THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY

Taranaki Herald, Volume LX, Issue 143764, 12 April 1912, Page 3

THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY

MR. ROOSEVELT’S PROMISES. ATTACK ON THE LAW COURTS. By Elect™ Telegraph.—Copyright. (Received April 12, 8.25 a.m.) NEW YORK, April 11. The New York State Republican Convention has decided strongly in favour of Mr. Taft. Mr. Roosevelt declares that if he wins the fight his success will be turued to the advancement of social and indusr trial justice. Tho law courts are now kept in the grasp of privilege and politicians. Supporters of the present judicial system spoke as if the, judges were imposed on the people by heaven, and responsible only to heavy-. (Mr. Roosevelt has advocated the “recall” of judicial decisions. He later explained that he advocates recall of judicial decisions only upon Constitutional points, and argues that, if the people are competent to create Constitutions, they are competent to interpret thorn. On largo questions the temper of the American people has hitherto been conservative; and many must have been considerably startled by Mr. Roosevelt’s readiness to adopt what is perhaps the most advanced mid even revolutionary of all Radical propositions —that the Judges should ho liable to recall by a popular vote, and the iindings of the Courts on Constitutional questions should be liable to revision by popular agitation. An American correspondent of the London Times remarks; “Recall,” in the current political jargon of political demagogues, means the submission of judicial decisions to the popular vote. To the determination of the nicest points of Constitutional law are to bo applied the machinery of politics—the caucus, the primaries, the boss. And the arch-boss of all, Mr. Roosevelt himself, tho most astute politician in ’America, is to guide the whirlwind and direct the storm. For tho solid fabric of a Constitutional Government we are to have the shifting sands of an exProsident’s emotional caprices. Tho decisions of the Supreme Court are a monument of judicial learning and wisdom applied to tho gravest questions of fundamental law. They arc to be flung to the wolves. Mr. Roosevelt and Tammany Hall are to he tho Supremo Court of the future.)