Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1906-10-13

3 3 7
to which we must necessarily refer
will you pardon me for a moment
while l speak to this younger gem
Grafton of voters, because you and ]
owe to them the assistance which ex-
perience gives to youth In determin-
ing questions of great Importance.
When this government was crystal
lied out of caos of revolution; when /
the fathers met in the old halls of
Philadelphia to determine what they
would do with the flag of victory that
they had wrested from the hands of
England, where they would plant II
and what structure they would build |
about it.
When they met, / say, for that pur-
pose in Philadelphia there were many |
minds existing among great men as
to the kind and character of govern |
ment that should result from their |
action. We had the articles of con- |
federation that they agreed upon |
upon the battle field, but they were |
not adapted to the times of peace. they |
were not adapted to the growth and |
the building IN of a nation of peo-
pie In the civil and industrial walks
of life; they were not adapted to the
welding together of those items that
had constituted the opposition to the
British government, so that the colon
lists who had ceased to be colonies OF
| Great Britain. and were only indie
pendent governments, each for itself
sent their delegates to Philadelphia to
sit in convention and solve the ques-
| ton as to what form and shape this
Union should take--as to whether
| they should continue to act in CO.
| operation. these 10, or practically ID
colonies or whether they would weld
| themselves together as a union, or
whether they would go independent
| ly, each for himself, as friendly neigh
| bors.
You know, because you had read It
I'm your books, that over that conven-
| ton presided the greatest of all states
men and warriors combined that the
world has ever produced. George
| Washington. Great applause)
You know, l know you know, that
he presided over the constitutional
| convention that framed the constitu-
ton of the United States, and that
his name. his signature attests the
action of the convention. AS members
of that body were some OF the great
est mental geniuses that the world
has ever known.
Alexander Hamilton was the master
spirit of IT, II reflects more of his
brilliant genius than of any other man
Benjamin Franklin. that old patriot
whose wisdom has never been ex-
celled, In any government (applause);
the man who had stood up In the
|
colonists. and never wavered In the
performance of his loyal duty in their
behalf, was a member of that body.
, Madison, Mason, and 1 might name {;
, galaxy of the most brilliant men that
! the country ever produced helped TO
, make the constitution. and what do
) you suppose-what question do you
suppose most strongly divided them
What question, do you remember,
= that gave them the most difficulty to
settle? why. it was the question that
/ today divides the two great political
Z parties of this country. There was
) more discussion about II than any
other question. there was more uncer-
r tainty in the result as to the manner
= of its determination than as to any
other question. You will find II writ
, ten I'm the first statute ever passed by
: the first congress of the United
> States. II you will turn to volume
! of the statutes at large Of the United
! States which contains the acts of con-
gress, you will find that the first &C
: that was enacted into law and bears
the signature of George Washington
\ as president of the United States or
. the 4th day OF July, the first session
I of congress, was a protective tariff
{ act. (Applause)
o Now the character of the needs and
7 necessities of individuals that make
{ up nation vary but little from age
T to age. Questions affecting the hap
e piness of you today are very similar
e to those that affected the happiness Of
). the Babylonians. Humanity ha,
h changed so little that I have nevei
z been willing to accept the Darwiniar
?, theory because II would necessitat'
# too long a period of time. when I reaC
= back in the history of $4,000 years ag,
n that the questions that we are con
I, sidering tonight, as vital to our happi
= ness, were considered just as neces
n sary to those people. The span o
d years between today and the day whei
II that first congress sat. in comparison
n with the period l have mentioned, 1
lie as yesterday.
v Tonight, with your indulgence
Is am going TO briefly scan the histor.
II of some of those political question
, in order that some Of the younge
lie generation among you may be as wis
se as those of us who have lived through
the life of the Republican party.
II was contended by strong men Il
N that constitutional convention that on
3 state should retain the right to lev
he duties against the products OF anothe
lg state: that the state was sovereign
t each of them in itself. and that
st might levy either export or import du
lr ties as II saw At. and that was tn
ly great question around which the great
ne err part of the debate In that consti
be tutional convention conferred. Tn
ir states were not of equal size. the
e. were not of equal Importance in I'll
ne eyes of each other. Some containe
at only a few thousand square mile
IN while others were. in the estimate {
e. themselves, empires in extent Blu
he the ultimate determination OF this
is body was that this was a government
Sc or that the government should
Id framed rather for all the people. re
Sc serving to those states. each OF whic
of had valiently assumed and borne Il
e. burden of war, and its responsible
We In peace, reserving to them a balanC
wheel that should represent the state
o. because those colonies practically ha
We been colonies twice as long as the
n have now been states. and they had
h pride based upon their geograph
he based upon their traditions. base
~ upon the individual character of the
ry great men to say they were not read
re to lie down. They determined thi
ms one house OF congress should be cleo
be ed every two years fresh from the pc,