The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-29
JOHN It. DYES ADDRESS.
He Discusses the Gold Standard In an
Interesting Manner.

whose toast was 1.-THE Gold Standard"
The sentiment was, For art may err, but
nature cannot miss" General Harrison
left the banquet after introducing Mr.. Dye.
In presenting this speaker General Harri-
son said he would introduce a man who
never NEEDLES in public affairs unless he
thinks there is something going wrong.
Then he usually strikes in at the right
side" In the course of his remarks Mr..
Dye said:
1--WE are proud of our beautiful city. But
we are more proud of the intelligence, in
dependence and public spirit of its citi-
zens. We honor ourselves tonight in pay
ing this tribute to our distinguished guest,
whose high minded, unselfish efforts nave
largely contributed to the enactment Oh
the law which places upon a stable basis
the industrial system upon which millions
depend for their daily bread. We encour-
age tonight that free spirit and civic viz
tue which yields not to party dictation
when il imperils the public welfare. but
which is ready to join hands and help by
intelligent organization and untiring labor
TO defeat any movement which threatens
danger to the country. We do not less APP
preciate the services of our esteemed fell
lcw-citiZen by reason of the fact that the
sold standard has been compelled by the
action of economic forces, by the necessi-
ties of our expanding commerce and TO In
sure the stability of the industrial sys-
tenn upon which our social order depends.
1t was we'll said by an eminent stateman,
The world moves but only when some
body moves it, Economic laws must be
understood and applied and all obstruc-
tions removed before we can enjoy the IN
estimable benefits that result from their
untrammeled. harmonious action.
There never was time when services
such as have been rendered by our fellow
citizen TO whom we render the tribute OF
honor tonight. and by his associates, were
more needed. and we cannot anticipate a
time when they will be less needed. Our
advancing civilization faces constantly new
peris, and eternal vigilance is the price Of
liberty.
UPON NEW SEAS.
1--WE have entered upon new seas. under
the compulsion of forces cannot con-
troll. But we have not passed out of the
CONAN of jurisdiction of the natural laws
which work prosperity or disaster to ma
tions.
81 am to respond to the sentiment. Ma
ture Never Errs.' We do not know. gentle
men. the purpose of the power which is be-
hind nature. No wise man attempts to pre-
diet the great far-off Divine event towards
which all creation moves. Indeed, we do
not know that the present order is not
continuous process. We cannot tell what
ages runs. But we do know that the laws
upon which the growth and DEVELOPMENT
OF civilization depend, which bring order
and peace and property to a community
are UNIFORM. unvarying and memorable.
Ihey have not been made, neither can they
be repealed, or altered or evaded by human
rover. The most intelligent portions of the
race have yet learned only the elementary
lessons in the art of government Progress
slve civilization is recent and confined to
n ma f nf hn rI1
tinued advance requires that we should not
ignore or forget the lessons that we have
learned.
THE whole past is strewed with the
wrecks OF nations and civilizations who
have never learned or have forgotten that
justice is the basis of order, peace and
prosperity.
Eat the time the Constitution of the
United States was formed there were three
things which the painful experience of the
past had clearly taught were absolutely es-
sential TO the public welfare, and which IL
was sought In that instrument to elevate
10 the dignity OF natural rights and place
above and beyond the control of legislative
enactment-(D personal liberty 90 the right
OF private property, and 90 the sacred
ness OF contract. Upon these Sir Henry
perity reposes.
WE'LL GUARDED.
1.-THE first was guarded by all the devices
struggle of English history, but in order
to form a constitution at all it was neces-
sary to continue the existence of African
slavery. We had not then developed suffi-
GENTLY to recognize that we could not deny
to an inferior race the rights of human
nature without the utmost peril to our
selves. In 1861 we paid in blood and agony
the inexorable penalty. and in 1868 incor-
porated into the instrument provision
that neither slavery nor involuntary
servitude, except punishment for
crime whereof the party shall have been
duly convicted, shall exist within the
United States or any place subject to its
Juridiction; and We may well be alarmed
when We hear suggestions that this cause
together with other express limitations
upon the power of Congress- does not ex-
tend to that vast territory which has re-
Gently been brought within the Jurisdiction
or the United States by the treaty of Paris
THE second, the sacredness of private
property. was protected by the fifth article
of the Constitution, which provided that no
person should be deprived of life liberty
property without due process of law
nor should private property be taken for
public use without just compensation. And
the sacredness of contracts was protected
by the provision that no State should i'm
pair the obligation of contracts and il has
been held that Congress itself has no such
power except when the contract stands in
the way or falls within the scope of any
OF the powers conferred expressly or i'm
pliedly by the Constitution.
so that the rights of private property
and the sacredness of contract upon which
our social order rests were protected not
only against the power of the States, but
against the power of Congress itself
EXPERIENCE OF CENTURIES.
These limitations were the embodiments
in our organic law of the experience of
centuries. They were no parts of any
utopian dream. They We're statements of
the economic and social law which the race
had learned could not be violated with i'm
punity, and wherever the power of Con-
gress goes these express limitations upon
its power must go.
These are not only constitutional pro-
hibitions. They are economic and social
laws embodied in the Constitution. There
will soon be one hundred million of men
between the lakes and the gulf and the two
seas, millions of whom will be dependent
upon our factories. workshops and various
which furnish labor and a livelihood TO
these millions can only prosper by utilizing
the savings OF mankind. Their prosperity
Is necessarily based upon credit and the
sacredneSs of contract, and when that Is
overthrown the fabric falls and we will be
confronted with a problem which no hui
man wisdom can solve.
I'VE must resist all attempts of destruc-
tive socialism to destroy the sacredness of
contract or the rights OF private property.
We must remove all unnecessary restric-
tions to the expansion of commerce.
We must ind world markets for our FAC