Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-09-22
At
JAMESTOWN
SHOW
INDEPENDENT LIBERTYA
RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE
Governor Folk Believes Cause
Of Popular Government in
This Country Never Had a
Brighter Outlook than Today.

Norfolk. Sept Missouri DAY
was celebrated at the jamestown ex-
position today with Governor Folk as
the central figure OF interest Cover
nor Folk delivered an address on the
subject Of Liberty Of the Individual a
Right Not Privilege" lie said In
part:
The magical age In which we live
Is the result of the idea that the lib
erty of the individual Is a right, not
privilege. From this principle has
come universal education and the rec
ognltion Of the rights of the masses az
opposed to the privilege OF the classes
The nearer We keep 10 this idea, the
more real progress we shall make,
and the further We get from Il, the
more removed we shall be from the
ideal republic, towards which those
who believe in the liberty Of the in
dividual as a right, not as a privilege,
are striving.
Our civilization differs from those
that have gone before in that II Is "A
civilization of the individual. ciVili-
eaton that demands the education Of
all not of few; civilization of
equal rights instead of privilege. our
material prosperity and progress In in
vention are the outgrowth of the pTin-
clples of liberty and individual rights
When We depart from these moral
principles, our nation viii go as others
have gone during the flight of time
through the ages. The nations that
have tottered off the stage of the
world into oblivion did not die for lack
Of wealth, for many of them were
richer when they fell than ever before,
hut they ceased TO exist f"r lack OF
men They died not for lack Of mon
ey, hut for lack Of moral wealth. The
many had no right. the few had all.
Vice followed. then decay. The perpc-
tuity OF this government rests not on
the great wealth of the few. but upon
the morality and integrity Of the aver
age individual
Liberty as right OF the individual,
not privilege does not mean that
each person may do as he pleases
without limitation. The liberty that
WAS guaranteed by the founders OF
this government Is liberty under the
law. When the sentiment Of minor
ity anywhere is not I'm accord with the
sentiment Of the majority which
mikes the laws II is the duty Of the
minority 10 acquiesce until II can se-
cure majority on its side and cause
the repeal of the law. In order that
the individual liberty Of the majority
To make laws may bc effective, those /
laws must be respected
"The greatest enemy to the liberty
of the individual Is privilege The ,
privilege OF lawlessness the privilege !
conferred by law and the privilege of /
monopoly. There has been great |
awakening of the public conscience !
during the past few years as to the |
privilege OF lawlessness. This public |
goes marching on day by |
day, correcting some evil. day after /
day remedying some wrong.
There are some who see danger 20 /
our institutions in the agitati9u Eesult-
ing from the exposures OF wrongdo-
ing I'm official and business life. To
my mind. the hope for the perpetuity |
Of this government by the people was 4
never brighter than now. This awak- /
enlng OF the public conscience does not
proceed from spirit Of discomfort.
but comes from the quickening Of the
moral sense OF the average individual
II is simply a determination to stamp
out the stains Of distrust In public life
and the things that oppress in private
life; firm resolve that the govern
ment shall be representative Of the lib
erty OF the people. not Of the privilege
NJ special Interests The great COM
binatiOns Of capital that have grown
up in the past few years require
stricter rules OF regulation as 10 their
conduct then were needed In years
>
ion. In exposing and prosecuting the
of these aggregations Of
wealth the liberty of the average indt-
gidual h being protected. The attack
On corporate wrongdoing Us not an as
'ault on legitimate Industry The man
sho would retard legitimate industrial
development Is as much a public en-
'my as he who would crush the people
beneath the heel of monopoly. No
nan or corporation doing an honest
business need fear the arousing of the
conscience Of the people against
yrOngdoing. Those whose business
Methods will not stand the light ~
publicity have no right tO complain. IT
hey persist In wrongdoing and arc
iurt, they are not injured hy the peo- I
lie. but 10y the wrong which they do.
do not believe there is any enmiiy
anywhere ln this country 90 legitimate
It is not railroads nor M
urance companies the people COM
lain of. but the breaches 90 trust on
he part of those running railroads or ,
insurance companies While some rail- !
Dad men and some Insurance men are
rocked. % does not follow that all
abroad men or all Insurance men OF !
Il public officials are without honor. ,
'hc eradication of lawlcss privilege g
rom business helps rather than hurts =
agitimate industry. Insurance policies
re more valuable today hN reason "i
he elimination of grating on The part =
4 some Insurance officials We can q
al our meat with more sstisfaciion
ince abuses in the beef packing hr~i-
ess were stopped When railror o.
nd other special Interests are CONE
elied to obey the law, DC VIII not re-
ire their development nor inlure /,
leir real progress. but viii put them n
n n more secure and suhsiantial !,
lsiz .
In The fight against the privilege u
T laWiessness there have arisen qucs-
ons between the federal and state
1Vcrnmeufs as to the construction of
be- powers Of eachi n the people ~ q
b. states cannot be trusted fo enact :,
Aid laws with refpcct to corpora -
ons by what process uf reasoning ~
en- 10 be- assumed that they have the ia
spacify fo legislatc Tor the individual c'
iizen The states create The corpora st
ons. Shall they be denied the con n