The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1900-09-01

I,UIdvc SuOuknF 10 lace us consequences.
Mr.: Roosevelt. although he processes
much solHltude for the flag and de-
precates Democratic success beeausein
that event il would be ''trailed in the
between it and the constitution. But.
my friends. the flag of the government
Of the United States is the symbol Of
eurt Pew of that he Ietae Is the
! symbol from the substance and what
| remains? Nothing but piece of COL
| ored bunting. beautiful to the eye no
heraldry in Which its claim to the love
! and generation! of men Inns always re-
sided: the invisible blazonry Of the
principles of the declaration of indie
| pendence and the guarantees Of the
constitution.
Limited and Delegated Powers.
ment of delegated and limited powers.
Ultimate sovereignty. that final, abso-
lutte and unconditional political au-
t fFsitty Ct Ct nation. the people Of the
with. The tenth amendment. part of
what is known as the bill of rights OF
the constitution. expressly declares that
the powers not granted ITO the United
And vet distinguished defenders Of the
present policy in public life as we'll as
| hundreds Of the great journals of the
country are proelaiminG the novel
doctrine that the United States has all
d the 9oWsrs IN respect to the neW Wy
nation" ? The s claim is boldly made for
the possession Of certain authority OF
the most SOVEREIGN description where
the constitution, on the ground of
S'und1y vague inherent powers powers Of f nao
Of n ndt al the but tnsX
| wherein the people have made presi-
| dent. a congress and a supreme court,
| and carefully defined what these crea-
Selves may sIone %henev er tRey a sSa
choose to exercise these powers they
will amend the constitution and bestow
the Of them on
then. these vast capacities do not, prac-
tically speaking, exist. The constitution
| our fathers framed is responsive to all
be amended before any warrant can be
found in it for the erection of arbitrary
! power anywhere by the government
Of the United States.
Colonies.
The constitution is silent on the sub
iect of colonies and dependencies. Can
and 17sS. in fashioning a framework Of
government would have left so tremen-
dous an interest without any reference
p a fey n aad tSe system
Why. they rebelled against a colonial
condition: Is it thinkable that they in
| tended the new institutions to per-
ces which the Revolution itself. out Of
which these new institutions sprang,
had repudiated and overthrown? Tax
alton without rep IS distant
country but outside her protection and
subject to the long list of abuses re-
counted by Jefferson in the declaration
6e list that nf far
YOU cannot indict a whole nation: these
are things, which. I say. it is absolutely
inconceivable that Madison and Jay and
son and Lee and Adams and Wilson
and Dickinson, could ever have given
place in any scheme of government
The much maiiEned F III d1 ieadsT.
when he said to our general: II have
attentively studied the constitution Of
your country: and l cannot find that !,
was not less. wrong in the confidence
this fact led him to extend to this ad-
ministration than he vas right as
of the revolution made MO specific pro-
vision. in their constitu ti3n Of delegated
and #enNmerated: poWerssa for he aestab-:
nannsa ana sana
man believe. that. SO prodigious and
ircongruous an authority can rightly
be put dt tasse n fSe ~
But. it is said, it is not a question Of
mitted by the constitution: these pos
cessions are outside the constitution;
the constitution does not extend to
is unrestrained by it in their control.
This is as ,l ridiculous a pretension as the
stitution? The constitution to say
whether there shall be any congress at
all. but congress to say what it itself
shall do? The Tn constitution to
can go off somewhere far enough
to get beyond the constitution and find
a place where it is absolute? Fellow
some audacious constellation. the Great
Bear or Orion. might seek distant cor
ner of the universe and there absolve
out disturbing the Harmony of the
| Spheres" Congress as legislative
power, and the president as an execu-
tive officer. may no more. cast off the
| made them BOTH, than the brooklet on
| the mountain side can rise above the
spri2 .frf Fiat zane ana it 6f 6rtn ro,ert
But some tell us that We get, the
Porto Rico and the Philippines from
that provision of the constitution which
gives congress the power to make all
| needful rules and regulations respect
ing the TERRITORY and other property"
! of the United States. Aside from the
point that. even if this clause were
! susceptible of the Interpretation
| claimed for it. these "rules and reg
| ulations' could obviously be made only
| within the clear grant of legislative
power and for constitutional purposes
| alone: it is incOntestable that. if the
| members of the constitutional conven-
| ton had even intended the provision to
| be used as the basis of whole colossal
| system of imperial colonialism, they
would not have tucked it away in a
connection out of all relation to the
! large and governmental grants in the
| instrument. Finally. however, the
| question concerns not SO much terri
tory" as government. not so much land
| as people. not so much property" as
| precious human rights. The man who
| believes that the authors of this Amer
| lean republic could ever have meant to
| erect a despotism by innuendO, or to
whistle down the wind the God-given
right of millions of men to life. liberty
and the pursuit of happiness by lump
ing them In with territory and other
PROPERTY" does not show more con :
tempt for the fathers of the republic
| fOW citizens.
| About Prosperity.
! MY friends. this address is already
| much longer than I had designed It
| should be: and longer than it ought to