The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-09-13
GEN. WEAvRR's SPEECH
Delivered July as to the Largest Audience
Ever Assembled at Denver.
The Government aUds Made for Nan
and not for Corporations
An Injury to One the
Concern o1r All

An Injury to One the
Concern of AL
General Weaver, who was received
with prolonged cheering, said:
Mr. Chairman, Ladies' and Gentlemen 4
You will necessarily have to restrain
your 1mpetuosity if you are to hear
everything say to night Thomas
Carlyle said that the greatest of all
gospels is this, that a lie cannot live
forever. Applause] The evolution of
our civilization has brought us to q
period In the history of the world when
something has TO give way. We have
outgrOwn the old, and have come upon
the time when new safeguards must be
thrown around our liberties and the
rights of the people if we would mann
tain free government longer in Amer
lea, The problem of free government
in 1776, or at the later date of the adop-
tlOn Of the Constitution was not very
difficult one. We then had boundless
continent before us, with endless op-
portunities opposite every mans door
Our population was then less than
5000, ,O00 souls, and then all the people
could rejoice i'm the realization OF that
fundamental declaration that 1s to be
AOG10 82 84C GAGhGAGE O1 O0E
which declares that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain inalienRble rights.
among which are life, liberty and the
pursuit OF happiness. They could real
ize the meaning of that sublime declar-
alton. But 20 day, with our 64, 600, 600
OF people, population crowding upon
population, with our public lands all
gone and the door of opportunity closed
against the poor and the humble, with
our cities crowded and the population
Of the country Banding q way from the
rural districts tO the cities, the problem
of free governments Co day isa tar more
difficult task than that which con
frOnted our fathers 1f there lives
man within the republic who thinks
that we can longer govern this people,
or longer remain free people unless
restraining influences are interposed
to prevent the merciless grasp of com
federated monopoly, he does not ua-
derstand the issues of our civilization,
nor the inevitable in the life of ma
tion.
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW.
want, this evening, es ali infroduc
ton to what may say. for tie rllfp
of, claaring awee the nFg4fi ta a
may understand just what Ra want Is
do, / wish to give this aJ1diance les
son in constitutional law. liz is the
most important lesson can give you
tonight, and presume have distin-
guished members of the legal profes,
sion here tonight listening 90 me. /
feel honored by your presence, gentle
men, and think that you will agree
with me in the declaration of law that
/ shall make, and the conclusions
which / draw from the constitution
And let me say before / proceed to
state this proposition, that believe
that If there was ever set of men who
were under the special guidance of Di-
vine Providence. I believe the trainers
of the constitution were guided by the
Almighty when they gave us that
wonderful charter and palladium of
our liberties. Applause
What this country most needs to day
is to be led back to the purer days of
the republic, to the period when the
provisions of the constitution shall not
longer be dead letter ON the statute
book. will try to make this lesson 80
plain that q child may understand it.
The constitution declares that Congress
NOT the States-it is too important to
be trusted to the States, not individ-
uals, it is too important for that, but
that Congress shall have power 20 regu-
late commerce among the States and
with foreign nations and with the In
dian tribes. Now, whatever power is
conferred by that express declaration
in the constitution, it is evident that it
was understood by our forefathers to
be too important to be longer intrusted
to the States composing the Union;
hence, they took 1T away from the
States, the States having originally
possessed it, before the formation of
the constitution. They declared that
Congress should have the power to
regulate commerce among the States
What La Oongress9 To is the law
making power of the whole govern
mant It reaches out, throws the s8gis
of it's protection across every State and
every Territory In the Union. liz ID the
sovereign arm Of the government In
motion. That is Congress. Now, what
lis it Congress may dot It may regulate
commerce among the States. Well,
but the States have not any commerce
as such. But, as logicians will tell
you, this is case where one thing Is
placed for another, and the word
Estates there means the people OF
the States Congress shall have power
to regulate commerce among the peo-
pie residing in the various Stabes
What is commercef That il the next
step to the inquiry. 1t 10 the buying
and selling and the trans shipment OF
the things bought and sold between
the people Of the various States. That
il what Congress may regulate. What
may Congress dot May Congress fix
the price Of what is shipped from Col
orado to New YorkQ Certainly not.
May Congress fix the price of the goods
shipped there9 Certainly not What
then does the constitution mean9 Dan
iel Webster, i'm a great speech, fore
shadoWed what it means, and your Su