The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-06-14
GOV. BURKE'S
SPEECH ON LAW
ENFORCEMENT

The speech of Governor Burke be-
fore the graduating class of the Man
dan high school Tuesday night on
Claw Enforcement was notable,
coming, as it did, so soon after the
stirring events in Bismarck where
the enforcement Of the prohibition
law was the pre-eminent matter be-
fore the district and supreme courts.
The readers of the Settler will be
interested in it and that part of
the address relating to the enforce
ment of the law is given herewith
verbatim:
There is a distinction between
this form of government and be-
tween other forms of government.
Our forefathers established here a
government of the people, for the
people land by the people.
): 8 {:
: It is our boast that every cit :
: izen is a sovereign because he (:
: has a voice in naming the high I:
:. est officers in the land. The ::
: people govern through their :
5. representatives, and it is be- :
:: cause they are a part of this :
:: government that you owe to I"
:. this government obedience to :
:. law; and not only that, but :
: you should exercise every right :
: and every privilege that was :
: given to you by u %forefathers !
:: when they organized the kind {:
I: Of a government here which :
: makes you a part of it. :
: =
If you were living alone away out
upon an island, or away out upon
were no inhabitants, there you could
have perfect freedom. If you were
living there all alone you could
have perfect freedom. You could
have any kind of a government that
you desired. You could have a mon
archy and be the king; you could
have an empire and be the emperor;
but you wouldn't have any subjects.
1t would be awfully lonesome out
there. You wouldn't have any of
the modern c~onveniences of life;
you wouldn't have any telephones,
nor any telegraph, nor any railroads,
nor any street cars, nor any cleo
trio lights-nor any of the modern
conveniences that our civilization
boasts of, and yet you would have
perfect freedom.
But suppose, for instance, that
while you lived out there on the
prairie enjoying this freedom, that
the people came and settled around
you. Oh, how glad you would be to
see them coming! You old pioneers
who came out into this country and
s ettled away out on the prairie, on
the homestead and the presumption,
you know how glad you were when
the neighbors began to settle around
you, even though it did curtail some
of your freedom. And If they did
settle around you, and If there was
a community settled there, of course
your freedom would be then some
what limited. 1t would be neces-
sary just as o as there was a
community, as soon there were people
there, to have some kind Of rules
of conduct governing each of the in
habitants of the community, sc that
no person there should encroach up.
on the rights and privileges of the
others. And that is the eason why
it is necessary to have laws that
govern the conducts rules of civil
conduct by which the conduct OF
men is governed, so that life may be
safe, so that property may be safe
and so that there may be law and
order.
). :. So: :
: And it is always true that the :
:. rights of the individual in the :
I: community must give way to :
:. the rights of the public. 1t is +:
:. upon this theory that u gov {:
5. eminent was organized. !:
1855 :
And while we have a free coun'
try, still our freedom is limited tc
the extent of which I have spoken
That is, that while we are free here
we must not exercie III freedom
in such a way as to encroach upon
the rights and privileges of others
And so in this country of ours, We
have our representatives, and we
have three coordinate branches o.
our government. One is the law
making power-the legislative; the
Others are the judiciary and the ex
e%cutive. And while they are equa.
in their own spheres, and neither
can encroach upon the other, YOU
representatives are in each branch
and if there is anything wrong II
the government. the remedy is al