The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-01-11

statutory enacenlG1rs. Inc gray dawn ,
of the twentieth century has not
changed the truth that legislative en-
men honest, or truthful, or industrious. |
or wise, is "as idle as painted ship
upon a painted ocean" 1t has been
suggested to me from a good but not
thoughtful source, that the province of
human government is to promote good
character. As great national reforms
never work down. but always up. so
character is builded from the inside of
the individual man. and not from the
outside. A great Englishman declared
that you could not indict a people.
May l be permitted to add that the In
diana legislature cannot baptize the
state? The best form of government
cannot exist In its purity over bad
people. Legislative enactments should
not precede, but should succeed, civic
reform. AS you want and hope to
have your fathers government endure,
and your fathers God to smile upon
you. SO beg you to be Jealous in pro.
noting all the virtues of private life
among yourselves: never to use diff.
ferent rule in dealing with public ON.
Gals than you would use in the private
affairs of life; to be as Jealous in
granting to every other man the right
to life, liberty and to the pursuit OF
happiness as you are in maintaining
that right yourselves; to be ever ready
to uphold your officers in the mainten.
ance of the majesty of the law; to
keep constantly before your minds the
fact that you are rulers in Indiana; to
strive to put into the life of the state
every virtue which has blessed your
individual life; to remember when in
the majority that it is not at all i'm
probable some day you may be in the
minority. and that, therefore, good cit
izenship consists as much in decent
treatment of your neighbor as in the
enforcement of your own particular
ideas
The free people Of this state, under
no compulsion to act whatever. adopt.
ed a written constitution, IS they de-
clared. ito the end that justics be es
tablished, public order maintained and
liberty perpetuated.'' These seem &c
me to be the functions of government
in Indiana. A complex civilization
throws many side-light upon these
propositions, and we have. in my judg.
ment, been paying more attention to
the side-lights than to the principles
involved in good government. What
we need is not reform. but regenera.
ton. For many years that body of our
rit u,h;o hn
ital of the state has been jealousy
watching the general assembly lest in
its enactments it should pass some
law which would be inimical to the in.
terests of capital. On the other hand
/ labor has also watched and Emporium
ed the legislature not to pass any en-
! actments which would be inimical to
It and of benefit to capital. To a less
extent here perhaps than in many 9th.
er of the commemorative Of this coun'
! try the war between labor and capital
, is being fought. 1t might be appropri
ately described as state OF armed
neutrality. This. however, is not the
attitude which ought to be maintain ed
between men. every one of whom
ought to understand that the business
of government as defined by the con
stitution is not to promote business
! and it is not the business of business
! to control legislation. A rebrth in the
minds of all the men of Indiana, al
! awakening to the fact that justice car
never be established where legislation
t enables one man to obtain a specia
/ privilege over another man, public or
| der maintained where jealousy and bit
/ terness of heart exist. and liberty per
! petuated where one man thinks tha
: he has inherently better right to pro
! lection at the hands Of the law thar
! another, will result, / trust. in a new
point of view for the capitalist and thu
! laborer; will help each of them to un
derstand that they are all brethren il
+ this American commonwealth, bavins
| equal rights, equal privileges, and Ell
titled to equal opportunities. II thu
passion and the tumult of the past cal
/ be allayed. and these two great inter
ests so essentially necessary to tn,
| prosperity of this people can be per
/ suaded to meet in spirit of mutua
| respect and mutual esteem, we ma,
! safely look forward to the time when
| without legislative enactments. eacl
will sheathe it's sword and grasp tn,
hand of its opponent in friendship.
am not . yet ready to concede tina
classes will permanently exist in
land of manhood suffrage. The battles
won by either side in the past have no
been worth the winning We all do il
i anger the things we wish in our calm
err moments we had not done Legis
lation will be necessary in the futur,
as in the past. but let US legislate il
spirit of equity rather than in
spirit Of revenge.
/ And so, my fellow-ciitzens, let US ar
proach the discharge of our dutie
!, with reverence for the high ideal
upon which our system OF government
Is founded, and with a renewed sens
of the personal responsibility which
rests equally upon every man in Ind
ana to see that all the inherent right
OF the people are preserved: that Off
). GERS do not usurp any function of gov
eminent which has not been expressl
delegated to them. but give to the pee