The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-12-12
DEEDMEYER TALKS
 ABOUT GOVERNMENT
Delivers Instructive Lecture at
 KNesseS Israel Synagogue
VERY CLEAR EXPOSITION
Lecture Was Delivered Last Night Under Auspices of New Era Lit erary Soclety-Large Audience
 Greeted Mir. Deedmeyer.

Frank Deedmeyer delivered a lecture last night at K'nessess Israel synagogue under the auspices of the New Era lit- erary society. His subject was "The American Form of Government" and his speech was well received by the large crowd that was present. An interesting musical programme was carried out.
 MT. Deedmeyer congratulated the New Era Literary association on the success of it's efforts in encouraging general edu- cation and especially in the conduct of their free night school, where the Eng fish branches are taught to many who have recently arrived in the United States.
 The speaker took for his subject, "The American Form of Government" After showing the meaning of the term, the origin and the necessity of government, Mir. Deedmeyer enumerated and explained the various forms of government, ancient and modern. He distinguished between a pure democracy. such as that of Athens after the Persian wars, and the represen- tative democracy, as established in the several states of the United States. The pure democracies of Greece were not suit able for populous and extensive regions. The Greeks had indeed, free governments in single cities, often with a limited ter ritory attached, but for want of the rep- resentatlve principal they could not extend their form of government over large and populous countries. For this reason they A4.o4 ia essential to kresist attacks from within and without Under a representative de- mocracy the political power of the state is exercised by agents, selected by the people at short intervals, and experience has demonstrated that such n govern ment, though extended over a vast area, with millions of inhabitants, can guaran- tee It's citizens complete political freedom and yet possess the necessary strength to maintain internal order and to repel for eign attack.
 Essential Features.
 MT. Deedmeyer next traced the devel- opment of the essential features of the American government. He pictured to his hearers the conditions under which the Angles and the Saxons lived in their original home in Northern Germany be- fore they took possession of England ; the liberties which they enjoyed under the early English kings the subvertion of all individual freedom through the in- troduction of the feudal system, as fl was established in it's fullest rigor upon the Norman conquest of England in 1 1O66 the reassertion of the spirit of old Saxon liberty In Magma Charte; the | claims of the Commons to the exclusive right 10 vote supplies. conditional upon the recognition of the sovereign of their ancient liberties; the development of chartered cities and the growth of the political rights of the members of these municipal corporations The speaker showed that the germs of the most val- uei of our political principals are to be looked for in Magma Charta, the Petition ot Rights, presented to Charles. and the bill of rights. subscribed by William and Mary, after the revolution of 1888
 The Early Settlers.
 The forms of the American colonial 1 governments and the political claims of the early settlers were next surveyed, after which the speaker pointed to the following as the fundamental principals of the American form of government. That government derives It's Just powers from the consent of the governed; that all men before the law have equal rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of business; home rule; the writ of habeas corpus and the right of all persons, charged with crime, ex- cept for capital offenses when the proof Is evident on the presumption of guilt Is great, to be admitted to bail; open courts, free to every inhabitant of the state who believes he has been injured in person or in estate trial by jury; free dom of speech and of the prees and free doom of conscience and of worship.
 Mir Deedmeyer closed by pointing out the duties which rest upon the individual under our government and he urged his hearers to take an intelligent interest in all public affairs, local, state and nat ional. and to encourage general educa ton, the foundation and the guarantee O l our libertfea