Middletown transcript., 1909-06-19
PRICE THREE GENTS

i -
the maintenance OF the States, for reE
love Of State aud love Of country-are il
resentative form of government, and 70
the rights and liberties of the indiyidua
citizen.
State loyalty must be justified by presen
conditions suI not merely by the teach
ing OF the fathers. We may harken back
only to turn over dead leaves. The ulti
mate sanction OF our institutions must b,
their adoption to present day conditions
Political theories derived from condition.
that have passed away cannot guide III
to-day. Historical interpretations of con
stitutions are at best only helpful. John
Hay. the late Secretary OF State, in speak
ing of the futility of looking back fol
guidance in solving the problems growing
out Of the Spanish War, quoted the words
upon the walls of this church, "Your
fathers, where are they2 And the pro.
phets, do they live foreverT' Then he
said, "We are ourselves the fathers We
are ourselves the prophets The ques.
tions that are put to us We must answer
without delay, without help-for the
Sphinx allows no one to pass
Prof. Josiah Royce of Harvard Univer.
sity, in his been entitled ''The Philosophy
Of Loyalty" says "History shows that il
you want great people to be strong, you
must depend upon provincial loyalties to
mediate between the people and their
nation. The present tendency to the
Capitalization of power in our national
government seems to e,-then, distinct
danger" Without abusing the text, you
can substitute State loyalties for "pro-
yincial loyalties' and the quotation will
read: History shows that if you want a
great people to be strong, you must de-
pend upon State loyalty to mediate be-
tween the people aud their nation"
Personality is lost when it belongs to a
nation SO large that its weight and influ.
ence cannot be felt. If State citizenship
be surrendered and State lines be obliter-
ated, what would be the significance Of
the individual citizen Where would
the individual voice be among eighty
million voices? Popular government rests
upon the intelligent expression of individ-
ual opinion. Efficient government may
rest upon some other authority but it
cannot be government by the people.
Individual opinion can find expression
only in relatively small political divisions.
The essential discipline of American citi.
zenship exists where men council together
in relatively small numbers. Freedom
dTells among the States.
The present spirit of our industrial life
is opposed to the true spirit of our polit-
ical life. Concentration of capital and
the efficiency and economy incident there
to is doubtless necessary in modern COM
petitive business. Consolidation of labor
in the huge labor unions is doubtless
necessary to uphold the interests of work
men: This concentration of force is anal
ogous to the growth of national powers.
The individual will, initiative and re.
sponsibility are lost. In theory, every
man, in some sense, should be creator
and should have some primary relation
to the world and its forces. He should
not be dependent, agent or spoke in a
business. In our political life
the individual must be saved. Under our
democratic theory of government it is
better that all should govern than that we
should be wisely or efficiently governed,
unless wisdom and efficiency are to be
found in popular government. The dem.
ocratic theory of our government can only
be preserved by resisting any undue con-
and consolidation of political
power in the national government.
It is affirmed as law OF human society
that a great people is made mp of strongly
social units. A perfectly
homogeneous people is undesirable. The
distinctive types of the counties of Eng.
land made up the strength of England.
The strongly contrasted types Of men in
the various parts of this country-New
England, the Canadian border, the Pacific
slope, the Gulf ports, the Atlantic sea-
board and the States bordering the Miss
issippi-make up the strength Of this
country. If political powers are ever
at Washington and the
powers and dignity of the States are cor
impaired. the American peo-
pie will be SO far welded together that a
uniform and impersonal type of American
citizen will be evolved subject to the
sympathetic and irrational influences that
control men acting together in great
masses.
Communities holding fast to local ira.
ditions and ideals, yet receptive to the
light without, are distinctive and inde-
pendent. They select their representa-
lives by local standards, not because of
qualities or the power of
musical phrase-making. They resist the
appeals to the ''mob spirit" expressed in |
The metropolitan yellow journals. They |
resist the political pretensions of new
,omers and OF those temporarily sojourn-
ng within their borders. Such persons |
oiluw other gods. When those persons
transplant that worship they destroy local |
sentiment aud loyalty, whereas local SEN
iment and loyalty should command and |
compel their respect. Distinctive COM
nunities cherish their own customs, habits |
ind traditions. They have a character,
,olor, favor and tone Of their own. They
laye their own anniversaries, holidays
md festivals. They cling TO their own
,eOutiar iornls and as precious
hinge.
Delaware is a small State with noble
traditions. These traditions should ami
nate her citizens with feryid loyalty
o preserve her institutions and distinctive
The nation need not pass
avs and assume powers because Delaware
viii fail in her duty. The conscience Of
be people Of this State is as sensitive as
he national conscianca We are aa ready