The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1918-12-27
TO EDUCATE THE
VOTERS TO THINK
Continued from Page One.)
Government by Public Opinion

y
that democracy is government by
public opinion. 1t does not organ
ize classes Of preachers of the pull
pit, editorial writer's, pleaders before
the bar, nor of school masters, who
in the past have reigned pre-emin-
emily as the educated class whose
power to express themselves has
made their opinion count. Instead,
the British Reconstruction Ministry
send those who can produce the facts
before a forum of citizens 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
helping an intelligent expression of
real public opinion on the basis of
fact rather than as a consequence
of prejudice. 1t is an admirable
example of the impartial, scientific
methods which governments may
employ to great advantage without
danger of political abuse. 1t is an
application of the democracy for
which the world has been made safe.
1t is, apparently, the basic process
of reconstruction in England.
What is Americas Reconstruction
Basis?
We may well ask today what will
be the basic Reconstruction pro-
gram. Because England, France
ard Italy have their programs, it is
not therefore to Americas discredit
that she has not yet formed hers.
Our Country, the last to enter the
war, concentrated on winning the
war as the first step. Before prep
arations for winning the war were
at an end, an early victory brought
with it the need of reconstruction.
This country will meet the problems
of reconstruction as they come with
the same energy and resourcefulness
as she met the problems of the war.
And as a part of that resourceful-
ness it is for American forums in
assembly to help America educate
herself for the task.
1t is hoped that for this historic
period there will be, to quote a
recent editorial in the Washington
Post, "clear-visioned and unselfish
craftsmanship" that will "be clean
and strong and tall enough to look
out above the fogs of party politics"
With the editorial columns of ninety
per cent of the daily press taking a
partisan position in politics; with
such malicious scramble for con-
troll of the Reconstruction Congress
as we have just witnessed this fall;
with the exhibition we are having
today in Congress of an attempt to
keep our President, the recognized
leader of world democracy, from hav-
ing any vital part in American re-
construction while he is actually at
the same time the inspiration of
world reconstruction-with all these
circumstances, the hope of construc-
tive craftsmanship dwindles unless
the people come to the rescue with
an educational demand.
The demand should be this: Let
our Representatives in Congress 'di-
gest reports and pass legislation;
let the experts collect their data and
report their results; let newspaper
editorials exhort and criticise accord
ing to their political slant. But
with all those overhead, let there
be at the foundation of citizenship
in every American community, an
educational process on reconstruction
encouraged by the government,
among the people themselves. Let
the Federal Government inaugurate