The Alaska daily empire., 1915-05-07
DEMOCRACY ANp oggIcBs

It is strange chat men who profess to be
 Democrats will talk of the governments being
 close to the people and thon almost in the same
 breath advocate system by which Che selec
 ton Of as many government officials as possi | be be taken out of the hands ol ,he people
 .lt Is one of those political inconsistences that
 are the result of the desire to sacrifice the
 public for power other selfish motives (gair
 banks citizen3
 The trouble with The Citizen is that it does uu, derstand Che meaning of democratic government Dem. ocratc government means power by Che people and not ! by public officials Democratic government would make officehoders instruments of government and not governors Democratic government brings the author ity to control to the people and ma,es public servants merely instruments to carry out their will The oppo site of democracy in Republic is the theory that Che people select officials not to under their direction but to thnl act and govern them. their repre- sentatves
 Therefore President Wilson. the recognized leader of American depocracy urged the direct primary the recall the initiative and the referendum for New ter sey when he was Governor of that State and has urged full Territorial form of Government" for Alaska since he has been President lie has urged shorter ballot with only few State and County and City officers to be elected by the people that the people could fix responsibility for failure obey their inunc tons He would have only few elected by the people and make them responsible to the people for efficiency and for faithful performance of popuior will He would not allow Governor or Board of County Commissioners or a Mayor to l was on- able to obey your will because the Territorial mine inspector or the County Attorney or the chefofPohee as the case may be. whom you selected would not work with me This is being democrat and if there is purpose for Democratic party it is to serve dem ocracy.
 President Taft has clearly and ably placed the oth CT side Of the case to the people various occasions He opposes the initiative and referendum and the re- call and it logical he would also oppose Che direct pr mary His theory of representative government is that the people select officials because Of their capacity for government to govern them-to make laws adopt poli cies and to administer law without instructions of any thing more than very general character from he peo ple-
 The democratic theory results in government by law and too often the other theory has resulted in personal government The democratic theory results in making an official simply impersonai public ser want The other theory results in making governing class and as naturally as water down hi per sonal political machines
 The fact that The Citizen opposes "fuii Ierrtor- iol form of government Alaska. but is intensely interested in the selection of those who are to draw public salaries, indicates that it magnfes the import ance of office holders and minimizes the importance of che popular control Democracy is more concerned about measures than men lt concerns itself with gov enment its principles and policies and is careless as to who performs the detail work as long as the result is efficiency and the responsibility direct
 A multitude of public officials each independent of .he others makes the finest kind of field in which 10 develop invisible government and thus defeat the popular will
 The Citizen is 8 score of years behind the times