Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-02-13
THE EASILY alarmed
PESSIMISTIC PROPHETS OF Dis.
ASTER ALWAYS With Us.
A New York Lawyer Writes q Book,
in Which He Fears the Tendency
OF Federal Control Of Corporation
is Toward the Establishment of a
rtOnarChy.

This nation has never been with
out its pessimists, its prophets of dis
aster, it's political clairvoyants who
have foreseen the end of the republic
and it's demagogues who have be-
moaned monarchial tendencies. If
we could turn back the page to the
"simple" lives of our forefathers we
should find there the same fears that
beset some of us today. Not even
graft is new. History is a repetition
of old stories. Yet through it all has
run thread of progress. A step here,
a step there-a constant advance is
in evidence. The record of this coun-
try is record of progress, but every
generation has had It's astrologers of
gloom.
Since the beginning of this gov
ernment men have grouped them
selves into parties around an inter-
probation of the constitution as
compact between sovereign states
and around an Interpretation that
would weld the people of the states
into nation. Hidden sometimes by
other tissues, the conflict between
states rights and national unity has
never been wholly suppressed. Here
is a book, Federal Usurpation,
written by Franklin Pierce, a lawyer
nf Vnrly on6 Iocnnn6nnf on6
namesake of former president, in
which the tendency to Capitalization
is regarded with fear and a remedy
for all evils found in the sovereignty
of the states. He takes the Roose-
welt administration for his text, de-
ploreS what he terms the presidents
"usurpation of powers" and depre-
Gates the nations drift toward mon
archy. He finds conditions bad, very
bad. He believes that the habit of
measuring success in wealth and rev.
continued existence OF the republic.
He urges amendments to the consti-
tuition in an effort to make it "truly
democratic institution" He would
deprive the federal government of
control of interstate commerce., in
sisting that this present authority is
the cause of trusts. He would make
the state supreme.
The people of this nation are toll
Grant, easy-going, every ready to lis
ten to the let-well-enough-alo the
ory, but jealous of their personal lib
erty and militant in their defense of
it. No monarchy in any form, open
or thinly disguised, could ever be es-
tablished here without revolution
Nor does one think that the tendency
to it could ever proceed far without
a check.
That the states could or would de-
stroy trusts does not appear logical.
New Jersey fosters trusts, and after
her trails Utah. To effectually cope
with these organizations uniform
laws are necessary. The states will
not even adopt uniform divorce
law. Yet here is question that
goes deeper than the foundation of
government.
Whatever "usurpation of power"
has taken place has been approved
by the people, because they have be-
lieved it directed against men and
methods that threatened the repub-
lie more than the possibility of a
monarch. If there has been usurpa-
ton, it is only apparent. The presi-
dent summed up his administration
and it's achievement in his Nashville
speech when he said "All did was
to turn on the light" Is it usurpa-
tion to discern evil and correct it, or
prevent it?-Tacoma News.