The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-10-04
ROOSEVELT'S EXPLANATION.


Colonel Roosevelt continues to insist
that the only way open for harmony
between his personal Progressive party
and the Republican party, is for the
Republicans all to come into his camp
in unconditional surrender, submit to
his yoke, and subscribe to the policies
he stands for, without any equivoca-
ton, dcmur, or mental reservation. 1t
has always been a puzzle, however, to
establish what it is in the way of pol
icies that Colonel Roosevelt stands for
The Progressive platform Of last year
was so windy, so absolutely vague and
practically meaningless, that nothing
could be gathered from it; save only
that State judges were to be recalled
and their opinions overruled by the
people at popular elections. But the
idea Of making this sort Of assault
upon the State courts National prop
osition is absolutely illogical. There
is no way whereby the Nation could
undertake to discipline the State
courts, either as proposed or in any
other way. This central idea Of the
Roosevelt platform is, therefore, abso-
lutely impossible as even promising any
practical results.
The Colonel has an article in the cur
rent number Of the Century Magazine,
which is fully and firmly protected by
copyright, and express notice is given
that any republication, either in
whole or in part, Is expressly prohib-
tied. 1t is not prohibited, however, to
comment generally upon it, and it must
be admitted that his paper is quite as
indefinite, vague, and impossible as his
previous utterances in behalf of him
self politically and OF the party which
he has formed. This article, like much
of Colonel Roosevelt's former outgiv-
ings, is expressly and indeed vindic-
lively hostile to the courts. II notes
that there Is no way to reverse, disci~
pline or set aside court judgments,
therefore he wants to provide such
means, and his idea is that it can best
be done by popular vote.
Students of American institutions
know that Thomas Jefferson was fierce
ly opposed to the Federal constitution,
and that he urged the possible tyranny
Of the courts, in that no means are
provided in the constitution to curb
their possible usurpations Of power or
to break the force of any obnoxious
Oh b+
make, as one great defect in the con-
stitution, and as the reason why it
should not be ratified by Virginia 1t
is q defect in our institutions that has
always been recognized, but no one has
ever heretofore proposed that the pop
ular vote ought to overrule or set aside
the decisions of the courts Besides,
Roosevelt's idea fails to meet Mr.. JEFF
ferson s view, in that jefferson OBJ
lection applied to the Federal courts,
whereas Roosevelt's expressly applies
to the State courts. The Colonel does
not go to tho impossible extreme Of
suggesting that decisions of the Fed
eral courts and especially Of the U. S.
Supreme Court, should be overridden
by the popular vote of the Nation. So
his nostrum and his criticism Of the
State courts has nothing to do with Ma.
tional affairs and has no place in the
National political arena. He seems to
recognize this instinctively, but to
make up for such recognition by vim
dictive ferocity in his comment
Just now Colonel Roosevelt is en-.
gagged politically in campaign in be.
half of Governor Sulzer in New York,
and against Murphy, who is Tam
many's boss, He exhibits a great adj
mration for John Purroy Mitchell, the
fusion candidate for Mayor Of New
York. The fact that Mitchell is also
indorsed by President Wilson seems to
encourage Roosevelt and to mako him
understand that in supporting Mitchell
he Is likely to be on the winning side,
and, of all things upon earth, Colonel
Roosevelt likes to be upon the winning
side
1t is plain to see from Colonel Roose-
welt g political movements just now,
that he is much more inclined to side
with the Democrats than with the Re
publicans He was not willing to al.
low his party associates to support a
fusion candidate for Mayor Of New
York if that fusion candidate should be
a Republican; but he is quite willing
to support Democrat as fusion candi-
date for Mayor Of Greater New York,