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bonds, the selection of county seats, and other
important matters are usually decided by pop
ular vote. The fact that platforms arc adopted
by party conventions is conclusive proof that
the voters have a right to know the candidate's
views before they vote for him.
Accepting this theory to be the correct one,
it follows that a representative has no moral
right to misrepresent his constituents.. Upon
all questions covered by the platform, a repre
sentative is bound by the platform. A public
official who secures an office without intending
to keep the platform pledges obtains office
under false pretenses, and certainly to obtain an
office by such means is as reprehensible as to
obtain money or merchandise in that way. As
a rule a representative is elected to office as the
candidate of a party, and his platform applies
the principles of the party to the questions
then before thcpublic. If new questions arise
after the election the representative is in duty
bound to apply to them the same principles ap
plied "by the platform to other questions. If
the constituents change their views they cannot
with propriety demand that the representative
change his convictions during his term, but if
the representative undergoes a change of opinion
which separates him from his constituents upon
an important question, he ought to resign. A
representative ought to speak and vote his con
victions, but when his convictions are so altered
that he cannot conscientiously carry out the
wishes of his constituents, he ought to give
way to someone who is in harmony with the
constituency. Sometimes when a great ques
tion arises, causing new party alignments, the
representative returns to his people, presents
the new issue, and endeavors to convert his
constituency to his way of thinking: such a
course is entirely honorable and of ten successful.
The secoTid theory, namely, that the repre
sentative should act independently of the
wishes of his constituents, is the aristocratic
one, and rests upon the assumption that the
voters are not competent to think out and de
cide the questions which concern their own
welfare. It is only a step from this theory to
the doctrine that the people should not be
allowed to vote.
It is important that the representative him
self should have a, proper conception of his re
lation to his constituents. Most of the corruption
that finds its way into the government comes
from the tendency of the representative to re
gard his office as private property rather than
as a public trust. When a representative
decides that he is not bound to respect the
wishes of his constituents he is on the down
grade, and' usually the next step is to make all
the money he can out of the office.
How the Blind "See."
That the blind "see" very accurately with
their hands has been well understood by edu
cators and has recently been demonstrated in
Washington City in a very interesting way.
When Ellen Terry, the English actress,
visited Washington she invited a number of
blind people to attend one of her matinees. At
the close of the -performance Miss Terry took
The Commoner.
her blind guests to her dressing room where
they held her hands and ran the tips of their
fingers over her face in order that, as they ex
plained, they might "sec" her. Miss Terry
caused to be made a portrait of herself in relief
and sent the aamo to tho room devoted to the
blind in the congressional library. As a result
of Miss Terry's suggestion, a number of busts
and relief portraits of eminent people busts
and portraits which were going to waste in the
copyright division of tho library were sent to
the room used by the blind in order that they
might "see" these interesting exhibits.
When former President Harrison died, tho
blind visitors to the library were very much
interested in a study of his career. A bust of
General Harrison that had been made by a
Japanese artist and sent to the copyright divis
ion during the World's Fair was carried to the
reading room. The blind people inspected this
bust, and a number of them exclaimed: "How
like a Japanese our President was." It was
difficult to understand what these unfortunates
meant until it was observed that the Japanese
artist had elevated the eyebrows and given to
the former President a decidedly Japanese cast
of countenance.
A Contrast.
The imperialist frequently points to the his
tory of Florida as justification for the' admin
istration's Philippine policy. The readers of
the Commoner have already been apprised of
the letter of Andrew Jackson in which he as
serted that, as Governor of Florida, he was ves
ted with altogether too much power.
It will be interesting now to take a look at
the attitude of James Monroe who was presi
dent during the period when the Florida ques
tion was mostmportant.
It will be seen that throughout his refer
ences to this subject, President Monroe showed
a deep anxiety. not to get nearer and nearer a
policy of imperialism as Mr. McKinley does,
but to get nearer and nearer the ideal Ameri
can attitude.
In his message of December 3, 1821, Mr.
Monroe urged the. necessity "of establishing,
as soon as may be practicable, a well organized
government over the territory of Florida on
the principles of our system."
In his message of April 5, 1822, Mr. Mon-'
roe said: "The principle upon which the act
of Congress providing for the temporary gov
ernment of the newly ceded Provinces was
carried into execution has been communicated
to congress in my message at the opening of the
session. It was to leave the authorities of the
country as they were found existing at the time
of the cession to be exercised until the meeting
of congress when it was known that the intro
duction of a system more congenial to our own
institutions would be one of the earliest and
v most important subjects of their deliberations."
In his message of December 3, 1822, Mr.
Monroe said, "In compliance with an act of the
last session, a territorial government has been
established in Florida on the principles of our
system. By this act the inhabitants are se
cured in the full enjoyment of their rights and
liberties, and to admission into the union with
equal participation in the government with tho
original states on the conditions heretofore
prescribed to other territories."
When we compare President Monroe's anx
iety to bring his Florida policy more and more
into harmony with American notions, to Presi
dent McKinley's willingness to carry his Phil
ippine policy farther and farther away from
American principles, we realize the differ
ence between a president who is faithful to tho
traditions of his country, and a president who
seems to have lost all concern for the princi
ples that have guided his predecessors.
W
The Solar flotor.
On another page will be found an exten
ded description of a new invention called the
Solar Motor. It is so important in its nature
and so far reaching in its effects that This
Cojoionkii has taken the pains to secure cuts
illustrating its construction. While paper that
can be used on the ordinary perfecting press
docs not reproduce a half tone very satisfac
torily, the reader will be able to understand
something of the appearance of the motor. It
has been patented and Mr. C. L. Haskell, the
treasurer of the Solar Motor Company (Bos
ton) says that a motor with engine capable of
furnishing ton horse power can bo furnished
for twenty-five hundred dollars. It is claimed
by the company that it costs nothing to oper
ate it, as it requires no attention and consumes
no fuel.
If continued experiment demonstrates the
practicability of the invention, it is destined to
work a revolution" in' the matter of u motive
power. It is already utilized to pump water
for irrigation.
If the rays of the sun can by means of this
motor be converted into electricity and stored
up during the day for use at night, it will bo
possible for small towns and villages to do
their own lighting at small expense. With the
improvement in the storage battery there is
scarcely a limit to be placed upon the possibili
ties of this invention. It is already used for
pumping water, but its capabilities are so
nearly infinite that it is already attracting
widespread attention.
W
Plagiarism.
The charge of plagiarism made against a col
lege oratorin a Missouri contestisasad reminder
of the fact that many young men have brought
upon themselves an odium difficult to remove
by borrowing the language of others without
giving proper credit. Doubtless this is some
times explained by. what is called "unconscious
cerebration," but often the evidence is so plain
that it is difficult to distinguish the borrowing
from a plain case of stealing. As the wrong
fulness of ordinary larceny docs not depend
upon the discovery of tho theft, so the offenso
of plagiarism is the same whether it is found
out or not.
The object of an oratorical contest is to
test the ability of those who participate in it
and not to ascertain their acquaintance with
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