Mexico weekly ledger., 1897-02-11
AN ABLE ADDRESS.
Hon. L. r. Whitley, an Audrain County
Boy, Lectures at Fayette, Mo-
Extracts From His Speech.

Saturudy cV6uluS, duuTCnScA q AoA So
and appreciative audience on the sub
ject, "Nature and Origin of the Fed
eral Constitution" His was the first
lecture of a series that the Political
Science Club of Central College ex-
poets to have in the near future, which
will lead to the establishment of an
economics chair. Mr.. Wiley said in
part:
Government ia the first essential
the very basis of civilization-the con-
dition precedent to organized society
1t may be ikened to great temple,
within whose strong walls and under
whose vaulted dome, all the forces oi
civilization are nourished and protect
ed. 1t is erected not merely to secure
civil and political rights, such as life.
liberty and property, but to shelter
and protect all of those tender and sa-
cred influences which refine the SEN
timents, ennoble character, give aroma
to life and which are the flower
and fruit of civilization. Within its
walls science rears her laboratories
and explores the mysteries of nature
Art opens her studios and her magic
brush makes the canvas throb with
life and her chisel's touch makes the
dull, cold marble speak. Music and
poetry come forth to charm and con-
sole, and the schools of literature ano
philosophy enrich the treasury of the
mind. Her religion builds her shrines
and her countless spires over hei
creeds bear silent witness to its guard
ian strength. While within the Holy
of the Holes of this temple rises the
sacred altar of home where the Shek'
inah of love ever shines to enrapture
the heart of mankind. "Whenevel
this temple stands, and 80 long as it il
duly honored, there is a foundation oi
social security, general happiness an6
the improvement and progress oi
our race. And whoever labors to this
edifice with usefulness and distinction
whoever clears its foundations
strengthens its pillars, adorns its en-
tablatures, or contributes to raise its
august dome still higher in the skies
connects himself IN name and fame
and character with that which is and
must be as durable as the frame oi
human society"
In recent years our system has
practically monopolized the attention
of political thinkers throughout the
world. "What do you think of oul
institutions?" is the question address
ed to the European traveller in the
United States by every chance &C.
quaintance. This is not the case II
the equally famous nations of the Ole
World. The reason is obvious. Oul
institutions represent a new type oi
government. They represent an ex-
pertinent in the rule of the multitude
tried on a scale unprecedently vast
and the result of which every one il
concerned to watch. And yet they are
something more than an experiment
"for," says Professor James Bryce, the
great English writer on American in
stitutions, "They are believed to dis.
close and display the type of institu'
tions towards which, as by law of fate
the rest of civilized mankind are
forced to move, some with swifter
some with slower, but all with unrest.
ing feet"
We now come to examine the
structure of this new and peculiar
government, to go back in our imag'
nation to the time of its origin ano
acquaint ourselves with the men who
laid the foundation, to examine itl
foundations and supporting columns
to walk about the Zion of our politica
faith, to tell the towers thereof an(
mark well her bulwarks, to the enc
that we may determine in our owl
minds, at least, if her foundation
have been laid in sufficient wisdom t,
support an edifice which will be en-
during and which can be adopted II
the ever-changing and multiplying
wants of society.
Let us first get clear conception o
what Constitution is. What is mean
by our Federal Constitution? The US
ual answer is the organic law of th'
land. But inasmuch as there are sew
eral kinds of law, emanating from diff
| ferent sources, we are sometimes un
able to determine just the distinction
between organic and other kinds o
law. More strictly speaking Con
stitution is limitation on aw-makln,
and on the operation of other kinds o
law. One of its peculiar character
istics is, that it applies to the futur'
as well as to the present. 1t declare
that few things shall be done, ant
that few things shall not be done. I
says to the present and to succeeding
generations, thus far shalt thou come
but no further. 1t would be perhap
more accurate than to say that tn
| A0aoAoA SohoeitAsAOh 10 OIL OISnul
limitation whereby the people have
SIN order to establish justice, to pro
mote the general welfare and secur,
the blessings of liberty to themselve
and their posterity," protected them
selves against themselves. Its pur
pose is, to protect few Fundamental
rights from the whirlwinds of passion
and prejudice for all time. Anothe
peculiar feature of it is that these re
straints are self-imposed. 1t has fire.
quently happened that the holders o
political power have been forced t.
surrender or curtail it for the genera
good; but the example of the people
limiting, by their own free will, tn
exercise of their own power, wa
without precedent at the date of tn
adoption of the Constitution and ha
not been successfully put in opera
ton in any other country since. Tn
Constitution of England is very simi
lar to ours in many respects, but ther
is this essential distinction-that Par
lament can change the English Con
stitution at any time, and as a matte
of fact is changing it constantly by
mere majority vote. Whereas, wit
us Congress has no power to chang
the Constitution in the slightest re
spect. If Congress should attemp