Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-08-28

pSlS. Sudll UOI IeleT W Lueul. WY
purpose is simply to see how he stood
on the question which confronts us.
His heart made, his brain shaped.
and his hand wrote the Declaration Of
independence, pronounced by all the
statesmen of the earth as the greatest
charter of human rights ever given to
men. For one hundred and twenty
five years it was held sacred as Holy
Writ, and the only discordant sounds
heard today come from a few sharks
and their pocket politicians. This i'm
mortal document has thrown its light
around the earth, it has lifted the
hopes of all people, and it will illu-
mine the skies of all the centuries.
We get here the great principle that
all men are born equal, and that gov
ernments derive their just powers
from the consent of the people. No
government by brute force, and no
taxation without representation. Ev
cry breath he drew was protest
against militarism and arbitrary gov
eminent. When the constitution was
framed he was abroad, but expressed
alarm over the manner of creating the
federal judiciary. Here was co-or
dinate branch of the government that
was neither republican nor democratic,
but was arstocratic and monarchical
no one and holding Office for life. OF
these he wrote: 1T has long been my
opinion and l have never shrunk from
its expression that the germ of disso-
luton of our federal government is in
the constitution OF the federal judi
ciary, an irresponsible body working
like gravity by day and by night, gain
ing little today and little tomorrow
and advancing its noseless step like a
thief over the field of jurisdiction
until all shall be usurped from the
states and the government of all be-
come consolidated into one. To this
l am opposed because such a
government will become as venal and
oppressive as the government from
which we separated" In 1900 again
he wrote to a friend: You seem to
consider the judges as the ultimate
arbiters of all constitutional questions.
A very dangerous doctrine indeed, and
one which would place us under the
despotism of an oligarrhJ. Our judges
are as honest Is other men, and not
more so. They have with others the
eare passions for party, for power,
and the privilege of their corps, and
their power is the more dangerous as
they are in office for life and not re-
sponsible as the other functionaries
are to the elective control. The con-
stitution has created no such tribu-
nal, knowing that to whatever hands
oonfided with the corruptions of time
and of party, its members would be-
same despots. The constitution has
more wisely made all the departments
coordinate and co-sovereign within
themselves" In 1889 he wrote to Mr..
Labu Arnold: I'VE all know that per-
manent judges acquire an esprit de
corps, that they are liable to be tempt
ed by bribery, that they are misled by
favor, by relationship, by spirit Of
party, by a devotion to the executive
or legislative power. Juries have been
the firmest bulwark of English liberty
| We're called on TO decide whether the
people had best be omitted in the legis-
lative or judiciary department l would
say it is better to leave them out of the
legislative
The Question of Finance.
| When Hamilton made his famous
report on finance, he submitted cop.
/ to Jefferson and in referring to tina
part relating to the use of the twt
metals he said: ITO annul the use o
either of the metals as money is t
abridge the quantity of the circuias
ing medium and is liable to all the OBJ
jections which arise from com
parson of the benefits of full
with the evils of a scanty circulation.
In answer to this Jefferson wrote t
Hamilton: Il concur with you tina
the unit must stand on both metals.
On the subject of bank currenc,
he wrote to Adams in 1914: Il hav
ever been an enemy of banks, not {
those discounting for cash, but Of taos
fosting their own paper into circnla
ton. My zeal against those institr
tions was so warm and open at til
establishment of the bank of the Uni
I'D hot nd
maniac by the tribe of bank manager
who were seeking to fitch from tn
public their swindling and barre
gains. The evils they have engendel
ed are now upon u.s. and the questio
is how are we to get out of them"
In his day private toll roads existe
in all parts of the country. T
urged that the government shou
build public roads and other improv
ments, recommending even an amen
ment to the constitution if that shou
: be necessary for this purpose. Privi
eye and monopoly were the horror
his soul-he wanted the people to ha'
: everything in their own hands. ]
president he consummated the Loui
! lana purchase, which opened up nav
cation with the Gulf and gave us II
great territory to the northwest of Il
/ Mississippi. There is much histo
f connected with the event that we ca
not go into here. The underlying MI
| tive at first was not territory, but t,
l free navigation of great river. /
a believed in growth He thought tn