The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-08-29
THE SPEECH
tce.ti.ued from page T.,

Mr.. Peck's address contained sum-
mary of the important legislation of
the past year both in the national con-
gress and in the state legislature. 1t
dealt at length with the congressional
eanactments on the subject of railway
rates and pure food. as we'll as the
trust legislation of the national gov
eminent. He said: Historical juris-
prudence. the birth, growth and de-
velopment of law In its highest sense,
Is study We Ougt to pursue far more
assiduously than we do. Self govern
ment, the recognition OF mutual rights
and mutual obligations. is perhaps the
|, highest achievement OF the race" He
traced the development of government
from the primative form through all
the various stages to the highest and
most complicated form demanded by
modern civilization, and quoting from
MactOrlinck's Life of the Bee", that
I'm proportion as society organizes It.
self and rises In the scale SO does a
shrinkage enter the private life of each
one OF Its members. Any government"
said he however imperfect, Is better
than no government-which is an
archy. II We have too much govern
ment-as many Of US believe,-fs II
possible In the present state of human
wisdom. to have just enought restraint,
and just enOught personal freedom.
An excess of the one no doubt means
diminution Of the other, but what
human intelligence can fix a perfect
equilibrium? There is in the litera-
ture Of the subject much unintelligible
defamation which does not tend to
enlighten searchers after truth. The
subject is too large for the grasp of
the average mind; the points of view
are so numerous and so variant that
the most laborious inquiry leads to
no acceptable and final conclusion.
The dfllitante thinker is always ready,
with knowledge that puts an end to
rational discussion. Where Austin
and Bentham could only grope, the
village paper and the magazine con-
tributor, exhaust the subject in
single article. The most complicated
system of government in the world is
our American system, but It is, In my
opinion, the most nearly perfect. But
yet we cannot escape the persistent
inquiry-does it pay? What do we
give up. and what do we get in re-
turn? Let the inquiry be enlarged so
as to cover, not simply our relations
to our own governments, state and
national, but to government itself, as
an institution of civilization. We are,
of course, primarily concerned with
the relation we bear to the nation and
the particular states of which we are
citizens; but underlying that must al
ways, be the question, how stands the
individual, everywhere, throughout the
world, in his relation to the social or
political organization in which he finds
himself? Undeniably, he gives up
much. He gives up the right to be
law unto himself; to make war upon
mankind; to hold by force, and not by
contract or convention, in other words,
he surrenders the simplicity Of bar
barism for the complicated, artificial
idea of civilization. And what does
he get in return? Does he get all that
the spirit Of the agreement contem-
plates? Probably he does not. The
unsatisfied aspirations. the eager de-
sire for better conditions. the con-
slant pressure. upward and outward,
shows that, reasonably or unreason-
ably, there is everywhere profound
feeling that since so much has been
given, something more ought to have
been received. This feeling is at the
bottom of nearly all proposed acts of
constructive legislation. That we are
far better off than we should be with
out the authority and protection of
institutional government, all must ad-
init, but that is not the question-cer-
tainly not the entire question. Are we
as we'll as We ought to be? The
"shrinkage" in the individual life has
been something, but the larger liberty
Of man, the liberty that can silently
rest. waking or sleeping, under the
shield of established government, is
compensation thousandfold.
Legislation Is not only the adoption
of positive rules Of conduct, 1t is, IL
| may so express It, experimentation.
1t is feeling the way; exploring paths
that may or may not lead to the right
goal. 1t is certain that many bad
laws are enacted. many unnecessary
ones. and many foolish ones-but. on
the whole, do we move along toward
better things? Undoubtedly, we.have
too much legislation, but is not our
system, even with the danger of over
legislation, wise and good one in its
great essestial features? believe that,
in way. which Is larger than we can.
grasp in its entirety, we are carry
Ing out the increasing purpose"
which Tennyson declared. Runs
through the ages"
1t has often been pointed out that
we are leaving the simple manners
and methods of our fathers, and that
over. legislation is the great and dan
gerous evil of the times. think this
has been somewhat exaggerated, and
Its dangers magnified. The oldtime
simplicity Of a small population, can
not be expected in nation of eighty
millions. Whether the homely plain
ness of life in the early days of the
republic, was good or bad. 1t has I'M
doubleday gone forever. We have
grown enormously in wealth owning
to conditions which favored us above
all other nations, but the main factor
In bringing about the changed method
OF our living. has not been wealth, not
legislation, not any infirmity in our
system OF government, but the ire
mendous activity of the human mind
in the direction of science. It would.
perhaps. be more accurate to say that
the great increase Of wealth, and its
accumulation in colossal fortunes are
themselves the result, and the newt
able result. OF the scientific tendencies
which have been SO active in the past
half century. The inventive energy
which has dominated modern thought
must be counted most to blame for
present conditions II indeed. ANYONE