The daily sentinel., 1908-04-10

preme test of patriotism, for those
who inspired the constitution of the
United States were the same who
had pledged their lives. their prop
critics and their sacred honors to the
cause of independence.
THE scheme of government de-
by our forefathers was adopted
after most mature deliberation, and
after the fullest Investigation; and
only when they were satisfied that
In the distribution of the powers of
government, the rights of the peo-
pie woulo be respected. 1t was
founded upon the theory that the
right existed in the people to make,
alter and modify their form of gov
ernment. and to this end the several
states in constitutional convention
agreed upon and adopted a constitu-
tion which was the foundation upon
which this nation rests. But, as
Washington said: the constitution
which at any time exists, till chang
ed by an explicit and authentic act
of the whole people, is sacredly
obligatory upon all. The further
heritage of the power and right of a
people to establish government. pre-
supposes the duty of every indivld-
ual " opey the eStdpilsned govern
ment'
"The original Sovereign States,
which. through their representatives
in 1887. united to form a Federal
Government for certain specified
purposes. were careful to have those
powers which were delegated to it
expressed in the constitution then
agreed upon.
while the primary object of a
written constitution is TO define gov
ernmental powers, and to limit gov
ernmental departments, the over
whelming necessity for such an in
strument is to prevent insidious en-
croachments upon the rights of the
individual citizen. both from those
in office and from those who by rea-
son of their wealth and power have
an influence far greater than that
possessed by the average citizen.
And so the constitution of the United
States was regarded by its trainers
as an Instrument of the most sacre
import, an alteration of which could
only be made by the people them
selves in whom all ultimate power is
vested. and then only after the full
est discussion and widest publicity.
Under the beneficial government
SO established the nation has pros
pered and the people are happy. One
great cloud came upon the nation in
the form of an awful civil war. in
which two sections of the country
were in conflict with each other.
The heroes who rest here gave their
lives that this nation might be main
tained as it came from our fore
fathers. On another battlefield of
that war, Abraham Lincoln said: 1T
a 60 h, f.-s.. y, L.
dedicated to the unfinished work
they have thus far SO nobly carried
on. 1t is rather for us to be here
dedicated to the great task remain
ing before us; that from these hon
ored dead We take increased devo-
tion for that cause for which they
here gave the last full measure of
devotion; that we highly resolve
that these dead shall not have died
in vain tnat the nation shall under
God, have new birth of freedom
and that. the government of the peo-
pie, by the people, for the people,
shall not perish from the earth
''Shall We not to-day consecrate
ourselves for the further perpetua-
ton of the principles of American
liberty. and constitutional form OF
government, purchased at the cost
of the blood of patriots? In this
hour when there seems to be a dis
position to depart from the estab-
lishment forms, whom their seems TO
be desire upon the part of those
in authority to abide in central
bureaucracy, rather than in a rep
resentative democracy,-it becomes
you and me to protest against any
departure whatsoever from the gov
ernment which came to us from the
constitutional convention of 1897,
and those amendments which have
been made to 1t by specific will of
the people.
"Our concern is not of the past,
nor wholly with the present. but
much with the future. II the destiny
of the republic is in the hands of the
American of today, then it becomes
him to be guided and governed only
by patriotic impulse and the desire
to- do that which will most largely
contribute to the permanency of re-
publican Institutions. Advancing our
civilization so that we will not. by
recognizing the false claims of self
ish interests, and forgetting the
American maxim that our object
should be to attain the greatest
good for the greatest number, incur
the penalty which other peoples
have paid. rather let us hold over in
mind that those who framed our
government believed in the equality
of the people and that the chief aim
of government is to maintain that
equality.
Under our system or government
the nation has reached material
development hitherto unknown. The
people have prospered beyond the
dreams of those who lived a century
ago. But with the development of
the country and changes In economic
conditions, and particularly with the
growth of great private corporations,
Of ho f...