The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1908-04-17

gave the last full measure of devotion;
that we highly resolve that these dead
shall not have died in vain; that the
nation shall under God, have new
birth Of freedom, and that the govern
ment Of the people, by the people, for
the people, shall not perish from the
earth"
Our concern is not OF the past, nor
wholly with the present, but much
with the future. If the destiny of the
republic is in the hands OF the Amer
lean of to-day, then it becomes him to-
be guided and governed only by patri.
otto impulse and the desire to do that
which will most largely, contribute to
the permanency of republican institu-
tions. Advancing our civilization so
that we will not, by recognizing the
false claims Of selfish interests, and
forgetting the American maxim that
our object should be to- attain the
greatest good for the greatest number,
incur the penalty which other people
have paid. rather let us hold ever In
mind that those who framed our gov
eminent believed in the equality OF
the people and that the chief aim OF
government is to maintain that
equality.
Under our system Of! government
the nation has reachedl a. material de-
velopment hitherto4 unknown The
people have prospered' beyond the
dreams of those who lived a. century
ago. But with the development of the
country and changes in economic con-
ditions, and particularly with the
growth of great private corporations,
performing many Of the functions OF
government, has come the necessity
for the exercise ,of~strict governmental
control, and a. rigid enforcement OF all
the laws enacted tor restrain the rich
and powerful. from encroaching, upon
the natural and legal rights Of the
poor and weak,
The constitution OF the ancient re-
public of Rome, which for 500 years
had recognized the voice of the people
as supreme, was expanded by execu-
tive Interpretation and contracted by
executive administration, until Rome
had so. completely outgrownq its, demo-
cratic conditions as to become only
a tragedy and a. tradition. Let us i'm
plore the aid of Him on high to pre-
serve us from the errors which ruined
Rome, by the avoidance Of which
America may travel on to that destiny
mill
be the inspiration of right-thinking
men of all ages yet to come.
Our government is divided into
three separate and distinct co-ordi-
nate branches: the legislative, the
executive and the judicial. Danger
will surely come to this republic when
any of these departments Of govern
ment attempt in the slightest degree
to usurp the functions of the other
And while now and then it may be
| that court of the land in constituting
the constitution. may nullHy section
Of it. Ihave the faith to feel that the peo-
| pie of the country will rise above the
| fallibility of judicial Tribunals and
assert and preserve their own rights
/ Our duty, it not 20 criticise the execW
/ tive the legislature or the judiciary.
Very, recently there has come from
the highest judicial tribunal in the
\ land a decisions of vital interest and
concern to the American people, be-
cause it has established principle,
as stated by one member of the court,
i x1fhi oh oh a n Qp
I in our governmental system and would
! inaugurate a new era in the Ameri-
can judicial system and in the rela-
lions of the national and state gov
4 ernments n would enable the subor-
dinate federal courts to supervise and
!, control the official actionaof the states
| as though they were dependencies or
! provinces. IT would place the states
Of the union in a condition of infer
iority never dreamed of when the con
4 stlrution was adopted or when the
eleventh amendment was made part
4 OF the supreme law of the land" II
this is the result of this decision, fl
is, to my mind, one OF the unhappy
incidents i'm the history OF our repub
lie, because the, very theory of our
government liz based upon the right OF
the states to. control absolutely their
own domestic affairs.
IT, then, our whole system of gov
eminent is changed, have we not only
retarded the progress of the republic
but have we not gone back century
toward a centralized form of gov
eminent which is not tos the advan
tage of the people? What. this gov
:. eminent needs is not more power
What it needs to-day is to- so dis
tribute the rrivileges under the gov
eminent that all citizens will have
| nnroI onnnrfnnitv, Amarica haa hRpI