individual There Is 1
surcr road TO the efficiency of the n
ton.
Power Is the Peoples.
I am cmphaticany a believer in co
stitutionalism. and because OF this fa
no less emphatically protest again
any theory that would make Of q
constitution a means OF thwarting
stead Of securing the absolute right
the people to rule themselves and
provide for their own social and
dustrial we'll being. All constitutio,
those Of the states 10 less than th
Of the nation. are designed and mu
be interpreted and admin -.ered so
TO ht human rights. Lincoln so
terpreted and administered the i
tlonal constitution. Buchanan
tempted the reverse. attempted to
human rights to and limit them
the constitution. It was Buchani
who treated the courts as a fetis
who protested against and condemns
all criticism Of the judges for unju
and unrighteous decisions and uphe
the constitution as an instrument +
the protection Of privilege and OF yes
ed wrong. II was Lincoln who a
pealed to the people against the judg'
when the judges went wrong. who a
vocated and secured what was pra
tically the recall of the Dred Scott d
clsion and who treated the constitl
ton as a living force for rlghteou
ness. We stand for applying the col
stitution to the issues Of today as Lii
coin applied it 10 the issues Of his da.
Lincoln. mind you, and not Buchanan
was the real upholder and preserve
o. the constitution. for the true pr
eressiye, the progressive Of the Ii
coin stamp. is the only true constit
uonalist. the only real conservativ
II the constitution is successfully /
voked to nullify the effort to rene,
injustice Il is proof positive either tn
the constitution needs inmedir
amendment or else that It is bel
wrongfully and improperly constru
4 therefore very earnestly ask \
clearly to provide In this constitut
means which will enable the peo
readily to amend It II at any poini
works injustice and also means wh
VIII permit the people themselves
popular vote, after due deliberai
and discussion, but finally and "
out appeal. TO settle what the pro
epnstruction Of any constitute