New Britain herald., 1915-09-09

nave not the capacity to perform the much more difficult task of pass Ing useful Judgment on statutes. fre- quently difficult to construe or un- oerstand Again, the duty imposed upon the people in legislating by in- 1tiative and referendum is so much more burdensome than that imposed by the representative system in se- lecting agents to do this work that the majority of the voters too fre- quently refuse to perform their cleo tora1 duties.
 'The institution of recall deals with the executive and judicial branches of the government. With both It's operation is injurious to the pubic service, though in the case of judges 1t is much more dangerous.
 IT an executive officer is dishonest he can in effect be recalled bv i'm peachment or by criminal trial and cohVictlon' and sentenced to the pen- ltentiary. Under the new system of recall an honest official. before be ba. tune to work out and vindicate his policies, may be ousted by an ambi- uous rival through misrepresentation Tn the press and the nasty judgment or the minority of the electorate who
 
 Lincoln would have been recalled.
 Recall of Judges.
 "The evi! of the recall of judges and Judicial decisions is however. much greater. The tenure of a udge or the right of the individual litigants is to depend on the chance and uncertainty of one popular election. In the na- ture of the case, the people cannot be advised of the legal arguments pro and con even if they could understand them. Again 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 so-called reform is in the destruction of the sanctity of our constitution. Under the initiative and referendum, no greater consideration by the people is required in the passage of a con- stitutional amen iment than in that of any temporary and unimportant measure.
 ''The system of representative gov ernment is an institution hammered out in the struggle for liberty by our Anglo-SaXon ancestors for eight hun dred years. The system of written constitutions and an independent ju- dietary has vindicated itself in the strenuous life of the republic for 125 years and there is nothing in the ac- tual results of the initiative, referen- dunn and recall that comments them as substitute.
 What is true with respect to the state is true with respect to the party. 1 Fairies are essential to popular gov ernment. In no other way practical | ly can the will of all the electorate be | interpreted and embodied in affirma- tive action, legislative and eXecutiv. |
 "The convention system gave rise to l abuses. Bosses and machines were | able to control the convention, but l even under the worst boss and the l worst machine the convention was a l body with d sense or of some re- | sponsibility grow ing out of it's de- | sire to nominate a ticket which would | win in the election; and therefore, | while it may have nominated many l machine candidates whose selection | did not make for the public interest, | it frequently nominated men of | strength and popularity and high l character in order that the ticket l might be a vote-getting one.
 Primary system Weakness.
 "Under the system of the general primary there is no such responsibili- ty. Especially is this true in the se- lection of the subordinate officers. Circumstances of no real or proper |