Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-09-10
RADICALS HALT TRUE
PROGRESS
CONTINUED from page one)

this work that the majority Of the
voters too frequently refuse to per-
form their electoral duties.
The institution of recall deals with
the executive and judicial branches of
the government. With both its ,Oper-
alton is injurious to, the public ser
vice., though in the ease or~judgest IL
is much more dangerous,
AZ f,fra a. Recall Is Easy.
's'If an executive officer is ,dishones;
he can III effect be recalled by i'm
parchment or by criminal trial and
canSic ion, and. sentsrced to the penl.
tsntiary. %UhaR thsssshsw system OF
recall an honest s0ficfal, before he
iaas time to work oAtand vindicate his
policies, may be ousted, by an ambi-
|ticMss rival through misrepresentation
in the press and the hasty judgmentsof
the minority OF the electorate who go
to the polls. Under such a system
Lincoln would have been recalled.
THE evil of the recall of judges and
judicial decisions is, however, much
greatersy The tenure,1f a Judge or the
right Of the Individual. litigants is to
dependsOn the chance sandJ uncertain
ty of one popular election. In the ma
ture of the case. the people cannot be
advisedgof the legal arguments pro
and con even if they could understand
them.@HAeain the power of a reckless
press would be enhanced and justice
and equity would play little part in
the result.
The evil tendency Of such social
ed reform is in the obstruction Of
the sanctity Of our constitution. IN
der the initiative and referendum, no
greater consideration 10y the people is
tutional amendment than in that Of
any temporary and unimportant meas,
ure.
Parties Essential. -
'The system Of representative gov
eminent is an institution hammered
out in the. struggle for; liberty by our
Anglo Saxon ancestors, for eight hun
bred wears. The system of written
constitutions, and an ;independent Judi
ciary has indicated Itself in the siren
uous life of the republic for l25 years
and there is nothing in the actual re-
suits Of the initiative, referendum and
recall that ccmmends them as a sub.
stitute.
what is true with respect to the
state is true with respect to the par
ty. Parties are essential to popular
government. In no other way practi-
cally can the will Of all the electorate
be interpreted and embodied in affirm
alive action. legislative and executive.
THE convention system gave rise to
cjbuses. Bosses and machines were
able to- control tle convention, but
even under the worst boss and the
worst machine the convention was a
body with a sense Of some response
bility growing cut CT its desire to
nominate a ticket which would win in
the election; and therefore while it
may have nominated many machine
candidates whose selection did not
make for the public interest, it fire.
quently nominated men of strength
and popularity and ligh character in
order that the ticket might be a vote
getting one.
Under the system Of the general
primary there IS no such responsible
ity. Especially is this true in the Sc
lection Of the subordinate officers.
Circumstances OF no real or proper
significance in the selection OF quail
fed candidates affect the choice in
such cases.
Nor is it true that the genera
primary is any less subject to the con
troll of a machine and the boss and 8
political organization than a conven-
ton. Primaries are usually attended
by a minority Of the party. In other
words, the result is much affected by
the number who can be aroused tc
come out to vote, and that depends
upon organization. This places in the
hands of tie politicians who have an
organization the mean to control.
The representative system, system
in legislatures and in conventions,
system will work well if the people
who ought to vote will turn out. and
it will work for the reasons | have
stated a great deal better than the
initiative and referendum and the gen
eral primary. Eut we should realize
under any system the politicians will