The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-01-24
THE RIGHTS
Of 4 STATE
Judson Harmon Urges Every
Commonwealth to Jealous
ly Safeguard It's Preroga-
tYes Against Encroach-
ments by Federalism in
Whatsoever Guise.
Special to The Journal.

Special to The Journal.
Birmingham, Jan 23-At, the Board
of Trade banquet tonight, Hon. Jud-
with VIM. Jennings Bryan, guest
of special honor, said in his speech:
State Rights.
Alabama redeemed, doubled in pop
uiation, and more than doubled in
wealth, and her sons marching behind
ice Wheeler and Fitzhugh Lee, under
the full-starred ensign OF the Union.
One thing, more than any other, made
this possible 1t was the regaining at
1 last OF the right of the state to gov
ern itself. So long as the federal gov
ernment held control, there was no
| hope. When once this was with
! drawn, the future was secure. Any
American community great enough to
be commonwealth will work its way
| upward. when left to itself, as surely
| as the germ pushes toward the sun
| light Mistakes NAV. be made, but
| they will be corrected. New Difficult
ties may arise where the way seems
clear, but they will be. surmounted.
! And out of 1t all will be evolved and
developed the first essential of a free
people-patient, self-reliant under the
grace of God.
The South.
1.-The southern states are the only
Cnes which have ever been denied the
full right of Self-goVernment under
the constitution, and have had TO
struggle to regain It. The natural
result Of their defeat in a contest for
right which some OF US held they
did not possess, was disregard of
rights which were undoubted. And the
union of the constitution had to be
saved again from an attack which
was not the less dangerous because
it was masked behind the forms OF
law
I'm these times, when many seemed
inclined to grow impatient at the re-
straints imposed on official action and
to reSentful of appeals to the tribunals
TO which the enforcement of these re-
straints is entrusted, the people OF
the south will not forget that the chief
agency which enabled them to regain
the right Of self-goyernment was the
courts. Regardlesstof abuse and even
threats. and of the outcries of those
to whom a form of government is OF
no consequence when IT stands in the
way of their ideas, the supreme court /
of the United States replaced and up |
against federal Invasion of the rights |
reserved to the states.
Won't Be MisIed.
al know you are too ciear-eyed to /
be misled by any proposal, even |
though made tempting by the promise |
of present convenience or advantage, !
to let federal authoritS again displace
that of the state. The motives and I
objects may be different, but the prin- |
ciple is just the same as that which /
oppressed you in the wears of recon
struction. Even if the appearance OF
present benefit should prove real, 1t !
would come too high. like Esau's pot
tage, for one usurpation would GER
tainly lead to others whose results.
would not be pleasing. No real good
can ever come from a wrong act or
a foolish one; and it is always wrong
for any public agency to overstep the
limits of the authority conferred and
always foolish for anv free people to
permit it.
Excuses Advanced.
1.-TWO excuses are advanced for fed
sral intrusion into state affairs. One
Is that the states do too little, and the
0ther is that some of them do too
much in the way of railroad and cor
oorate regulation and other correc-
tive measures. These are not con-
Trajectory, as they might at first APP
pear. because there NAV be both too
little and too much public interior
ence with the conduct of business,
and both are harmful. though my in
lerited and acquired ideas both lead
ne to fear tt too much more than
fear the too little. 1t is often hard
@ draw the line between useful reg
Lot 1p.1Y. fI1y nd
harder still to have that line respect
ID when politics unfortunately become
involved with questions relating to
business and public feeling is aroused.
''The obligation is broader toward
he state because its authority has a
ar wider range. and Won are relatively ,
arger factors in it, while your infiu- !
.nce is greater in the Inverse ratio of !
he distances to Washington and Mont !
So you are more responsible ,
or the course of Alabama than for 1
hat of the United States. as you ought .
o be; and that is one of the reasons :
or preferrine state to federal control :
Hidden Dangers.
"a great many things are none the
ess home affairs because they may d
,e, or become, remotely related to
commerce among the states, the regu-
aLfOn OF winch Is granted exclusively
o congress If the federal authority
hould be extended over all these, the
tates would soon become mere re- ]
ions lie pretext for such extern !
ion of power is that railroads, tele- {
,raph. ETC.. have brought about the G
commercial unity of the states. But l
hat is no reason at all, because such t
ommercial unity was the very object {
n view in framing the clause which /
ives to congress the exclusive power {
0 regulate commerce among the S