The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-08-03

T, clothing of boy hoodwoEn by the nearly
mature man, which gals and binds his
massive limbs ard interferes with his
development. To say that the Federal
Constitution Of 1857
IS NOW A S
in many respects, is q self-evident
proposition, It could not be otherwise
Great and wise as that instrument in
many respects was, it was intended
for the people and the surroundings of
that day. Therein was such fitness as
it had.
Its creators could not foresee the re
| quirements of this time, our present
| development and propositions were be
yond their widest dreams. IF by any
| possibility they could have foreseen
/ what provisions were most suitable IN
a constitution fitted for this day and
adopted it, such a constitution would
have been untitled for that time and
unacceptable. E Oh generation has a
right to enact its own laws and shape
it's own institutions. This is tbeBacred
! right Of self government. No dead
hand from the past can lay it's paralysis
upon the living and check cur progress
and leave US deferc elegs against the
enemies created by the rapidly chang
ing conditions Of modern life.
How could q Federal Constitution Of
10 years ago be suitable to this dag,
when each State has so often had to
change it's organic law9 NobwlthstaUd
ing any need OF the praise bestowed
upon cur Federal Constitution, it must
be remembered that it Yves 80 far from
being acceptable, even when first pre-
| ecribed, that many States ratified with
the understanding that amendments
would be made, and suggested amend
ments at the time of their ratification
Accordingly, ten amendments wers
suggested by the very first Congress
that met, that OF 1879, and were adopted
| by the States.
Another defect was made apparent
by a decision of the Federal Supreme
Court in the case Of Chisholm W. Geor-
giR, and the 18th amendment protect
ing the States against that assumption
Of power, by the Court, was submitted
! by Congress in 1894 and promptly rati-
fed. The contested preside initial cleo
ton OF 1901 allowed another dangerous
! defect in the organic instrument which
was patched up Gmperfectly, as the
contested election OF 1875 showed) by
the 18Th amendment submitted by Cen
gress 10 1903 and ratified by the States
within nine months thereafter. Three
| other amendments followed in the
wake of the great civil Val. How far
! it would have been possible to have
averted the vast loss of life and prop
erty, and the resultant taxation since,
if the original Constitution had been
more wisely and clearly drawn, or il
/ timely and proper amend ments had
been made, it would be a sad and a
PROFITLFss TASK TO CONSIDER NOW. !
When the Federal Constitution OF
. 1887 was sent forth, it was provided
for a people Of 5000, 600, scattered
along the Atlantic slope.
We are nov trying to make it do
duty for 80. 0. O,OOO settled from ocean
to ocean, and from the great lakes to
the gulf. Then our population was
mostly rural, for three years later, in
1890, we had but five towns in the
whole country which had as many as
! {, 5O5 inhabitants each, and only two
others had over 1000; now we have
the second largest city on the globe,
and several that have passed the half
million mark Then we had Is post
Offices with $37. 900 annual postofice
expenditure. Now we have rs. 900 pest
Offices and an annual postal expeEdi-
ture Of 800, 600 900.
During the first ten years the eXpen.
ditures of the Federal Government, il
Guiding payments on the Revolution
airy debts, averaged about $1,000 0 900
annually. In the last few years they
have averaged so times that. When
! the Constitution was adopted Virginia
was easily the first State in infuerce
and population, having one fourth the
Or puIation of the whole country, and
! North Carolina third, while New York,
which then stood fifth, now has double
the population of the whole Union Of
that date, and many other States now
have a population greater than the
original Union, whose very names
were then unheard of, and over whose
bosoms the savage and the buffalo
roamed unmolested.
Then steamboats,, railroads, gas,