The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-03-25
OUR AMERICAN POLITICS.
PROFESSOR BLACKM4N APPLIES
JEWISH PRINCIPLES.
Says That Imperialism Threatens OuI
National SoIidarity-Growtng Dts
regard and PerverstOn of Law by
Powerful Combinations an Ominous
Sign.

Powerful Combinations an Ominous
Sign.
On the subject "What can Israel Teach
Americans About Politcs?" Professor w.
Il. Blackman of Yale In an address before
the Mems Club at United church said that
Imperialism and the growing tendency TO
disregard and pervert the law by powerful
corporations and their attorneys are seri-
ously threatening our national life. lie
ton of law, which blended the law Of God,
OF nature, Of conscience, of the state indis-
tinguishably together, and thus formed the
persistent solidarity, Of that nation.
/ On the question of Imperialism, Professor
Blackman said:
Let us not forget that the destruction,
or the observation. Of the national con
seriousness, its dissipation in worldwide
misehieyous In history. Was 1t not so in
the ancient civilized monarchies? 1t was
so In the Roman empire; 1t was so III what
is called the Holy Roman Empire; and IN
Napoleon.
II believe that Israel was right; and the
imperlalist, the confederate, the cosmopol-
titan, the radical free trader, are. wrong.
1--WE Americans are confronted suddenly
with a problem which affects our national
integrity and solidarity. We already had
ten or twelve millions of foreign-born
amongst us, and as many more of their
children only partially penetrated with our
traditions. We had some nine millions Of
negroes, between whom and the, Caucasian
stands the almost insuperable barrier Of
and Porto Rico, the Philippines, probably
Cuba, and sooner or later all the West In
dies, not impossibly the Ladrones and the
en OF w that s 49, t span to
ish, African, Malayan, Polynesan, races OF
mixed blood and tradition. And meanwhile,
territory how enormous and broken by
how many leagues OF sea!
SHALL we be able under these clrcum.
stances to maintain that sense of national
solidarity, and therefore that patriotism,
which our fathers felt and which Is abso-
know. The situation gives me much con
Germ, as 1t must every thoughtful man.
But of one thing l am sure; that 1t can be
maintained in only, one way: BY our cher
stands, not In Identity Of race, nor In ter.
ritorial contlguity, nor In commercial and
economic interest. but in the purpose and
providence and call of OF GOD: Cd. 1t Is isra M
Mia and from the bloody field of I'll Caney;
our unity must be. unity Of ideas, Of
ideals, Of duties, Of moral enthusiasm-in
God"
Speaking Of the growing tendency in this
country to disregard and pervert the law,
Prof, Blackman said:
I'VE also learned this Jewish reverence
for law long ago, Puritan and cavalier |
alike. But is there not need that we
study it afresh?
Recall certain facts; For one thing, we
have in our citizenship about nine. millions
faint and Ineffective abstraction. The no.
tion of a social and legal order has not
been bred in their bones as In ours. The
processes Of the courtroom are slow. Be
for them; they do not much feel the shame
of Imprisonment; the death penalty is too
remote and contingent to affect their i'm
they are increasing in crminalty five and
/ half times as fast as in numbers. Then,
there is the correlative fact. unparalleled
in any other civilized country, that about
slack man is shot, hanged, carved, roasted
o death by a half crazed mob Of whites,
n defiance Of law and Of Its guardians.
Moreover, rapid as ms been the increase
ury, the number Of criminals In our pris
ms and jails has increased five times as
asst
.'Also, it is notorious that rich and power
nj individuals and corporations and lob
lies not unfrequently make laws and I'M
make them, pervert, evade, and even defy
hem, in their own private interests,
Meantime they to whom the interests
# law are in large measure confded-the
ttorneys-have a multitude among their
lumber whose main effort It continually Ia
o obfuscate and. stutify 1t in the selfish
ehalf of their clients.
Recall, too, the half million Of men who
re engaged, as proprietors or employees, In
he liquor traffic amongst us. That they
hould be in such business is perhaps bad
nough, put that many Of them, II not a
na1ority. deliberately engage, as individu-
which it is sought to regulate their trade,
monstrous
"If now to all this we add the fact that !
European nations almost unanimously re-
ard the American child as unsubdued,
umptious and irreverent, and also the fact |
ant here as we'll as abroad the propaganda
anarchisln is sedulously, though for the
lost part secretly, carried on,-we. shall
gree / think. that there is need of re-
,eshment and refrigeration within our
eople of the sense Of law"