Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1914-04-29

demonstrated that other plans of set
Element and development have been
tried, and it has been conclusively
shown that the occupancy of the
northern territory by the white man
is impossible. If there be evil re-
sulting from the experiment in de-
mocracy, the white man, the Briton
away from Great Britain, is RESPONSE
BILE and the white man alone.
Democracy to the Limit.
The Australian feS al constitution.
modelled upon the Constitution of the
limit the principle of rusting the
people. Every adult, ms or woman,
has an equal voice in tie election of
both houses of parliament. There is
no property qualification and no cir
cumstance entities any citizen to more
than one vote. In actual practice
however, as Frank Fox, keen observer
and long resident of Australia pointed
out, ''it has been found that the prin-
ciple of federalism imposes a check
on the actions of the Australian parli-
ament which is deeply resented by
the advanced labor leaders, and the
inconvenience of which is acknowl-
edged by others. The constitution fol-
lowed somewhat closely the United
States model, and reserved very large
powers to the states--far larger, for
example, than the states or provinces
have in Canada To provide that
there should not be any arbitrary en-
croachment on state rights, a states
house was set up, in which house-the
| senate-the tiny state of Tasmania
has equal representation with the very
large state of New South Wales. Also,
the respective power of the states of
the federation were defined by the
written constitution and the high
court of the commonwealth was made
the guardian and interpreter of that
constitution
This high court, it may be observed,
has kept a jealous watch for any
trespasses by the federal power on
state rights, and has declared a great
deal of the federal legislation ''uncon-
stitutional," and therefore invalid, be-
cause it went beyond the powers CIV
en- to the federation or commonwealth
by the constitution. This has created
strong demand for a revision of the
constitution, just as the decision of
the majority of the justices of the
United States Supreme court in the
income tax case caused a demand for
revision of the American constitu-
ton. 1t strikes observers from older
countries with surprise, and perhaps
with dismay that it should be urgent
ly proposed to enter upon a profound
constitutional change after only ten
years experience of federation under
the act of union.
Labor in the Saddle.
Other experiments, tried out, may
be abandoned, lightly or otherwise,
but the experiment of democracy is.
not among them The Australian,
whether he be member of the La
Dor or of the Liberal party-the two
great political partfes-is democrat
One man is as good as another man in
his eyes and, to employ the Irish
phrase, often little better. The sec
rotary of the drayman's union is ap
pointed member of the Legislative
council. The cabman, who over
charged me in Sydney, as cabmen
overcharge the traveller in all cities
upon earth, is a member of parlia-
ment One premier is miner, an
other a printer. Not in mere theory.
as in some other countries claiming
to be democratic, the government i'll
Australia is in the hands of the butch
er, the baker and the candlestick-
maker.
The extent to which democracy goes
may be illustrated by the New South
Wales experiment The Labor party,
returned to power in this state, the
most important in Australia, selected
as it's leader w. A Holman, who had
filed this place with distinction in the
previous parliament Under the con
stitution and by precedent the forma
ton of a government, that is the Sc
lection of cabinet ministers, fell to his
lot. Premier Holman, as an ultimate
democrat, declined to avail himself
of this immemorial privilege, and |
called secret caucus of all the Labor
members of parliament to select the
new ministry. A score of candidates
were voted upon Ivy the 4S Labor
members, and after six hours of siren |
uous balloting the caucus selected ten |
names. These are the new cabinet |
ministers, though the caucus left the |
assignment of their separate port
folios or officers to the premier.
Faced Toward Socialism.
With many Australians democracy |
spells opportunity for socialism, to !
greater or less degree. The two chief |
occupations of the Australian are
sports and politics. Indeed. he car
ries his sporting proclivities into the
realm of politics, and just now is per-
hitting his democracy to take long |