Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-23
T0OSW|FT POLITICS IN SENATE
Another Frenzed Financer Raer of Maryland Proposes
Fits From Busy Scenes. Democratic Platform .
VICTIM OF SPECULATIONS AGAINST CAPITALIZATION
Wallace Hopkins Defines and Praises Doctrine Of
100000 of Clients Money. state Rights.
pApm yJv1NG IN CHICAGO THE PRESIDENT IS ATTACKED
TermBtterly
~. - u;,,,n.s "Unwr Consitu ution."
Rayner of Maryland Proposes
Democratic Platform.
AGAINST GENERALIZATION
Defines and Praises Doctrine Of
"State Rights"
THE PRESIDENT IS ATTACKED
Would Limit Executives Service to
One Term-Bitterly Deuounces
"Unwritten Constitution.

Senator Rayner OF Maryland, who has
been frequently mentioned as fitting
running mate for the democratic candi-
date for the presidency next fall, out
lined what In his opinion should be the
democratic platform and made a "state
rights" speech in the Senate this after
noon.. At the outset he declared y Was
not his intention to add to the campaign
literature for the coming campaign, but
the speech was distinctly political.
Mr.. Rayncr's hearers were many, both
on the floor and In the galleries. From
start to finish he spoke as state
rights democrat He first defined what
he meant by that term.
Il mean this" he said. nothing less
and nothing more: L mean that the rights
OF the states must be maintained inviolate
as intended by the trainers of the Consti-
tuition: that there must be no perversiou
of the delegated powers SO AS to strike
down the reservation to the states. ana
that whatever rights the states possess
under the Constitution and under the
amendments must remain intact and un-
impaired until, if ever, the Constitution
should be changed by the voice Of the
people according to the methods that It
provides and the structure of our gov
ernment should be diverted from its pres.
ent conception and design.
The Storm Center.
The storm center around which constt-
tutional discussion is now being waged is
the clause that gives Congress the right
to regulate commerce between the states.
Those of us who can not acquiesce in tho
novel and original conception Of govern
mental power that is claimed to come
within this provision are Immediately in
formed that the Constitution grows and
expands with the progress and develop
rhent of the country, and that when the
benighted authors OF that document placed
the commercial clause among its princi-
pal provisions they tailed to comprehend
that commerce would eventually com.
prise almost everything contained I'm thu
vocabulary, and that the right to regulate
it-Hould mean the right to destroy II.
the-.ffght to own the instrumentalities
that convey II. to supervise the labor
that is engaged In its manufacture to
take Jurisdiction over every place where
1t is produced and handled. and the arbi-
trary right without restraint or limit to
control and circumscribe it from the time
that ii makes its appearance rs the raw
material OF the earth until the finished
product is landed in the place of its ulti.
mate destination.
I'VE have a proposition boldly an
nounced by our Secretary OF State, =
lawyer Of profound intellect and OF pre-
eminent ability, that IL the states do not
come to the rescue Of the federal govern
ment whenever an emergency arises for
the exercise of federal power, that ways
will be found which will give the federal
government the right to exercise the pow
er that 1t proposes. whether II comes
within Its de.egated functions or not L
said at the last session of Congress in an
address before this body upon executive
usurpation, and I repeat II now, that this
is the most startling and dangerous doc
trine ever announced before the American
people. The states have certain dormant
powers. Those powers. says the Secre-
tary, when federal emergency requires IL.
must be brought into exercise and activ-
ity; II they are allowed to remain passive.
and II a state does not conduct its legis-
lation with regard to the welfare of all
will be found that will override the re-
served rights Of the states and transfer
their dormant and unexercised power into
the hands Of the general government. I
have been waiting for a year, with resig-
nation and with patience. tor the Secre-
tary to recall this revolutionary utterance
or in some way to temper or to moderate
it, but there II still stands II did upon
the day on which 1t was first uttered. as
4 letter of marQue and reRrisal to justify
every pirate In his attempt to depredats
upon the ship of state. We had better
tear the Constitution into shreds and start
anew than have such a manifesto as this.
emanating from the heights. thundered
down to Congress and 10 the federal cir.
cults OF the United States.
Democratic Platform.
Senator Rayner gave his views on Q
democratic platform as follows:
If l had a hand In it's construction ie
would be a democratic platform. II
would ring with the martial music of the
ancient lays. I would not hang our harp
upon a willow tree. AS a rule. people do
,Ioff and hnS U-h n
them do not believe them. / would give
them something new. but that which
is new is something old. I wound
reanimatc the Constitution. which has
been distigured and defaced, and try TO
infuse into the minds of the people the
philosophy of our institutions.
II would undoubtedly continue our his
t6ric contest against tarif levied for
ent system should be reformed by its
friends. 1 believe II should be reformed
by its enemies. l would agree that this
government should become a world power
upon the field of commerce and enter
prise and of civilization, but would re-
ject every proposal to unite with any 9TH
er robber government IN the despoilment
of foreign territory or In the conquest OF
helpless races. l would with no uncer-
tain sound declare against executive
the doctrine. settled nearly a century ago
In this body, that this is not an executive
government, and that the President. in
the exercise Of his functions. must be
guided by the specifications of the instru-
ment that creates them.
Single Term Limit.
Il would unhesi.atingly announce that
the democratic party is in favor Of the
enforcement of every federal enactment
upon the statute book. and the greater
the criminal who violates II the more Sc
we're should be the penalties that are to
be visited upon him. and that the law
should be put In force against every in-
dustr al monopoly that is throttltng COM
petition and plundering the home Q. the
American consumer. I would limit the
presidential ONCE to single term. ana
would further proclaim that no President
should have the right to determine the
selection of his successor through the use
Of Federal patronage.
above everything efe. however,
would add a plank declaring that there Is
no such thing as an unwfttten constitti-
tion of the United States. and that ii IS
a treasonab act to insert into II. whetll-
er by judicial construction or otherwisa.
any power or grant that Is not contained
vithin the limitations of the instrument.