The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1906-10-13

gathered from the past. Will those of
you whose years reach back beyond
mine, and whose personal experience
taught you something Of these lessons,
to which we must necessarily refer
will you pardon me for moment
while l speak to this younger gem
Grafton of voters, because you and I
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 1t
and what structure they would build
about 1t.
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 up Of 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 inde.
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 IA
| colonies, or whether they would weld
| themselves together as union, or
| whether they would go independent
| w. each for himself, as friendly neigh
bors.
| You know, because you had read 1t
| in 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. 1 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. 1t 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
courts OF Europe for the rights OF the
colonists, and never wavered In the
performance of his loyal duty In their
behalf, was member OF that body
Madison, Mason, and / might name {
galaxy of the most brilliant men that
the country ever produced helped to
make the constitution, and what dc
you suppose-what question do you
suppose most strongly divided them
What question. do you remember
that gave them the most difficulty tc
settle? Why, 1t was the question thai
today divides the two great political
! parties of this country. There was
more discussion about 1t than any
other question, there was more uncer-
tainty in the result as to the manner
of its determination than as to any
j other question. You win find 1t writ
ten In 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 a law and bears
the signature of George washington
| as president of the United States or
, l the ftn udy u Juiyb ZIG hiot S0SSAoA
| of congress, was a protective tartf
act. (Applause.)
, Now the character of the needs and
necessities of individuals that max,
UP a nation vary but little from age
I to age. Questions affecting the hap
] piness OF you today are very similal
to those that affected the happiness o.
!. 4 the Babylonians. Humanity hal
, changed so little that have nevel
! been willing to accept the DarwiniaI
, theory because 1t would necessitat'
too long q period of time. when I reat
back in the history of 10000 years ag'
| that the questions that we are con
, sidering tonight, as vital to our happf
: ness, were considered just as neces
1 sary to those people. The span o
] years between today and the day wheel
that first congress sat, in comparison
/ with the period I have mentioned,
E as yesterday.
y Tonight, with your indulgence.
3 am going to briefly scan the histor.
{ of some of those political question
in order that some OF the younge
Q generation among you may be as wis
e as those of us who have lived through
the life of the Republican party.
It was commended by strong men Il
D that constitutional convention that on
s state should retain the right to lev
e duties against the products OF anothe
3 state; that the state was sovereign
each OF them in itself. and that
It might levy either export OF import du
r ties as it saw Mt. and that was tn
y great question around which the great
e er part of the debate In that consti
e tutional convention centered. TIL
r states were not OF equal size. the
= were not OF equal importance in tn
e leyes of each other. Some containe
It only a few thousand square mile
n while others were. In the estimate {
= themselves, empires in extent Blu
e the ultimate determination of this
Is body was that this was a government
,e or that the government should
ID framed rather. for all the people. n
,e serving to those states. each Of whic
Of had valiently assumed and borne Il
. burden OF war, and its responsible
Te in peace, reserving to them balanC
wheel that should represent the STATE
y because those colonies practically ha
We been colonies twice as long as the
l. have now been states. and they had
l. pride based upon their geograph
he based upon their traditions, base
~ ia A.. -.