The Republican journal., 1907-09-05

assured save by strength ana nfMneSS.
cit is an egregious blunder to sup
pose that to make the administration
of government and the enforcement of
law a matter of caprice involves dan
ger only as to the subject directly con-
cerned. The evil cannot be SO confined,
kat poisons the whole governmental
system"
Well may the Sun ask: "What new
philosophy is this? What is this calm
voice now heard above the crash of
values and the cries of apprehension,
proclaiming the doctrine of stability,
reasonableness, consistency, impartial
ity, and the absence Of the personal eie-
ment in the enforcement of law? No
caprice, no distorted emphasis, no sup
remacy of Individual judgment, no snap
py sensationalism, no genius even.'
The meetings of the International
Law Association and of the American
Bar Association in Portland last week
brought together leading lawyers from
all sections of our own country and
distinguished men from abroad. Such
meetings, apart from their special in
terest to those in attendance, have
social side that is pleasing to the dele
gates individually and has distinct
value in a broader sense. Men from
the east, the west, the north and the
south, meet on common ground for a
single purpose, and the resulting bust
ness conferences and social amenities
cannot fail to be productive of good.
The delegates to the American Bar AS
ISOLATION from this city found on meet
ing the men from the west and the
south that in dress, manner and Ian
guage they did not differ from our own
people; and they expressed themselves
in the same terms as to New England
ers. This serves to illustrate what
should be self evident fact that this
country has never been so united, so
homogeneous, as it is to-day. In ante
bellum days Mason and Dixons line
divided the country into two sections,
radically opposed in interest and total
~ unlike in temperament, in manners
and in customs. In Virginia and ad-
jacent territory English customs and
usages prevailed; in Louisiana the
French held sway. Slavery prevailed
and naturally created feeling Of caste
among the whites which was manifest
in their intercourse with the people
from other sections and led to &, grow
ing antagonism. Then, the south was
an exclusively agricultural section, buy
ing abroad from the proceeds of its
great staple, cotton, the luxuries it
found essential. Of course under these
circumstances the south was for free
trade. The north on the other hand
was enga led in manufacturing and the
people were radically different in tenn
permanent from those of the south.
Travel was less common than it is to-
day and the people of the two sections
had little opportunity for meeting and
becoming acquainted with each other;
and, finally, the fire eaters on the one
side and the radicals on the other
plunged the country into civil war
Then came reconstruction with its at
tendant irritation and for long time
under the ashes of the internecine con-
| tlict the fires of sectionalism shoulder
ed. The good offices of some of the
prominent southern leaders-notably
Gen. Robert E. Lee, Gen. John B. Cor
don and Gen. James Longstreet-did
much toward allaying this feeling, and
the Spanish American war was we'll
worth its cost in promoting a united
country under one flag. Business en-
terprise has done the rest. Northern
capital and northern men have gone
south and west and left their impress
inkboth sections. The south is develop.
ing into manufacturing section and
creating new Industries and enterprises.
An increasing number of northern peo-
pie go south in winter and of southern
people come north in summer Business
and matrimonial partnerships result,
and these with the increasing social in.
tercourse bring mutual respect and re.
gard and strengthen the ties which
make us one great and harmonious
nation.