The daily sentinel., 1908-04-10

/ d u,
| to the demands of selfish interests,
permit the breaking down of con-.
stitutional provisions. under which
the American people have attained
this wonderful degree of material
! prosperity and have yet maintained
1.-the individual liberty of the citizen.
"The constitution of the ancient
republic of Rome. which for 500
years had recognized the voice of the
people as supreme, was expanded by
executive Interpretation and con-
tracted by executive administration,
until Rome has so completely out
grown its democratic conditions as
to become only tragedy and ira
dition. Let us implore the aid of
Him ON high to preserve us from the
errors which ruined Rome, by the
avoidance of which America may
travel on to that destiny and realize
that fulfillment which will be the
inspiration of right-thinking men of
all the ages yet to come.
"Our government is divided into
three separate and distinct co-ordin-
ate branches: the legislative the ex-
ecutive and the judicial. Danger
Will surely come to this republic
when any of these departments of
government attempt in the slightest
degree to usurp the functions of the
other. And while now and then it
may be that court of the land. in
constituting the constitution, may
nullify a section of it, / have the
faith to feel that the people of the
country will rise above the fallibility
of judicial tribunals and assert and
preserve their own rights. Your
duty is not to criticise the executive.
the legislature or the judiciary. Our
duty is to recognize the majesty of
the law when enacted, and to re-
spect, even though wrong; the opin-
ions of the courts of the land, be-
cause when respect for these insti-
tutions is gone, then the very frame-
work of our government is bound to
crumble and decay. But having thus
given our acquiescence to the voice
of authority, if in the opinion of the
people the action taken is one
which should not be exercised by
that particular department. 1t is our
inalienable right 10 so further limit
it's power as to prevent the recur-
renee of the error. Very recently
there has come from the highest
judicial tribunal in the land a decis-
ion of vital interest and concern to
the American people, because it has
established a principle, as stated by
one member of the court, which
would work radical change in our
governmental system and would in
augurate a new era in the American
judicial system and in the relations
of the national and state govern
ments. 1t would enable the sub
ordinate federal courts to supervise
and control the official action of the
states as though they were depen-
dencies or provinces. 1t would place
the states of the Union in a condition
of inferiority never dreamed of when
the Constitution was adopted or
when the eleventh amendment was
made a part of the supreme law of
the land" If this is the result of
this decision, it is, to my mind, one
of the unhappy incidents in the his
tory of our republic, because the
very theory of our government is
based upon the right of the states
to control absolutely their own do
nestle affairs.
"If, then. our whole system is
changed. have We not only retarded
the progress of the republic but
have We not gone back century
toward a centralized form of gov
ernment which is not to the advant-
age of the people? What this gov
ernment wants Is not more power
What it needs today is to SO dis
tribute the privileges under the gov
ernment that all citizens will have
equal opportunity. America has
been called the land of opportunity
but American opportunity should
not mean granting of special priv
ileges to any class, but should afford
all like for culture, education. pros
perity.
For nearly a century and a half
America has presented to the world
the supectacle of happy prosperous
and intelligent people, maintaining
a pure democracy founded upon
their supreme will. The hallmark
government are close to the people,
Throughout the world, wherever
democracy is advancing, its progress
is marked by greater measure of
self-government to each community
VIII the American people turn to the
sitting rather than to the rising
sun? Shall We now. because some
laws are called irSsome by class
and interfere with their selfish aims,
commence to deprive our sovereign |
states of home rule which until now
may have seen fit to reserve TO them
selves? | cannot believe it. Upon
the contrary / believe that the limi-
tations upon state and federal gov
ernments the nice balancing of the
powers of each, and of the different
departments in each, which have
been so efficacious in the past, will
be maintained in their full vigor in
the future.
Therefore, discharging all of our
responsibilities as citizens of a coun-
try, refusing to surrender our rights
of citizenship in any degree. let us
SO live that the heroism exemplified