The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-18
Tribute t0 Germans as
 Citizens of America
Hon O. B. Colquit Speaks of 1her Sobiey, intelligence and Love of ofLscal SelfCevanment- Few,
 Indeed, Have Become Criminals.

which Germans have ever adhered.
 MT. Coiquitt said. in part:
 T understand the purpose of Ger man Day and It's celebration by Ger man. Americans is not to isolate them selves from American citizenship. but to keep alive the interest in German culture and customs and to revere the memory of their ancestors. thus pre- serving the best in the German char acter and transmitting 1t to the Amerf- can citizen. The German American is perhaps the broadsst- minded. most lib- eral and conservative type of our citi- zensiip. He is liberal and charitable in his views and opinions as to the re- ligious. political and personal beliefs of all men. He believes in the great est liberty of thought and action con- sistent with right living, good conduct and the orderly observance of laws. At the same ttmc he Is conservative In his own habits and views and does not indulge In excesses either of opinion or sof conduct. In this his creed har- monizes with that of the great men who laid the foundation for the freest and hest Government ever yet devised, and in consonance with the spirit of tolarence which actuated William Penn to invite the Germans, the Swedes, the Hollanders and the oppressed of all nations to abide within the confines of his possessions. This spirit of amity and justice even brought the savage Indian into leagues of friendship, whereas in other instances. where force and injustice were applied to him, he revolted and rebelled against 1t. The right of local lf-government,' even with the radical governmental changes in England, remained secure to the
 Ia tha rt of tolerance and of liberty; cherished by the German colonists was a forceful aid in the establishment of the doc trine that every man is free to do that which he wills. provided he in- fringes not the equal freedom of any other man. Since the days of the bat tie of the Teutenberger forests. when the great Hermann overcame the Ro- mans. the Germans have stood for this pinciple of liberty in Government.
 Right Of Local self-Government.
 "But there are some who would take away from you the responsibility for your personal conduct and confer its regulation upon the State. The right of local self-government which was guaranteed to the Germans who first settled in Pennsylvania Is aud always has been one Of the foundaticn princi- ples of Democracy. It Is firmly im- bedded in our Constitution, though some would like to change It in one particular and substitute prohibition for local option.' But local self gov- ernment was one of the most cherished rights even of the early colonists. It was the one essential protection against tyranny and despotism. Every man for conscience sake felt the need of its protecting principle. Roger Williams. one of the greatest and best of men. established firmly as the. rule fin civil things in his colony this great principle It Is also firmly es- tablished for the government of the Baptist church. of which Roger Will Hams is the reputed founder in Amer ica. This great religious organization is one of the compIetest establishments of the principle of local self-govern- ment to be found anywhere. Each con- gregation or church Is separate and Of any other and governs itself and regulates its own internal affairs without interference from any superior body. In the regulation of It's affairs in each Baptist congregation is embodied the principles of pure de- mocracy in the exercise of their church This was the principle in the Constitution for the government
 
 Province. though the latter was to control only in civil things whereas the former uses the same principle in it's ecclesiastical government. Our State Constitution does now and should continue to apply the principles of To- cal seIf-centrol in matters affecting the rights of the people of the coun- ties of the State and of the precincts and districts in the counties. The sys- tenn is akin to the principle of gov ernment of the Baptist Church in this respect, and this denomination is one of the greatest reliigous orders in the world. Each congregation forms a complete government in itself. and yet is a member of great family of churches. It has the right to settle all policies for Itself and no other con- gre gation is entitled to interfere. What a grand and glorious example and type of local self government do we find in this illustrations!
 Indcpendnace in Government.
 '"When passion and prejudice and war split other great denominations in twain, this one stood undisturbed by because each church was sep arate and independent in its own gov ernment. The necessity for this free dom came from the need of liberty of
 
 unhampered by the force of power an- to It's free exercise.
 T have spoken of the tolerance. of William Penn and of Roger Williams, and the liberty and freedom they es- ia bltsheds in their colonies through the of local self-government. Every reader of history knows of the aa1rtary effect upon the happiness of the people of the colonies of these two men as compared to those who were in- hAbItants of some of the New England colonies. where the blue laws sought to regulate and control the conduct or the individual beyond reasonable de- gree. Penn. an Englishman. driven to this country and to the endurance of great hardships, on account of the po- litical ad religious intolerance and the laws of their native land The danger and hardships of new surrounded by savages were to the old with it's laws re- stricting liberty of person and of con science. For the same neasons the Wes- lave came to America-went to Geor- 0la to preach to the Indians. In this coionv importation of runf was prohtb- ited, and so was negro slavery Sut history tells us that the prohibition of rum was not enforced except at the colony of Ebenezer, who needed not the stimulus Of ardent splr- its" nor of the prohibition against It because in the sweetness of their own temper and self-control Of their appe-- titeE they needed not the assistance or laws. Even this early In A America 1t was illustrated that where fine pentleness of religious spirit and inc perauasio of preaching and teach ing fail, the forci5le application of law viii not succeed. It was with these that Wesley, founder of ATethodisrn. first associated and preach .d ,n Georgia This great preacher