The Green Forest tribune., 1912-03-01

dent Theodore Roosevelt. in an ad- dress delivered at the Ohio constitu- tional convention. in session in this city today, expressed his views regard ing state and national legislation. He declared that unless laws enacted by the representatives Of the people were subject to recall at the command of the people government was not truly representative. Referring 10 trusts he declared himself ia favor of strict government supervision and curtatl- ment of all special privileges.
 After thanking the members of the convention for the honor extended in inviting him to address the body he said, among other things.
 I believe in pure democracy, With Lincoln. hold that this country with it's institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government. they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it. We progressives believe that the peo- pie have the right. the power, and the duty to protect themselves and their own welfare: 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 govern ment does absolutely represent the people it is not representative govern ment at all We test the worth of all men and all measures by asking now they contribute to the welfare of the men, women and children of whom this nation Is composed. We are engaged in one of the great bat tles of the age-long contest waged against privilege on behalf of the common welfare. We hold it a prime duty of the people to free our gov ernment from the control of money In politics. For this purpose we ad- Focate. not as ends in themselves, but IS weapons in the hands of the peo- ole. all governmental devices which will make the representatives of the people more easily and certainly re sponslble to the peoples will
 Believes in ConstitutlonaIism.
 I am emphatieally a believer in sonstitutionalism, and because of this fact I no less emphatically protest against any theory that would make of the Constitution a means of thwart- ing instead of securing the absolute right of the people to rule themselves and to provide for their own social and industrial well-being. All constt- tutions, those of the states no less than that of the nation, are designed, and must be interpreted and admin istered, so as to fit human rights. Lincoln so interpreted and admins tered the national Constitution. Bu- chanan attempted to reverse. attempt ed to it human rights to, and limit them by. the Constitution It was Buchanan who treated the courts as a fetish, who protested against and con demned all criticism of the judges for unjust and unrighteous decisions, and upheld the Constitution as an in strument for the protection of priv ilege ana Of vested wrong It was Lincoln who appealed to the people against the judges when the judges went wrong, who advocated and se- cured what was practically the recall Of the Dred Scott decision, and who treated the Constitution as living force for righteousness.
 T hold it to be the duty of every public servant, and of every man who in public or in private life holds a position of leadership in thought or action, to endeayor, Sr lestly and fear lessly to guide sfess fellow-country- men to right 8y oions; but I emphat. ically dissent G45m the view that it is either wis6 or necessary to try to de wise methods which under tthe Consti tutiop/ will automatically prevent the peopze from deciding for themselves whgt governmental action they deem jEI and proper. Constitu [Yh-makers should make it clear be , syond shadow of doubt that the people in their legislative capacity have the power to enact into law any measure they deem necessary for the better ment of social and industrial condi tions The wisdom of framing any particular law of this kind is a proper subject of debate, but the power O the people to enact the law should not be subject to debate To hold tht contrary view is to be false to tht cause of the people, to the cause O American democracy.
 Aim of Good Government.
 The ends of good govern ment in our democracy are to secure by genuine popular rule high aver age of moral and material well-beins among our citizens It has been wei said that in the past we have paic attention only to the accumulation o prosperity. and that from hencefortl