Gloucester County Democrat., 1900-03-08

| OF the British parliament ought to
wake the people up, if they either in
tend or hope to preserve the remnants
of their liberties.
DaIzeIFs Broad Claim.
Mr.. DalzeIl of Pennsylvania declared
in his speech that congress could estab-
lish tariff against New Mexico and
at the same time let in the products of
Arizona free. in face of the constitu-
tional provision that all taxes and i'm
ports must be uniform Does anybody.
Democrat or Republican, outside of
congress or lunatic asylum believe
that the constitution authorizes any
such performance as Mr.. DaIzell de-
clared possible?
General Grosyenor, who has the
courage Of his convictions-ind
more courage than conyiction-boldly
declared that the purpose for which we
hold on to the Philippines is to get all
the money out of them we can. And
yet we are told that this Philippine
war is waged to spread Christian civil
lization! A sermon or two by General
Grosyenor would knock the bottom out
of that self evident lie. By a strange
concatenation of events we go partners
with Mohammedans. slave drivers and
polygamists in the hilippines-indeed
carry them on our pay rolls-and go on
killing Christians over there-a strange
method of spreading Christian ciyiliza-
ton. surely.
A Remarkable Statement,
To show the feeling of the big In
| juns among the Republicans touching
the constitution. hereby quote, with
out apology for its length, a most re-
markable article from the Washington
Star, a prosperous Republican paper.
1t is enough to make those who believe
in constitutional government have
| the shiyers. The Star says:
"The idea of national constitutional
convention is getting a hold upon the
minds of some of the most thoughtful
men in public life. The thought is
merely suggestive as yet, and has not
been resolved into a definite purpose,
but there is growing feeling that we
| have reached a stage in our history
where 1t begins to be a serious prob
lem whether the constitution must be
reconstructed or reconstruct. The
feeling is very common in and out of
congress that this nation is like big
boy in short pants which win give way
at every seam If new pair of trou-
sers are not soon provided. Almost
every important development in our
national growth supported by a consid-
cradle element active in public affairs
is felt to be a strain of the constitu-
tion. Within the past is months
more than ever before during the pres
ent generation of political doctors the
constitution has been raised across the
path of progress along the lines of de-
yelopment seemingly most popular,
and men who believe thoroughly in the
new policies and have faith in the fu-
| ture world influence of the United
States have been disturbed and caused
to ponder over the question of consti-
tHtionaI limitations. They have hest
lated between veneration for this time
! honored instrument and a common
sense recognition ii present @eSzssaisix;Els CO
and future needs.
The Present Tendeney In Congress.
''There are few men in congress,
1 aside from those who are utterly indif-
ferent to anything except merely tenn
porary policy, who do not agree that
the present tendency is to break away
more and more from the restraints
which the constitution has been re-
garded as putting upon the policies of
government This is justified upon the
grounds of necessity arising from the
growth and development of the ma
ton. 1t is argued that if the trainers
Of the constitution had any conception
of the nation to be built upon the foun-
dation they laid the conditions exist
ing at the time of the framing of the
constitution did not admit of its being
made broad enough to meet that ma
tion's needs for all time. Not to speak
| too irreverently of that great instru-
ment, it was of necessity a patchwork
in which each of the states or colonies
contributed a patch, and the doubts
and anxiety of the time found express
sion in the color of the patches What
!
now faded; time has reduced the whole
fabric to a common shade, but that
shade is indistfnct and gradually be-
coming colorIess.
A Question of Method.
''In dealing with the conditions that
now exist there appears little differ
/ ence of opinion as to what the facts
are. and 1t is a question of method in
dealing with the problem presented.
| Comparatively few men among the
class responsible for government to-
! day, in either the legislative or execu-
tive branch. and perhaps in the ju-
dietary, have much respect for the mar
row restraints of the constitution. A
suggestion of their existence with a
right to be respected provokes out
| breaks of impatience in every debate
in congress. The only open question
appears to be whether the restraints
which are deemed inconsistent with
our present national character and a
| hindrance to expansion shall be ig-
| nored and allowed to become a dead
letter or whether the problem shall be
dealt with more directly by recon
struction of the constitution to suit it
to the changes that have come about
during its honored existence of more
than hundred years.
"Those who are inclined to the idea
of a reconstruction by constitutional
convention at some time In the near fu-
ture are Influenced by the belief that
the inevitable result of trying to over
come difficulties by avoiding or ignor-
ing or by new and strained interpreta-
ton of things which conflict with pres,
ent and future policies will be the de-
velopment into a condition of having
only an unwritten constitution, as has
/ Great Britain, the written instrument
becoming obsolete. and that we will
have new constitution in fact,
though not of record. They feel that
/ If we are to retain a written constitu-
ton the changes In it made necessary
/ by new conditions should be made in
writing in order to preserve stability
of our institutions. Timidity which
would cause some politicians to shrink
from meeting the question frankly still
admits of their ignoring a constitution
al restriction which they have not the
courage to remove.