The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-10-08
THE JUDICIAL RECALL.

fiUPdSdiiuiSLS OF the QOCCrlne CT re-
call of judges and Judicial decisions
came in for scathing arraignment
at the hands of Senator Lawrence Y.
Sherman of Illinois In Chicago on
Monday. At the same time the SEN
lator in discussing the question OF en-
acting an initiative and referendum
law in that state asserted that he
would favor such measure only If it
should be made to apply to questions
OF great Importance and limited to
them.
The address was delivered before
the members of the Chicago Transpor-
tation Association at the Hotel Sher-
man, and before its conclusion was
directed also at the question Of regu-
lation of railways in the country and
the control and supervision of the
rates which transportation lines
should be permitted to charge. The
senator took the position that the
railroads are hampered by "over-gov-
eminent In speaking OF the recall
he said:
To one who closely strides TIE
court system of this country there
can be but one conclusion reached IN
connection with the idea of recalling
judges or the decisions which they
render when such acts do not strike
the popular fancy. To permit either
OF these to become the law of the land
would strike down the independence
of the court system and remove every
safeguard which the first statesmen
of this country establiEi.ed to guar
antee the integrity and freedom of
the courts and judicial officers.
Such doctrine would make popular
fancy the law of the land rather than
the constitutions of the federal gov
eminent and the various state govern
ments. 1t would make the courts sub
ject to the attack of persons infiamed
with passion and prejudice and take
from them the freedom which guar
antees every man fair consideration
of his claims for justice
Senator Sherman said that the only
form of initiative and referendum law
which would meet his sanction is one
of simple text, and providing that
only such questions as ere Of the
broadest public moment and most
vitality reach the interests OF the peo-
pie should be subject to such action.
He added:
''The working of the initiative and
when on the statute books
is not what It seems when it is Ere
sented to US by the political orator. It
sounds Hike some one has stolen the
from the people and that
1t is the panacea through which all
existing evils are to be rcmedied and
the government given again into the
hands of the people. | am one who
does not believe this. j believe that
tho government is still in the hands
of the people and that 1t i9 going to
remain there.
When man is too busy to go to
tho polls on election day and exercise
the franchise rights which are given
to him as a citizen he has no right,
in Senator Sherman's view, to make
demands on the government. The
senator believes that petitions under
a law of this character for the purpose
of submitting to the citizenship ques-
lions Of public moment should be sign
ed by men OF character and the sigma
lures carefully verified. He believes
further that such petitions should be
applicable to only few questions
those Of widest Importance. This
kind of initiative and referendum
mieht work, but the recall of judges
or judicial decisions should never be
permitted to become law in this
country.