The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-16
REAssURrNe UrrERANcEs.


 The reassuring public utterances of Judge Taft thoughtfuL broad and judicious as they have been since the election, have done more to calm the country and restore prosperity than anything else that has been said or written since the octobef panic of 1907. He has never failed to stand for the integrity of the courts and the inviolability of the Constitution.
 In his speech before the Augusta bar in pleading for respect for the court and court procedure he made the significant declaration that the war between the States was brought on because a decision of the Supreme Court was ignored. He could have had no other reference except to the Dred Scott Decision, which confirmed the constitutional rights of the people of the South in reference to slavery. In the light of what happened when the people of one section of the coun- try nullihed and ignored that decision Judge Taft said that the disregard fer one decision of the Supreme Court had caused the bioodiest war of mod ern stimes. A Southern man could not have voiced the idea more forcefuliy or succinctly.
 In his address to the visitors from Anderson, South Carolina, Judge Taft assures the people, by inference, that the country will on March next re- turn to constitutional government. He assures the country further that during the four years in which he is in office the Constitution. will be preserved and observed. In the recent day the fashion has been to denounce the Constitution and to ignore its re- strictions when they stood between some agitator in office and the pur- pose he and his agitation had in view. Such attacks on the Constitu- among the thoughtless. and the poli- tician who wanted to retain his pres- tige was always ready to urge and in- slst upon measures which had been shown unconstitutional and to sheer at constitutional restrictions when they stood in his way, At the same time. these politicians were equally ready to denounce the courts and stir popular feeling against them, if the courts interpreted the law and the Constitution contrary to their wishes.
 The President -elect showed in his campaign that he was not of this caIiber when. decisions he made on the bench, were made campaign material against him. He had the courage then not to compromise, explain or excuse. He met the issue boldly and defended the opinions he made as judge whether they were or were not uu popular.
 As much as our people may differ with Judge Taft on certain national questions, we are ready to appre- ciate his courage and nowhere will he get more approval and commenda- tion in his stand for the Constitution than among Southern people. whose cardinal political doctrine since the days of Jefferson has ibeen reverencs and respect for the Constitution.
 The people of the South will read with reinsurance and satisfaction Judge Taft's words when he said in Augusta on Thursday:
 I know that sometimes the Consti- tuition seems to be in the way of direct effectiveness. The division under our system, by which the central govern ment is Tinted to certain things, and the State governments carry on other against the rapid carrying out of | some of the reforms, as for instance. | the conservation of our natural re- of o9UIii railroads. and the suppression of those abuses which have -crept In with our marvellous progress is the combi- nation of capital.
 And yet, gentlemen, that Constitu. tion, simple, clear and comprehensive, has in the past been capable of such fair conservatism as to meet in a mar velious way, the developments and could not have been anticipated by those who framed it, In any detail at all. and I am very certain that the | same Constitution will meet the emer- | gencies which may come on in the
 What we look to in the South is to have the support of those institu- | tions from the people who believe in them, and are willing to maintain them and to fight for them if it be