The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-04-18
COMMON PEOPLE
ARE FOR WILSON
Jsdge Van Wagner Says Voters
Believe He Can Restore Pop
uIar Government.
THAT IS PARAMOUNT ISSUE
Voters Have No Faith That 1arI6
Question Can % Settled Until
They Arc Restored to
Full Power.


Full Power.
Dy JUDGE A. VAN WAGENeR,
Of Sioux City, Iowa.
The first and most important thing
70 20 In determining who Is tho
strongest candidate for any once 10 to
figure out what 10 tho paramount issue
in The campaign. 1t may be we'll to
remark here that paramount Issues
are not made by the politicians nor
by political platforms.
Tho paramount issue in this cam
paiGn In my judgment Is the resto-
irokion of popular government. The
people have no faith that they can In
tsl1lDently settle the tart1 question or
say other until they have restored
froo government as We had it in tho
days whom men elected to Office &C.
,kDowledged the sovereignty Of tho
people and were content to do their
will. The people are not blind. They
can sec that certain politicians and
political bosses, rich and otherwise
powerful men and political machines
very largely control nominations and
elections and when they do not con-
troll the election they are generally
able to control tho administration Of
government. They have discovered
also that there 10 . certain insidious
power which wealth has in the manip-
:ulation Of politics and public affairs
and in this way the great voice of tho
whole people Of the union has been
.stiAsd for many decades. It was the
hope Of the people that after the pretu-
dices Of war had subsidized popular
government would be roinstated, but
instead Of getting better It is getting
worse. The outside influences which
have power in the administration Of
government are becoming more sue
Icessful every day. Naturally the men,
bers Of congress and officers In almost
all stations, state and federal, and the
politicians are unable to see this.
They rather have an admiration for
these powers which hold out such
promising pledges Of support
! Tho people distinctly understood
that If Woodrow Wilson could be put
lin tha presidential chair. for four
years no man who has q selfish inter.
lest would have q word to ray in his.
We would hAvSsan ad-
ministration In The United States a.
;he gave them in New Jersey where
the political boss and the predatory
interests would have not Z word to
IN ~ ~
lieve that one such administration by
such a strong minded man as Wood.
row Wilson would probably restore
completely without any change in law
"a government really and truly by the
people in this country. {.
II We cannot elect men who will
properly understand and put into ef'
feet the will Of the people then we
will have to substitute some sort OF
machinery that will assist the people
TO do 20. The initiative and referen-
dunn are means principally talked OF.
That Is not tho only remedy. however.
Some very good progressive Demo-
Gratis favor the system followed by
the English parliament. That would
Ibe to suggest that whenever occasion
Iarose We should adjourn congress and
Igo to the people on some particular
issue. The advocates Of this theory
point to the promptness with which
Canada settled the reciprocity Ques.
,tion.
Governor Wilson's personal idea IL
that We should resort to the initiative
and referendum. Personally 1t Is my
idea that this il the remedy to which
We will have to resort II We are re-
Iquired to change the machinery Of
government in order to make 1t pos.
'sible for the people to rule. Governor
Wilson, however, 10 the profoundest
statesman of the age. Whenever ma
chine politicians go to him they think
he is very stubborn because he viii
not listen to their schemes at all. He
Iis irreconcilably opposed to everything
but government by the people. He
has nothing in common with the pc.
,litical boss. 49,
Everywhere Governor Wilson is the
idol Of the common people. He has
the same faith in the common people
and in free government which mads
Thomas Jetferson's name immortal.
He has the same fearlessness Of tho
political machine. and political boss
which we admired 30 much In Andrew
Jackson and he has the same clear
conception Of the fundamental prin-
ciples Of free government which came
80 nearly making Samuel J. Tilden
president Of the United States. There
are those who constantly think Of