The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1904-08-19
JUDGE PARKER'S SPEECH
ACCEPTING THE NOMINATION.
Coordinate Branches of Government
Must be Preserved.

Must be Preserved.
To secure the ends sought the peo.
pie have, by the constitution, separat.
ed and distributed among the three
departments Of the gOVcrnment-the
legislative. the executive and the judi.
claI-Certan powers, and it is the
duty Of those administering each de-
partment so to act as to preserve,
rather than to destroy, the potency Of
the coordinate branches of the gov.
eminent and thus secure the exercise
OF all the powers conferred by the
people.
Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Mr.
William c. Jarvis, touching the per
petuity Of our institutions, written
many years after he had retired 10
private life, said:
III the three powers Of our govern
ment maintain their mutual independ.
ence Of each other, it may last long,
but not so if either can assume the
authority Of the other"
1t must be confessed that in the
course Of our history executives have
employed powers not belonging to-
them; statutes have been passed that
we're expressly forbidden by the con-
situations, and statutes have been set
aside as unconstitutional when It
was difficult to point out the provs.
ions said to be offended against in
their enactment; all this has been
done with a good purpose, no doubt,
| buc in disregard, nevertheless, Of the
! face that ours is a government Of
laws, not Of men, deriving its "juSt
powers from the consent of the gov
erned"
| If we would have our government
continue during the ages to come, for
the benefit OF those who shall succeed
/ Is, We TlusU ever he on our guard
against the danger of usurpatiOn Of
| that authority which resides in the
whole people. >hether the usurpation
! be by Officials representing one OF the
great departments Of the government,
OF body Of men acting without
commission from the people.
lmpatienCe OF the restraints Of law,
as well as of its delays, is becoming
more and more manifest from day to
day. Within the past few years many
| instances have been brought to our
attention where. in different parts of
our beloved country, supposed crimi-
nails have been seized and punished
: by mob, Notwithstanding the fact
/ that the constitution Of each state
! guarantees to every person within its
| jurisdiction that his life, his liberty
and his property shall not be taken
from him without due process Of law.
Wanton CriminaIity Should Be Sup.
pressed with Vigor.
In a struggle between employers
and employees dynamite is said to have
! been used by the latter, resulting in
the loss Of life and the destruction of
property. The perpetrators of this Of
Tense against the laws of God and
man, and all others engaged in the
conspiracy with them, should, after
due trial and conviction, have meted
Out to them the most vigorous punish.
ment known to the law.
This crime, added perhaps to 9th.
ers, led to the formation of a COM
mittee Of citizens that, with the sup
port of the military authorities, depOrtS
from the state without trial persons
suspected Of belonging to the organ
iZations Of which the perpetrators of
the dynamite outrages were supposed
to be members. In both cases the
reign Of law gave way to the reign Of
force. These illustrations present
some evidence Of the failure of the
| government to protect the citizen and
his property, which not only justified
| the action Of the convention in this re-
gard, but made it its duty to call at
tentiOn to the fact that constitutional
guarantees are guaranteed, whenever
| any citizen is denied the right to la
Dor, to acquire and to enjoy property,
or to reside where his interests or in.
cIinatiOn may determine, and the full
flllment Of the assurance to rebuke
and punish all denials of these rights,
whether brought about by individuals
! or government agencies. The essence
Of good government lies in strict OBJ
serVance of constitutional limitations,
enforcement of law and order, and
rugged opposition to all encroach-
ments upon the sovereignty Of the peo-
pie.
Our Form Of Government Distinguish.
ed from othersg'
The foregoing suggestions but en-
phasize the distinction which exists
between our own and many other
forms of government. 1t has been
we'll said, in substance, that there
are but two powers in government,
one the power of the sword, sustain
ed by the hand that yields it, and the
other the power Of the law, sustained
by an enlightened public sentiment,
The difference in these powers Is the
difference between republic, such as
ours, based on law and written con-
stitution, supported by intelligence,
virtue and patriotism-and anon
archy-sustained by force, exerted by
an individual, uncontrolled by laws
other than those made or sanctioned
! nv him. me rnnrnSeuta constellation.