The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-03-08

WASHINGTON, February 24-Pres-
ident Taft today denied emphatically
that in a speech in New York on Lin
coins birthday he said that the peo-
pie are not fitted for self-government"
Reference to such a statement by GER
tain men was made by Theodore
Roosevelt at Columbus In the first
official statement of this kind that the
White House has ever issued during
the. Taft administration the President
calls the circulation of this story a
"falsehood"
The White House statement fol
lows
Among the falsehoods that are now
being assiduously circulated by per
sons and papers opposed to the Presi-
dent is one that in his Lincoln's day
speech the President argued that the
people are not fitted for self-govern-
ment.' President Taft said nothing
on that occasion which possibly could
be tortured into any such construc-
ton.
"The speech in which the President
made reference to popular government
was delivered at the banquet of the
State bar association in New York
on the night of January 90
What President Says He Said
what he then said on this subject,
and it was correctly reported in the
newspapers the following day, was
this: I'd z
Popular government we all be-
lieve in. There are those of us who
do not believe that all people are fitted
for popular government. The fact is
we know they are not. Some of us
do not dare say So but I do, and the
question whether a people is fitted
for popular self-government so as to
make that government best for that
people is determined by the ability OF
the majority of that people to place
upon itself the restraint by which the
minority shall receive justice from the
majority 1t is the question of self
imposed restraint that determines
whether people is fit to govern it.
self
Thouuht Roosevelt Is Included.
While it is not admitted by any one
at the White House who has author
ity to speak for the President that
his correction of the Interpretation
placed by some people upon his New
York speech included Col. Roosevelt
political leaders here believe such to
be the case. Many of President Tafts
friends have asserted that Col. Roose
welt had Mr. Taft in mind when in his
Columbus speech he said:
MANY eminent lawyers who more
or less frankly disbelieve in our en-
tire American system of government
for, by and of the people violently
antagonize this proposal, They be
lieve, and sometimes assert, that the
American people are not fitted fol
popular government and that it is ne
cessary to keep the judiciary indie
pendent of the majority or of all the
people; that there must be no appea
to the people from the decision of
court in any case, and that, therefore
the judges are to be established a
sovereign rulers over the people
take absolute issue with all those VIII
hold such a position"
Work of Lincoln Wasted.
In the same connection Col Roose
welt also said: IF the American pee
pie are not fit for popular government
and if they should of right be tn
servants and not the masters of tn
men whom they themselves put in OF
fee, then Lincolns work was waste'
and the whole system of government
upon which this great Democratic re
public rests is failure"
After speaking at length OF TN
position which these eminent lawyer
take and applaud" Col. Roosevelt
said:
0rh,, on1,, fanahIa excuse for such