Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1920-02-13
oNE-MAN GOVERNMENT TO END.

Washington, Feb. IL Jonathan
Bourne. Jr., one of the big republi-
cass at the national capital today
gave out the following statement:
THE Democratic party put Mr..
Wilson in the White House. Having
made use Of the party to attain his
ambition the president put it aside,
and proceeded to admister the
affairs of the government as he saw
fit. Is his mind Congress was mere
ly useful as tool for the purpose Of
approving bills he submitted to it,
thus fulfilling what to him was a
technical requirement of the consti-
tuition. The best minds in his own
party, in congress and out, were
neither asked nor permitted to give
the administration the benefit of
their experience in the formulation
and, the execution of policies. Four
years after his first election he saw
that it would be secessary once more
to make use of his party If he was
to continue at the head of the ma
ton. He brushed up his acquaint-
ances potent in political affairs, in
vented q phrase to catch the ear If
not the reason of the people, and
managed once more to secure enough
votes to give him another four year
lease on power. That accomplished,
he again shunt aside the men who
had rallied to his support, and gath
cred the reins of the government still
more firmly into his hands. The
war aided him in carrying out the
idea of concentrating all the govern
ment authority into the hands of
Woodrow Wilson.
The people have rebelled at last
against his continued autocracy, and
have, determined that the next pres
fdent shall be man not obsessed
with the idea that in him alone lies
the correct solution of every prob
lem. He must not be above taking
and following the advice of others,
nor in seeking it when questions in
timately affecting the public welfare
must be determined. A return to-
popular government is what the peo-
pie most crave and the candidate
who presents the strongest appeal in
that direction will receive the major
ity of the votes.
And that is what warrants our
abiding faith in American institu-
lions. The people will not wait un-
til autocracy has secured such a hold
upon the nation that only a bloody
revolution will shake it off. They
will express their views before that
time comes, and in a revolution of
votes throw off the yoke that has
spelled the downfall of many ma
tion not so imbued with the. spirit of
self government. History is replete
with examples of governments whose
peoples have been humbled into the
dust because of their hesitancy in as
sorting themselves under the spell of
single individuals ambition for
power. Lust for personal power
has spelled not only the ruin of him
who sought 1t but of the people who
submitted to his domination.
The German people today would
De-a happy and prosperous nation but
Tor their acquiescence to the passion
OF their kaiser for world dominatios.
There is now doubt that Russia now
is paying the penalty for centuries of
autocratic misrule. Austria, even.
had she been free from German influ-
ence, would not have suffered the
rate that overlook her because her
people had no voice in their own gov
ernment.
One man government in the Unit
ed States has not goaded the people
TO the point of violence, but it is the
logical end of such rule il it is not
stopped ip time. Fortunately the
people will assert themselves at the
election next November and select
Tor themselves chief executive who
Will not consider himself the whole
team. In the machinery which pro-
Vides the means for that popular ex-
preston, and in the party rivalry that
stimulates the selection of the best
candidate, lies the security of the re-
public from disaster due to individ-
ual egotism."