The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-08-10

seen fit, through the medium of thu
Constitution, to limit the government
tai powers conferred and to say to de
partments created by it: "Thus fal
shalt thou go and no farther.' To
secure the ends sought the people
have by the Constitution separated
and distributed among the three de
partments of government-the eXecu
tive, legislative and judicial-ccrtair
powers, and it is the duty of those adj
ministering each department SO to act
as topreserve, rather than to destroy
the potency of the coordinate branch
es Of the government, and thus secure
the exercise Of all the powers con-
ferred by the people
Thomas jefferson, in a letter to
William c. Jarvis, touching the per-
petuity of our institutions, written
many years after he had retired to
private life, said: eff the three pow
ers of our government maintain their
mutual indepen Aence of each other, it
NAV 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
were expressly forbidden by the Con-
stitution and statutes have been set
aside as unconstitutional when it was
said to be offended against in their
enactment; all this has been done
with a good purpose, no doubt, but in
disregard, nevertheless, Of the fact
that ours is a government of laws, not
of men, deriving it's "just powers
from the consent Of the governed.' If
we would have our government con-
tinue during the ages to come, for the
benefit of those who shall succeed us,
we must ever be on our guard against
the danger of usurpation Of that au-
thority which resides in the whole
people, whether the usurpation be by
representing one of the three
great departments Of government, or
by body of men acting without
from the people.
Impotence of the restraints Of law,
as we'll 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 at
tention, where in different parts of
our beloved country supposed crimi-
nails have been seized and punished
BY a mob, Notwithstanding the fact
hat the Constitution of each state
to every person within its
that his life, his liberty
IL his property shall not be taken
from him without due process Of law.
In a struggle between employers
md employees, dynamite is said to have
been used by the latter, resulting in
The loss of life and the destruction Of
The perpetrators Of this
offence against the laws of God and
nan, and all others engaged in the
with them, should, after
lue trial and conviction, have had me-
ed out to them the most rigorous pun
shment known to the law. This crime
added perhaps to others, led to the
formation of a committee of citizens
hat, with the support of the military
deports from the State,
without trial, persons suspected of be-
longing to the organization of which
the perpetrators of the dynamite out
RACES weresupposed to be members.
In both cases the reign of law gave
way to the reign of force. These il
lustrations present some evidence Of
the failure Of government to protect
the citizen and his property, which
not only justified the action of your
in this regard, but made it
it's duty to call attention to the fact
that Constitutional guarantees are
violated wherever any citizen is de-
MED the right to labor, to acquire and
to enjoy property, or to reside where
his interests or inclinations may de-
termine; and the fulfillment of the as
surance to rebuke and punish all deni-
ais of these rights, whether brought
about by individuals or government
agencies, should be enforced by ev-
cry official and supported by every
citizen. The essence Of good govern
ment lies in strict observance of con-
stitutional limitations, enforcement Of
law and order and rugged opposition
to all encroachment upon the sover-
eighty of the people.