Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-09-20

| the people the principles OF their po-
litical creed
At another time he described our
constitution as the ark of our safe
ty, and grand palladium of our peace
and happiness
1t will be remembered that the
federal constitution was opposed by
some because il did not contain bill
| of rights, and the first ten amend
ments were Immediately adopted to
remedy this defect and provide adj
ditional guarantees to life. liberty
and property. Jefferson was firm
believer in the doctrine which led to
the adoption of the bill of rights. In
a letter written in 1889 he said: 81
disapproved from the first moment
the want of a bill of rights Tin the
constitution to guard liberty against
the Legislative as well as the eXecu-
tive branches of the government; that
is to say. To secure freedom in re-
ligion, freedom of the press, freedom
from monopolies. freedom from I'M
lawful imprisonment. freedom from Il
permanent military. and trial by
jury in all cases determinable by the
laws of the land
ten in 1877. jefferson said: ~ bill of
rights is what the people are en-
titled TO against every government
on earth. general or particular; and
what no just government should re-
fuse. or rest on differences"
At another time he defined his po-
sition as follows: by declaration
of rights / mean one which shall
Stipulate freedom of religion. free
dom of the press, freedom of com
merce against monopolieS. trials by
jurics in all cases. no suspensions of
the habeas corpus, no standing arm
les. These are letters against doing
evil which no honest government
should decline
jefferson was n believer in popular
government. but he also believed in
the inalienabIe rights of individuals-
rights which the government does not
give and ought not to take away
rights which cannot be safely in
trusted TO the keeping of any legis-
| lative body. Until recently. JefTer-
sons position on this subject was
unanimously indorsed.
! Every state has adopted constitu-
ton placing restrictions on the legis-
Iative branch as well as upon the 9th
err branches of the government. The
state of Ohio has a constitution and
n bill of rights; how can Mr.. Hanna
and President Mckinley favor n con-
stitution and a bill of rights for Ohio
and then declare that the people of
Porto Rico need no such protection?
If the farmers. laborers, and business
] -
the wisdom and the justice of an I'M
restrained 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 con
gress?
| Justice Brown is a citizen of the
state of Michigan. and Michigan also
has a constitution and bill or rights.
Is Justice Brown willing to go be-
fore the people of his own state and
tell them that their legislature should
be vested will full and unrestrain-
ed power to act on all questions af-
fecting the rights of property of the
citizens? If not, why not? Is congress
more reliable than a state legisla
ture? Is a representative body more
trustworthy as it gets further away
from the people? Is delegated au-
thority more carefully 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 50
serious. 1t is strange that his lam
guage is not challenged by republi-
cans. Two republican judges out of
six dissented from this position; have
the republican newspapers less indie
rank and file of the republican party
who are under no obligation to the
party, less independence of thought
and action than the Justices who
hold their commissions from republi-
can presidents? Unless the people
are wholly absorbed in money-mak-
ing and entirely indiffrenet to that
constitutional liberty so highly priced
and so dearly bought by our ances-
test against the imperialistic utter
ances of the court that no body Of
officials on the bench or elsewhere
will soon again disregard the spirit
of American institutions
Note: The doctrine applied last
year to Porto Rico is now applied 20
the Philippine islands and unless re
pudiated by the people will ultimately
be applied to the United States.