Denver labor bulletin., 1918-12-21

TO IdCI lndL al d oHlpdIdIlNeiy
early age in my experience as pub
lie speaker l had the privilege of
speaking in Cooper union in New
York The audience in Cooper union
is made up of every kind of men
and women, from the poor devil who
simply comes in to keep warm up to
the man who has come in to take a
serious part in the discussion of the
evening. l want to tell you this, that
in the questions that are asked there
after the speech is over, the most
penetrating questions that have ever
had addressed to me came from some
of the men who were the least well
dressed in the audience, came from the
plain fellows, came from the fellows
whose muscle is daily up against the
whole struggle of life. They asked
questions that went to the heart of
the business and put me on my met
tie to answer them. / felt as if those
questions came as voice out of life
itself, not a voice out of any school
less severe than the school of expert
ence." President Wilson here illus
trates process of democracy in crys-
tallizing public opinion for which the
government should have grave con-
cern.
Government by Public Opinion.
Apparently the British reconstruc-
tion ministry proceeds on the theory
that democracy is government by pub
lie opinion. 1t does not organize
classes of preachers of the pulpit, edi-
torial writers, pleaders before the bar
nor of school masters, who in the past
have reigned pre-eminently as the ed
ucated class whose power to express
themselves has made their opinion
count. Instead, the British reconstruc-
tion ministry send those who can pro-
duce the facts before forum of citi-
zens not so able in rhetoric, but very
capable of arriving at an opinion on
the thoughts and facts presented to
them. That is crystallizing public
opinion at the source. That is help
ing an intelligent expression of real
public opinion on the basis of fact
rather than as a consequence of preju-
dice. 1t is an admirable example of
the impartial, scientific methods which
governments may employ TO great ad-
vantage without danger of political
abuse. 1t is an application of the de-
mocracy for which the world has been
made safe. 1t is, apparently, the basic
process of reconstruction in England.
What Is Americas Basis?
We may well ask today what will
be the basic reconstruction program
Because England, France and Italy
have their programs, it is not there
fore to Americas discredit that she
has not yet formed hers. Our coun-
try, the last to enter the war, concen-
trated on winning the war as the first
step. Before preparations for winning
the war were at an end, an early VIC
tory brought with it the need of re-.
construction. This country will meet
the problems of reconstruction as they
come with the same energy and re-
sourcefulness as she met the problems
of the war. And as part of that re-
sourcefulness it is for American for
ums in assembly to help America edu-
cate herself for the task.
1t is hoped that for this historic
period there will be, to quote recent
editorial in the Washington Post,
"clear-visioned and unselfish states,
manship' that will "be clean and
strong and tall enough to look out
above the fogs of party politics"
With the editorial columns of 80 per
cent of the daily press taking parti-
san position in politics; with such
malicious scramble for control of the
reconstruction congress as we have
just witnessed this fall; with the ex-
hibition we are having today in Con-
gress of an attempt to keep our Presi-
dent, the recognized leader of world
| ueihocfdSy, iIoHi having any vital part
in American reconstruction while he
is actually at the same time the in
spiration of world reconstruction
with all these circumstances, the hope
of constructive craftsmanship dwin-
dies unless the people come to the
rescue with an educational demand.
The demand should be this: Let
our representatives in Congress digest
reports and pass legislation; let the
experts collect their data and report
their results; let newspaper editorials
exhort and criticise according to their
political slant. But with all this over
head, let there be at the foundation of
citizenship in every American COM
munity an educational process on re-
construction encouraged by the gov
ernment, among the people themselves.
Let the federal government inaugu-
rate system of public information
concerning reconstruction problems
that would be impartial and scientific.
If it was a sound principle for the
government to supply facts thru films,
photographs, speakers and literature
in order that there should be an in
telligent public opinion concerning the
war, is it not also sound that the fed
eral government should move as quick
ly to start the people thinking and
thinking straight" on the fact sof re-
construction?
If know the three hundred odd for
ums that assemble in churches, thea
ters and school houses, and the scores
of local labor assemblies, farmers
gatherings and commercial meetings,
they would welcome cooperation and
/ l Al