Omaha daily bee., 1910-06-16
TAFT TALKS ON
LAW AND LIBERTY
President Delivers Address at d.
mond Anniversary of Marietta
College.
TAKES UP ORDINANCE OF 1857
Greatest Fundamental Law Except
the Constitution.
WAS WRITTEN BY GREAT MEN
Provisions Make Americans Most Con-
sentative People in World.
VAS WRITTEN BY GREAT MEN
UNHAMPERED BY INSTITUTIONS
Instrument Drawn for Government of
Region Yet Unsettled is Ideal In
Many Representation An
other Honorary Degree.

MARIETTA, o., June 15-President Taft
speaking at tho 18th anniversary OF the
founding of Marietta college here today
took for his theme THE History of the
Northwest Territory" and referred to the
ordinance of 1857 for the government of the
territory as the greatest instrument of fun
damental law, except the constitution of the
United States, which had ever been enun-
cated by men.
The study of the ordinance brought the
president to a general discussion of the lib
critics of the American government. He de-
clared that the provision in the Northwest
ordinance which later appeared in the con-
stitution forbidding the lmpalring of an
obligation of a contract by law had been Of
far reaching Importance and had tended to
make this country with its democratic gov
eminent by the people and for the people
perhaps as conservative a community in re-
spect of the rights Of property as there was
in the world.
The president delivered his principal ad-
dress at Muskingum park. Later at the
Congregational church, where Marietta COL
lege conferred on him the degree of doctor
of civil laws, he made a few remarks on
higher education.
Address of President.
At Musklngum park the president said:
ITO a man who is Ohio born, who has en-
joyed the benefits of the system of the pub
lie education of that state and the guaran-
tees of life, liberty and property secured by
its fundamental law and the benefit of the
association with its people and the cultiva-
tion of their ideals of civil and religious
liberty and civic righteousness, there can
be no spot more sacred, no one which
crowds his mind with more grateful men,
cries and pardonabe pride of birth than the
town of Marietta.
To-day is set apart as the memorial of
seventy-flve years of Marietta college, But
the college is so much a part OF the town
and the town of the college that 1t is inn
possible to celebrate a memorial of one
without including the other and so we have
here this gathering.
LAS we study the history of the settle
ment of Marietta and the growth of the
northwest territory which followed, we
must be very thankful that every circum-
| stance seemed to make for the birth of a
great western empire under a government
of the highest ideals and the most prac-
teal provisions for their beneficial prac.
tice and the foundation of a system OF
| public education that is in full force and
effect and shows itself in the character
of the people and the government of to-
day.
Liberal Principles of Liberty.
1.-THE settlement at Marietta was excep-
tlonal beyond anything in the history OF
the country in the happy union of the
| highest type of settlers and of a frame OF
| government under the most advanced and
liberal principles of civil and religious lib
| erty.
1.-THE movement to settle Marietta and
Ohio by the Ohio company was at the
same time the cause and effect of the
adoption of the greatest instrument OF
fundamental law, except the constitution
OF the United States. which has ever been
| enacted by man.
1.-The members of the Continental con-
gress, in which the ordinance was passed
were some OF them members of the con-
stitutional convention and all of them
most interested in the discussions which
followed the system of that instrument to
the people of the states. And hence, while
we may say that the ordinance preceded
tho constitution in its adoption by two
years, we may also truly say that the
! two instruments were twin born and that
the ordinance of 1887 had the advantage
| in that it was the work of practical
statesmen who were dealing with an en-
tirely new country about to be settled with
no institutions of evil tendency"