The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-06-15
In an Address Before the Har.
ward Phi Beta Kappa.
he SOUNDS 4 WARNING NOTE
Property Owners May Not Al
WAYS Favor Law and Order.
May Become RebelliOus Like
the People of Ulster.

CAMBRIDGE Mass, June 15.-The una
bridged exercise Of the limitations upon
hasty action Of a majority of the elec-
torate now interposed by vested pre-
negatives of the supreme court of the
United States and by the machinery
for amending the constitution was de-
tended by former President William
Howard Taft, in an Grafton before
members Of the Phi Beta Kappa fra
ternity of Harvard university at San
ders' theater today. The subject of the
grafton was 1.-The Supreme Court OF the
United States and Popular Self-GoVern-
ment." Mr.. Tafts defense Of these
limitations had immediate reference to
the change recommended by certain po-
litical leaders to quality existing per-
sonal property rights and increase gov
ernmental control over the Individual.
He attacked the recall Of judicial de-
cisions and the proposal that the 1uog-
ment of the supreme court In cOnstru-
ing and enforcing the constitution may
be subject to a reversal by plurality
vote at any biennial election.
Basing his argument that the consti-
tutional and judiciary distractions to
1mpulsive action at the polls were not
inconsistent with popular government
upon English governmental develop
ments, Mr. Taft said.
"The enduring character Of the Eng
lish government. of the governments
that have been derived from 1t like our
own, is to be traced in this training OF
the minority to be good losers but the
quality of being good losers Will not
persist in minorities, unless majorittes
exercise their power with fairness"
Rights of Property Holders.
Consideration for the rights of prop
erty holders was urged by Mr.. Taft who
said that they may not always be
non-residents and always in favor OF
law and order as II the right OF
property is seriously impaired they
may change their conservatism to the
rebellious spirit like Ulster
Speaking of the militant suffra-
gettes as an illustration. of the ten
dency he described, he said:
They use force. and with modern
explosives and the freedom of modern
life they are able to do public and pri-
to their numerical strength"
In this connection, Mr.. Taft attacked
the trades unions for their champion
ing of the Clayton bill, pending before
operation of the Sherman antitrust
law. and for their support of the strik-
ers in Colorado. 1--WE find" he said,
''many labor organizations insisting
that the arm of the courts be weaken
ed so that lawless violence on their
ity to gain their industrial ends. In
deed, we find actual rebellion against
state authority maintained by certain
trades unions and supported by con-
tributions openly solicited from their
sympathizers the country over
Mr.. Taft met the raised objection to
the machinery for amendment to the
federal constitution as very difficult,
by saying that amendments which do
not arouse sectional differences can
not easily be defeated. The super
iority of proce dure of construction OF
the country law with the help of the
supreme court rather than at a bien-
NAL election was urged by the speaker
and the need for some such tribunal
grew greater. not less. he said in the
developing of society in it's modern
form. Attocks on the supreme court
have been made often before, said Mr..
Taft, when there was a forceful man
in political leadership who command
ed an earnest, enthusiastic following
and denounced distractions to the
peoples will.
I'm a transition period" he conclud-
ed, I'VE need the supreme court, not
to prevent reform, by the exercis eOf
popular will, but to prevent change by
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