The Washington herald., 1907-12-24
HARLAN ADVOCATES
STATE SOVEREIGNTY
Continued from Page One.

while the fathers OF some of your num-
Der rallied under another fiag-each man,
whether under the one flag or the other,
resolutely contending for what, in his
conscience, he deemed &c be right. But
we, who then were opposed. are. / re-
joice to say. no longer estranged; but,
with hands elasDed in friendship, stand
together under the same Nag, now recog-
nized throughout the world as the en-
blem of the Great Republic. We may
differ about political questions; but,
apart from such differences, when Ken
tuckians meet. whether in one Of the
States or in foreign lands, they warm to-
ward each other because they are fellow
Kentuckians.
I'VE are. however, something far more
than Kentuckians. We are Americans.
Trite as that phrase may sound, the
cider I grow the more priceless to me is
the fact it expresses. Proud as we may
well be Of the State that gave birth to
Abraham Lincoln and Zachary Taylor
and Samuel +. Miller, that sent Henry
Clay and John J. Crittenden 10 the Sen
ate, and grew such men as Isaac Shelby,
George Nicholas, the Breckinridges, the
Marshalls. John Boyle, George Robert
son, Joseph r. Underwood. Charles s
MOrehead James Guthrie. John l. Helm,
Richard IL. Menefee, and many others
distinguished in all the walks OF life and
too numerous to be mentioned on one oc-
casion-what would il mean TO US TO be
Kentuckians If We were not also. or,
rather, first OF all, Americans. whose
allegiance TO the nation In matters OF
general concern is above allegiance 70
any State just as the Constitution Of the
United States. with respect 20 all national
objects is above the constitution OF any
State?
Many Thoughts Recalled.
The toast assigned TO me suggests.
Mr.. President. many interesting thoughts
about the early days OF our Common
wealth and its relations to the national
government. Going back for a moment
to the beginnings of Kentuckys history
we recall the interesting fact that very
shortly after the close OF the war for
independence, and after the acceptance of
the Constitution by the requisite number
Of States a scheme was devised by for
eign conspirators and domestic traitors
TO detach the people Of Kentucky from
all connection with the States of the At
lantic, and 10 make the Aleghenies the
western limit of the United States This
scheme found no favor with the in
d0mitable Hunters of Kentucky, who,
surrounded by hostile Indian tribes I'm the
wilds OF a country then unsettled, estab-
lished a State government, with a con-
stitutiOn modelled after the Federal Con-
stitutiOn, and more than a century ago
applied 10 Congress for the admission OF
their State into the Union Thus our
fathers, resisting all appeals made 10
them 10 establish an independent State
in the West, placed themselves by the
side Of their brethren Of the original
States and caused 10 be inscribed upon
kentucky's coat of arms the suggestive
and memorable words, United. We
stand: divided, we fall" There comes
10 my mind. Mr President. d personal
letter Of the great chief justice. in which
he made such striking use of that motto
that it is peculiarly appropriate upon
this occasion 20 quote his words. He
said; I am disposed 70 ascribe my de-
votiOn TO the Union, and 10 a government
competent TO its preservation. as least as
much TO casual circumstances as 10
judgment l had grown up "a n time
when the maxim, United. We
stand; divided, We fall" was the maxim
of every orthodox American, and / had
imbbed these sentiments so thoroughly
that they constituted part Of my being.
Met with Brave Men.
~ carried them with me into the
army, where I found myself associated
with brave men from different States
who were risking lie and everything
valuable in common cause believed By
all to be the most precious and
where I was confirmed In the habit OF
considering America as my country and
Congress as my government. The habit
OF considering America as his country
was the keynote of the life and work Of
the Incompatible juTist whose profound
and lucid judgments, on behalf of the
court of which he was the head. built
the broad highway upon which the na-
ton has advanced 10 its present position
Of power and strength and unity.
There are some, Mr. President, who
think they see dark clouds upon the
horizon OF our future. and express
grave apprehension as 10 the stability
Of the government ordained by the
people of the United States and estab-
lishcd by the Constitution. In a popu-
lation OF 9O.0O0,O0O. we must expect to
ind many who indulge in gloomy fore
bOdings as 10 the future of the country.
and who seem to cultivate the habit OF
predicting disaster. Such persons are
quite unhappy when the facts do not
justify them in believing that every
thing is going wrong But there Is no
occasion for alarm. The American peO-
pie. knowing that eternal vigilance
is the price of liberty. will take care
that no harm shall come 30 the cOun-
try. At all times since the OrganiZa-
tiOn OF the government they have
shown themselves equal TO every emer-
gency, however sudden or startling.
which involved the safety Of our free
institutions They may seem. at times.
TO tolerate false. visionary, and mis-
chieyOus views. but in the end they
surely recognize the dangers of the sit
uation whatever they may be, and dc
what prudence and patriotism require
At their hands Their final, deliberate
Judgment upon public questions is
ccrned.
Opposed to PesSimism.
What, let me ask. are some of the
grounds upon which the pessimist of
these days bases his fears for the safe
" of our institutions? He persuades
himself to believe that the trend IN
public affairs to-day is toward the
Capitalization of all governmental
power in the nation and the destruc-
tion of the rights of the States. If
this were really the case, the duty of
every American would be TO resist such
a tendency by every means in his pow
er. A national government for ma