Mexico weekly ledger., 1897-02-11


purpose of stamping some dates upon
them. In reverting to this formative
period of our country's history, unless
we are careful, we shall find ourselves
crowding into single event the Rev.
oiutionary War, the Declaration of
Independence, the Confederation of
the States and the adoption of the
Constitution. 1t is not my purpose to
go into the history of the War of the
Revolution, or to expatiate on the
glories of the Declaration of indie
pendence, or to discuss the merits and
demerits of the Articles of Confedera-
tion only as they may serve to throw
light upon the subject before us. We
shall begin with the familiar date of
the immortal d Declaration-1776. Elev-
en- years after this event, in 1857, the
convention which adopted the Fed
eral Constitution was convened. In
the meantime two important events
transpired. The Articles OF Confed-
Grafton were adopted in 1881 and
treaty of Paris in 1888. We have now
blazed four trees. The Declaration of
Independence, the Articles of Confed-
Grafton, the Treaty of Paris and the
Constitutional Convention, and their
respective dates are 1776, 's1, 'sS ard
1877.
At the instance of James Madison,
a society was held at Annapolis, Mary
land, in 1856. The object of this society
was to call a convention of States for
the purpose of considering two ques-
tions-commerce and finance. One of
the great questions that perplexed
our fathers has been transmitted to uS
unsolved. Twelve States responded
to the call on the 18th of May at Car
penter's hall, Philadelphia, one of the
most notable assemblies of men the
world ever seen convened. The cre-
alton of the Federal Judiciary was the
most consummate and without single
exception the most original work ac
complished by trainers of the consti-
tuition.
Nor would have you infer that our
federal government is the only glory
of our institutions. 1t is not. 1t is
merely the capstone, while the foun-
dation of our political system is the
Anglo Saxon principle of local self
government. Under the Roman sys-
tenn the family was the unit and it ex-
listed for the benefit of the govern
ment; while with us the individual is
the unit and the government exists
for his benefit. Our pride is not our
magnificent central government, but
our citizenship. We recognize that no
government can make great citizens,
but great citizens can make a great
government. Government is merely
scaffolding to aid in the building
character. The genius OF our institu-
tions is individualism. 1t exhalts the
citizen. 1t teaches him that his home
is his castle, and that his sovereignty
rests beneath his hat. 1t teaches him
to be self reliant and responsible-to
look to the national government for
nothing that his State can do and to
his state for nothing that his own arm
can do.
On all great subjects, says John
Stuart Mill, much remains to be said,
and of none is this more true thar of
the American constitution. The liter
ature which has accumulated upon it
is huge. But the observer who looks
at the living reality will wonder at the
contrast to the paper description. Ee
will see in the life much that is not in
the books; and: he will find in the
rough practice many requirements of
the literary theory.
On Monday morning, after Chapel
exercises, Mr.. Wiley addressed the
students and number of interested
spectators. He was introduced by Mr..
G. o. Lester with a few remarks, stat
ing that in Central College there was
no chair of economics and that the
students desiring to know more of the
great questions of finance, protection,
etc., had organized Political Science
| Club. This lecture was the beginning
of series of lectures, which we trust
will end with a permanent chair OF
economics in Central College. The
following is synopsis of Mr.. Wilfey's
address:
Political thinkers have always been
divided into two schools-those who
believe in much government and those
who believe in little government. In
| ancient times when war and conquest
were the principal occupations of men
a strong central government was
necessity. Imperialism passed away
with the Roman empire and from the
wreck and debris of that system which
rotted down during the middle ages
sprang Democracy. The old idea that
the individual exists for the State was
| superseded by the doctrine that the
State exists for the individual. But
the new industrialism which took the
place of militarism brought with it new
problems which developed two schools
of political philosophy. The pendulum
of politics swung from Monarchy to
Democracy and now threatens to rise
to the other extreme of Socialism. The
divine right of legislatures is to be sub
stituted for the divine rights of kings
Socialism is based upon the idea oi
equality and seeks to overcome the
inequalities that exist in the condi-
tions of men. 1t represents that ten
| dency in the field of industry and
property which seeks to displace in
dividuai ownership, unrestricted com
petition and the liberty of independ-
ent action by governmental owner
ship and governmental regulation
Shall the sphere of the state be en-
larged and that of the individual con
tracted, or shall the sphere of the in
dividual be enlarged and that of the
state restricted? These are the ques-
tions raised by Socialism and which
must be answered by the statesmen oi
the immediate future.
| State Socialism is the attempt to
equalize incomes by means of nation
4 IL - Ill. e1 10 ~