The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-06-27

Conll11olner Comment.
Extract. From W. j. Bryon's paper.

/
At another time he described on,
constitution as ''the ark of our safety,
and grand palladium of our peace and
happiness"
1t will be remembered that the fede r.
al constitution was opposed by some
because it did not contain q bill of
rights, and the first ten amendments
were Immediately adopted to remedy
this defect and provide additional
guarantees to life, liberty and proper
ty. Jefferson was firm believer in
the doctrine which led to the adoption
OF the bill OF rights. In letter writ
ten in 1889 he said: II disapproved
from the first moment the want of
bill of rights lin the constitution to
guard liberty against the Legislative as
well as the executive branches of the
government; that is to say, to secure
freedom in religion, freedom of the
press, freedom from monopolies, free
dom from unlawful Imprisonment,
freedom from permanent military,
and trial by jury in all cases determ-
Unable by the laws of the land"
/ 49, ~ ASooSA WA1oOOh w OdulSS Nhdul.
son, in 1887, Jefferson said: ga bill
OF rights is what the people are entitl-
ed to against every government on
earth, general or particular; and what
no just government should refuse, or
rest on differences"
At another time he defined his posi-
ton as follows: "By declaration of
4 | rirhfC wiz: III 81, L.
freedom of religion, freedom of the
press, freedom of commerce against
monopolies, trial by juries in all cases,
no suspensions of the habeas corpus,
no standing armies. These are letters
against doing evil which no honest
government should Decline"
Jefferson was a believer in popular
government, but he also believed in
the inalienable rights of individuals
rights which the government does not
give and ought not to take away
rights which cannot be safely intrust-
ed to the keeping of any legislative
body. Until recently, Jefferson's po-
sition on this subject was unanimously
endorsed.
Every state has adopted constitu-
ton placing restrictions upon the leg
islative branch as we'll as upon the 9TH
er branches of the government. The
state of Ohio has constitution and a
bill of rights; how can Senator Hanna
and President Mckinley favor a cons
titution and bill of rights for Ohio
and then declare that the people OF
Porto Rico need no such protection?
If the farmers, laborers, and business
men of Ohio are not willing to trust
the wisdom and Justice Of an unre-
strained state legislature, by what
process of reasoning do they reach the
conclusion that the people of Porto
Rico can entrust their rights to the
protection of an unrestrained congress?
Justice Brown is citizen of the
state of Michigan, and Michigan also
has constitution and bill of rights.
Is Justice Brown willing to go before
the people of his own state and tell
them that their legislature should be
vested with full and unrestrained pow
er to act on all questions affecting the
rights and property of the citizens?
If not, why not? Is a congress more
reliable than a state legislature? Is a
representative body more Trustworthy
as it gets farther away from the peo-
pie? Is delegated authority more care
fully exercised in proportion as the
seat of government is farther removed
from the voters?
The position taken by Judge Brown
would be ludicrous if it were not SO
serious. 1t is strange that his Ian
guage is not challenged by the repub-
licans. Two republican judges out of
six dissented from this position; have
the republican newspapers less indie
pendence than the judges? Have the
rank and file of the republican party,
who are under no obligation to the party
less independence of thought and &C
ton than the justices who hold their
commissions from republican pres
dents? Unless the people are wholly
absorbed in 1noney-making and entire
ly Indifferent to that constitutional
liberty so highly priced and so dearly
bought by our ancestors there will be
SO emphatic protest against the inn
perialistic differences of the court that
no body of officials on the bench or
elsewhere will soon again disregard
the spirit Of American institutions.
| The justification, experimentation
and subsidization of the democratic
party is making progress only among
those who have been democrats when
there was neither campaign nor cleo
ton on hand. Men who have been
democrats in season and out of season
because the principles of democracy
were their principles, are not demand
ing any retreat from advanced posi-.
lions taken by the party.
By comparing the crookedness at
Manila with the embezzlements at
Havana we are able to formulatea rule
for carpetbag governments-Thes steal
ing increases as the square of the dis
lance increases.
Mr.. Perry S. Heath can now revive
the Hanna presidential boom.
When man who calls himself a
democrat finds himself supported by
men who thrive on anti-democratic
policies his democracy may we'll be
called into question.
AS the country understands it, taxa
ton without representation is wronp