Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-12-22
ARE WE FREE PEOPLE7
CENTRALIZED POWER AN EN-
cRoAcHMENT ON LIBERTY.
While We Are Guaranteeing Liberty
Of Other Peoples, Why Not Guar
antee Our own-Hope
In Democracy.

At the isthmus President Taft as.
sured the inhabitants Of Panama that
the United States would guarantee
their liberties. He spoke for the
American people as well as for their
government While we are thus guar
anteeing freedom to others, how is 1t
with ourselves? Are we as free today
as we were fifty years ago?
So far as legislation is concerned,
negro slavery. the greatest of modern
wrongs, was abolished by a three-line
addition to the constitution. Like the
white people, the blacks were freer
when that amendment was adopted In
1855 than they have ever been since.
Excessive lawmaking, especially ex-
cessive lawmaking at Washington,
where centralized power is always
eager for new conquests and nearly
always reckless of personal rights,
cannot fail to encroach upon true lib
erty. Democracy and Imperialism will
not mix.
One Of the surest tests Of wise law
making Is its effectiveness. Judged by
this standard we accomplish little. By
n legislative act, probably uncalled
for In the first place, we make neces-
sary many other acts, and finally
whole sections, interests and classes
become conscious Of interference and
perhaps of oppression.
To create new ~offenses In morals,
industry and commerce that are diff
cult of proof and then by vexatious
and costly espionage to add greatly to
official power and expense is a favor
lite method with those who would gov
ern too much. To establish selfishly
an injustice or an inequality of some
kind, like the extortionate tariff, and
then attempt by additional laws to
cure the worst of its corrupt nantes
tations Is another. To increase ex-
penditures so that many new forms
of taxation must be resorted to is still
another. Every tax that is wasteful
abridges popular rights in more ways
than one.
The daring operations of a few great
offenders have brought down upon the
country laws, regulations, spies, in
quisitors, commissions, prosecutors
and tax-devourers that burden the in
dustry and restrict the freedom Of mil
lions of honest men. Instead of aiming
straight at guilt, extortion and
wrong, government in most cases
avoids them and with new laws pun
ishes the innocent everywhere. The
policy has been not to penalize crime
but to ~penalize American freedom,
American citizenship, American enter
prise.
We have the protected trusts which
fight competition and tax reduction;
the protected express companies
which fight the parcels post; the sem
ators of privilege who fight popular
elections; the %plutocratic interests
which fight the income tax; the jim,
goes and the dollar diplomats who are
opposed to peace; the labor leaders
who fight the courts and freedom of
contract; the Sabbatarians who fight
a rational Sunday, and the prohibitions
lists who fight even the sacramental
use of wine. 1t is reasonable human
liberty that every one of these inter-
ests assails.
While we are guaranteeing the lib
erty of other peoples, why should we
not guarantee our own? In the mat
ter of morals, in the matter of harm
less amusements and customs, in the
matter of business and industry, In
the matter of food and drink, in the
matter of free speech, In the matter Of
a free press, in the matter Of free la
Dor, In the matter of the human right
to enjoy without vicious restrictions
the proceeds of honest toll, and in the
matter of the natural right to be
shielded by society OIL government
from the blighting effects Of favorit-
ism, combinations, conspiracies and
monopolies, we are not gaining ground
for liberty. We are losing 1t,