Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1906-10-04

most earnestly urge mat your lcBlSidtulc
continue this record Of public service BY
eracting one OF two additional laws. one
subject which every good citizen should
have at heart above. almost all others Is
them after Of child labor. Everywhere the
great growth Of modern industrialism has
been accomplished by abuses in connec-
ton with the employment Of labor which
have necessltated a complete change In
the attitude OF the State toward labor.
This is above all true in connection
with the employment of child labor. In
Pennsylvania you have made begin
nins, but only beginning. in proper leg
islaton and administrai,n on this sub
ject; the law must If necessary be streag-
thened, and it must be vigorously en-
forced. The National Government can DO
butt title in the matter Of child labor.
tho 1 earnestly hope that that Little W II
be permitted to be done by Congress. The
great bulk of the work. however must be
lett TO the State legislatures; and If our
State legislatures would act as drastcally
and yet as wisely en- this subj Ct child
labor as Pennsylvania has acted within
the present year as regards the subjects
have enumerated above the gain would
be literally incalcunble; and one Of the
most vital needs Of modern American
life would at last be adequately met.
Speaks For the Nation.
So much for the State Now for the
Notion; and here I can not do be.t'r
than base my theory Of governmental
action urcn the words and deeds OF one
Of Pennsylvania greatest sons. justice
James Wilson. Wilson'S career HIS been
singularly overlooked for many years,
but / believe that more and more II is
now being adequately appreciated; ami l
congratulate your STATE upon the fact
tnaf Wilson's body is to be taken away
from where it now rests and brought
back to lie. as It should. IN Pennsylvania
soil. He was a signer Of the Declaratioh
OF Independence. He was one Of the men
who saw that the Revolution, in viii h
he had served as a soldier, would be ~
terly frultless unless it was followed by
q close and permanent union of the
States; and in the Constitutional Con-
vention and in securing the adoption Of
the Constitution and expounding what 1t
meant. he rendered services even greater
thar he rendered as a member OF the
Continental Congress. which dccl1rei our
Independence for it was the success Of
tho makers and preservers OF the Union
which justified our indeperd ance.
Ho believed in the people with he faith
Of Abraham Lincoln; and coupled with
his faith in the people he had what most
OF the men who in his general on be-
licvcd in the people ala not have; that IS.
the courage to recognize the fact that
fail in the people amounted TO nothing
urles sthe representatives, Of the people
assembled together in the Nauc nal Gov
erpment were given full ard complete
power to work on behalf Of the people.
IIc developed even before Marshall tie
doctrine absolutely essential not merely
10 the efficiency but TO he existence o.
this nauon) that an Inherent power r2sttc
IN the ration, outside Ct the enumerated
powers conferred upon It by the Cons'i-
tu,son. I'm all cases where the object n
volvcd YVES beyond the power Of the sew
eral States and was a power orGinari
exercised by sovereign nations
IN a remarkable letter in which he i'd
vocated setting forth in early and clear
fashion the powers Of the National Gov
eminent, he laid down the proposition
that II should be made clear that the e
/ were neither vacancies nor /intorferenccs
/ between the limits of State and natlcnli
/ jurisdiction. ard that both Jurisdictions
! together composed only one uniform and
3 comprehensive system of government and
laws; that Is, whenever she States can
not act. because tho need TO be met Is
not one Of merely a single locality. then
/ tho National Government, reprcs enting
all the people, should have complete
power to act It was in the spirit CT Will
son that Washington. and Washington s
lieutenant Hamilton acted; and Il was in
the same spirit that Marshall construed
the Law.
! II is only by acting in this spirit that
the national judges. legislators. and OK
ecutives can give satisfactory solution
of the great question OF the present day
tho question of providing on behalf Of the
sovereign people the means which Will
enable the people in effective form 20
assert their sovereignty over the I'M
mense corporations OF the day. Certain
judicial decisions have done Just what
Wilson feared; they have, as a matter
OF fact left vacancies. left blanks be-
tween the limits Of poss bic State iuris-
d'cti3n and the limits of actual national
jurisdiction over control Ct the ereat BUSH
ness corporations. II is the narrow con-
struction of the powers OF the National
Government which in our democracy hes
proved he chief means of limiting the
national power to cut out abuses. and
which is now the chief bulwari1 of these
great moneyed interests which oppose
and dread any attempt to place them I'M
der efficient governmental control.
Many legislative actions and MANY
judicial decisions which am confident
time VIII show to have been erroneous
and damage to the country would have
been avoided If our legislators and iurs's
had approached the matter of enactine
ana constituting the laws Of the land in the
spirit Of your great Pennsylvania, Jus
tico Wilson-in the spirit OF Marshall and
of Washington. Such decisions put us al
great disadvantage in the battle for
industrial order as against the present
Industrial chaos. II we interpret the Con-
stitution in narrow instead OF broad
fashion, II we forsake the principles q
= Washington. Marshall. Wilson and Ham.
i,ton we as a people will render ourselves
impotent TO deal with any abuses which
may be committed by the men who have
accumulated the enormous fortunes Of to-
day, and who use these fortunes in stu