The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-04-07
THECONST|TUT|0N
NEEDS TOUCHING
SAYS CONGRESSMAN DE ARMOND
IN ADDRESS TO VALE CLUB
AT NEW YORK.
JUDICIARY TOO STRONG
Speakers Power Greater Than Thai
of Observation-Disclosures Ma
jority Strannes
Minority.

New York April G.-Speaking be
fore the Yale Political club tonight
Congressman De Almond of Missouri
, said In part:
orrs iRa government wherein the
federal Constitution IS the supreme
law of the land BY the constitution
all other laws are tested. Il written
constitution may prove to be too mar
row and too rigid; and our constitu-
tion is well within the rule. Among
the tendencies now operative Is one
to stretch the constitution; TO find in
it and get out of 1t whatever is wanted
Forms are regarded and observed SO
far as may be necessary, but really
the accepted creed of particular
group OF persons, prominent and ac'
tive in American public life, Is well
expressed in the conundrum: What
is the constitution between friends?
To some minds that is constitutional
which to the same minds appears to
| be important and desirable. Some
get much comfort and a wide, un-
| charted ocean of promise and oppor-
! trinity out of the general welfare
clause of the constitution. Since enc
Of the declared purposes of the con.
stitution makers is to promote the
| general welafre therefore these en-
| thusiasts would have it-there must
be in the constitution somewhere
whatever may be needful TO promote
| the general welfare | am ono OF
| those fellows who believe the good old
| constitution, much as it merits our
reverence should have tome touches
of the new age. q.
| Speaking of the judiciary Mr.. De
! ArmoI,d sEal5: In my Judgment his
| ir sight was greatest who saw In the
| Judiciary branch OF our government
| the largest element of danger to our
republican institutions. am we'll
aware that it is and long has been
the fashion to view thos one of the
three coordinate branches of our gov
ernmental tree with a peculiar reVer-
ence entirely lacking In the inspec
tion and contemplation of the other
branches, the executive and teh legis-
lative. Is not much-too much-of
that reverence the alteration or blind
ness, the tribute of the subduel intel
lcct, paid through force of habit, ana
lot the free mind offering of unfet-
tered thought?
| am not unmindful OF the fact that
from time to time, not even excepting
this epoch in our nations history the
,g nynnnffpa orthnrttu hDNp hAnn I
extended far But we have come tol
ut time when the public mind is not
concerned so much about the extent
or the limit of executive powers as 1t |
Is about the supposed necessity for
what the executive does or attempts
IN view of the listless, inefficient
course of senators and representa-
tiyes, and the rapid and menacing
increase of judicial power, by judicial
construction So steadily and so
greatly have the judges magnified
their office that a congressional en-
actment is lightly treated as uncon
stitutional, according to the judgment,
prejudice or whim of the pettiest fed
eral Judge in the land. II is not
eonugh to let the responsibility of
multiplying the legislative will rest up
on the supreme court alone? Why
rot let laws be laws until solemnly
declared by the supreme court not
to be laws? Why not deprive every
inferior court of the power, or as
sumed power. to pass upon the con
stitutionalty of acts OF congress
Turning towards conditions in con
gress Mr.. De Almond said:
Once it was possible for few
members of the lower house Of con
gress to block legislation for a good
while. by flibustering. Now, one
man. the speaker. exercises a veto |
mower greater than thai OF the presi- !
dent. The speaker enslayes majority
end minority indefinitely. Then, no
one thought Of strangling important
measures. and but few lacked the
courage to meet issues as they arose.
Now il is q fine art In legislative
leperdemain to so combine tyranny
and cunning as to prevent. from ses-
sion TO session and congress to con
eress. a vote in the open upon meas
ures which no majority would dare
to kill outright Some day, perhaps,
minority manly cough to fight
steadily and resolutely against the
ore-man power, and for the restora-
tion of the rights of the peoples rep
resentatiyes. will awake to find itself
IN the mapoTity: for the great Ameri-
can people will not suffer their faith
full representatives to be permanently
or even long the victims of despouc
speaker. carrying ont a despotic policy
When the opportunity comes to you,
Young gentlemen, to dea.'with czarism
don't trouble yourselves about Rus
sia. but direct your efforts against
the czarism which fluorishes In the
horse of representatives OF our own
country.