The Washington herald., 1909-08-13

face to face with a far deeper social and
economic problem than confronts It as q
whole.
Conditions Reversed.
During the period that divides Jefferson
from Lincoln. a transformation has taken
, place in our internal economic conditions
whose results have reversed the funda-
mental proposition upon which Jenerson's
political theories were founded. Just as
he and his followers demanded that gov
ernmental power should be limited TO tho
greatest possible extent, and that the cir
Gle Of Individual rights surrounding the
citizen should be Videned 20 the greatest
possible extent. the masses OF the people
I he once led are now demanding that
governmental power. State and Federal,
/ shall be so widened, even at the sacIf-
/ fee Of individual rights. as to be able
70 protect them against the Incorporated
/ battalions the new colIectivtsm is hurl-
/ ing against them. The monster known as
/ State power, which Jefferson and his
I friends Of the French Revolution feared
as they did the evil one, the masses OF
| the American people are now hailing as
]
! manacIes which the incorporated hosts
/ Of monopoly and plutocracy are fasten-t
\ Ing upon them. VIII proof Of that asser-l
! ton be demanded by lawyers familiar
\ with the recent records Of Congress. OF
/ the State legislatures. and Of the courts
/ wherein the people are striving through
/ the legitimate exercise OF state power TO
/ restore the equilibrium Of American So
/ ciety? Through the exercise ot that pow
] 80 e~,~,fr
ing interstate and inuastate commerce
70 strict supervision, mOnopolies OF all
/ kinds 10 regulation and control. the in
/ tellectual contents OF the mails 10 in
| spection, large areas Of territory 10 pub
/ Tic irrigation. the public health and child
labor 70 a careful guardianship, the hours
OF labor 20 limitation. wine and liquor
drinking 20 prOhihitive restrictions, and
( even the food supply Of the nation 70 an
exaCting chemical analysis. Mr.. Tawney
has lately declared in the House Of Rep
resentatives that there has been an enor-
nous increase in the public expenditures
Ito meet the ever increasing demands OF
public sentiment for the expansion Of the
existing functions OF the Federal govern
ment. as well as for the assumption Of
others belonging fundamentally 70 the
States or 70 private interests TO per
FORM
New Political Conditions.
The nation IS just beginning 10 real
lie that the immense Increase in the cost
Of government IS largely due 70 the i'm
luense increase in the exercise Of state
power which the people themselves are
demanding. With ms. as in the days
preceding the French Revolution. gov
Iernment by express command Of the
people follows "the butcher 20 his
shambles. the baker 20 his oven" And
beyond those limits we are soon TO pass.
Through the legitimate exercise Of the
state power of taxation a gradual re-
distribution OF abnormal masses OF
wealth is 20 be worked out BY a tax on
earnings Of corpora tiOns. by an income
tax, and by a progressive tax on in
heritances The anarchist and the So
Cialist. who would remedy existing evils
by destroying the vitals Of the state it.
self. must be discounted by the dem
onstratiOn that the inevitable end can ba
{ and VIII be attained through the legiti-
mate exercise OF state machinery. In the
near future the party Of the many, the
party Of the people. Will be composed
Of those who are now drawing together
r i1 order 10 apply governmental power.
b state and Federal so far as Il need be
b applied, TO every evil arising out Of the
=
gave a tremendous impetus. And tns
; practical result IS that the moment the
extreme State rights Democrat unites
: with the extreme nationalist IN the ap-
plicatiOn Cf governmental power state
[ and Federal. 10 the subjects that have
: been enumerated all differences as TO
constitutional construction are neces-
sarily eliminated. What was once known
as the State Rights party may now be
/ appropriately termed the State Power
party. II Jefferson himself were TO re-
appear upon the scene. ne would instinct
, lively depart from his ancient attitude
the moment he perceived that the once
dreaded monster called State power
had been converted by subsequent events
I into the guardian angel Of the people.
: Never In any country has change in
internal economic conditions wrought
such a sudden reversal OF a basic polit-
, ical theory. The old democracy Of IN
I dividUalism has been forced TO give way
10 the new democracy OF nationalism.
While the star OF the most brilliant
and phllOsophic of the statesmen OF the
: Revolution is thus passing from the So
p Of practical politics. that or his august
and hated rival IS rising higher and
higher IN the armament. Time has dem
onstrated that principles helpful IN the
D childhood OF a nation may become mis-
{ chievous archaisms in its manhood. The
D confederated republic with a feeble ju-
Z dietary and narrow State powers, which
, Jefferson idealized, passed forever away
as the provincial communities grew into
& a nation whose advance demanded a ma
, tional constitution. John Adams made no
: mistake when he declared that posterity
would always be grateful TO him for hav-
/, ing placed John Marshall IN the citadel
= OF the new Constitution. Those who
make a special study Of its history
3 clearly understand that the E6ost all
. pervading. progressing. and compelling
9 power that has ever entered into our
: national life Is that which flowed. and
is stII flowing from the genius Of the
, great Chief Justice. Beginning with the
I Constitution as a mere framework OF
governmental timbers. TO use his own
phrase, ne so strengthened and completed
= the structure by means of judge-made
Z law that Il has been able 20 survive all
: the storms through which il has passed.
= BY virtue Of the elasticity he impaired
. to IT, il has been able 70 grow with our
/ growth; by virtue Of the textile strength
he gave Il. it was able 20 stand the strain
: OF the civil war; by virtue OF the final
= and Irresistible sovereignty he developed
: In e. IL win be able 10 assert every ele-
+ ment OF state power necessary TO meet
new conditions In the time 10 come
= C-on CondFfFou. IN C,-orx-