Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1908-04-28

nation has reached Il material develop ment hitherto unknown. The people have proSpcrcd beyond the dreams of those who lived century ago. But with the development of the country and changes in economic conditions, 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 en- acted to 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 exccu- tive interpretation and contracted hy executive administration until Rome had So completely outgrown it's 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 ruinrJ! Rome. by the avoidance of which America may travel on to that destiny and realize that fulGllmcnt which will be the inspiration of right thinking men of all ages yet to come.
 Our government is divided into three separate and distinct coordinate branches the legislative, the executive and the judicial. Danger will surely come to this republic when any Of these departments of government at
 tempt in the slightest degree to us,lrp the functions of the other And While
 now and then it may be that d court of the land in construing the constitu-
 ton may nullify q section of 1t. have
 the faith 10 feel that the people of the country will rise above the fallibility
 of judicial tribunals and assert and pre- serve their own rights. Our duty is
 not to critcise the executive, the legis.
 lature or the judiciary.
 Very recently there has come from
 the highest judicial tribunal in the land a decision of vital interest and coz
 cern to the American people, because
 1t has established q principle, as stated by one member of the cotrt which { would work d radical change in our
 governmental system and would inau gurate q new era in the American judi
 ciai system and in the relations of the national uud state governments. It would enable the subordinate federal
 courts to supervise and control the off cial action of the states as though they were dependencies or provinces. It
 would place the states of the Union in
 a condition of inferiority never dream ed of when the constitution was adopt
 cd or when the eleventh amendment
 was made a part of the supreme law of tue land." If this is tue result of this decision, it is, to my mind, one of
 the unhappy incidents in the history of
 our republic because the very theory
 of our government is based upon the
 right ol the states to control absolutely their own domestic affairs.
 If. then. our whole system of gov ernmcnt is changed, have we not only
 retarded the progress of the republic.
 but have we not gone back a century
 toward centralized form of govern. ! ment which is Dot to the advantage of the people! What this government
 needs is not more power. What it needs today is to so distribute the privileges under the government that all citizens will have equal opportunity.
 America has been called the land of 1 opportunity, but American opportunity should not mean a granting of special privileges to any class. but should 3f
 ford all alike the means for culture, ed. ncation, prosperity and contentment. For nearly q century and half America has presented to the world
 the spectacle of a happy, prosperous and intelligent people maintaining pure democracy founded upon their su- premc will The hallmark of de mocracy is that the powers of gov crnment are close to the people. Throughout the world wherever de- mocracy is advancing it's progress is marked by a greater measure of self government to each community. Will the American people turn to the set. ting rather than the rising sun? Shal.
 we now because some laws are found irksome by a class and interfere with