The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1910-09-15
YOUNG MANS IDEA.
BEVER|DGE'STEXT
Indiana Senator Addresses Con-
servation Congress.
ACT FOR NATION AS WHOLE
Only as Entire Nation Is Prosperous
Can Any State Be Prosperous
Waste Of Peoples Wealth
Must Stop.

States Senator Albert j. Beverage O
Indiana was the principal speaker a
today's session of the National Con
servation congress. Senator Bever
idge spoke at the morning session OF
the subject of 1.-THE Young Mans
Idea" He said:
The United States is. The American
people are Nation--not forty-six ma
lions.
Our history is the story Of the struggle
of the National sentiment Of all the PEG.
pie, which special interests for their self.
ish purposes sought to discourage, against
the provincial sentiment of some of the
people, which special interests for their
selfish purposes sought to encourage.
The parents of the provincial idea in
American government was the British
crown. The British kings believed that
If the Colonies We're separated by local
pride, prejudice and jealousy the British
policy would be easier. They knew that
If the colonsts were united by common
interests, sentiment and purpose, the Brit
ish policy would be harder. And that
policy was to permit the special interests
Of the United Kingdom to exploit the
people of the colonies.
Therefore from King James to King
George the British crown fostered local
pride, prejudice, jealousy and hostility
among the colonies. Divided In geography
for convenience Of British government,
the British kings kept them divided in
spirit for the interests Of British manu-
facturers Every British law which forced
the revolution was a law to help the spe-
cial interests Of the United Kingdom
monopolize the markets of the separated
colonies. The revolution was the war of
the people, for the moment united,
- 1f~N f.>k. -.
plundered them when divided.
Such is the historic origin Of american
provincialism. Washington and his con-
tinentals were the infant National idea in
uniform and manning the shotted guns of
Of liberty; the British and their Tory
and Hessian allies were the full grown
provincial idea behind the bayonets Of op-
preston. The colonists entered the con-
tlict under many flags; the American peo-
pie emerged from the struggle carrying
q single banner.
Provincial Idea Failed.
Our first attempt at government was a
failure because the royal British idea of
provincialism still was powerful. The
local pride. prejudice and jealousy of sep
arate colonies sprang up when their COM
mon dangers was over. The Articles of
Confederation was the unhappy result.
Washington declared that that govern
ment was contemplate. It was the pro-
vincial idea carried to its logical con-
clusion. And so 1t fell.
The peoples cruel necessities compelled
the reassertion of the National idea, and
the constitution was that IDEAS immortal
child. The Articles Of Confederation de-
clared that 1--WE, the states" formed the
government; the constitution declares that
1--WE. the people," formed the government
ITO promote our general welfare" Yet
~
ity," as Chief Justice Marshall calls our
constitution, crept defects which the
statesmen Of that day could not prevent
defects which have been the source Of
most of our troubles since and most of
them come from that provincialism which
we had inherited from the policy of the
British kings.
AS the constitution was adopted,
Estates rights were not mentioned.
Washington was elected president; con-
gress was In session and the National
government was under way. The tenth
amendment came to quiet those who were
preaching the paradox that the general
government of all the people would op-
press the people. Noisiest of these was
Patrick Henri. then governor of Vir-
gnia, who refused to attend the consti-
tutional convention and opposed the ratfi-
cation OF our fundamental law. Upon the
embers of provincialism he threw the in
Hammable brushwood of his excited rhet-
ORIG.
National Spirit Victorious.
Being in the constitution, the states
rights provision is as valid as any other
amendment. But such is it's origin and
spirit; and its INSTRUMENTATION never
must be permitted to nullify the Nation,s
interests, waste the Nations resources
plunge the Nation into war or prevent the
general welware of the whole people.
Now. as always, the danger has been NOT
so much that the Nation will Interfere
with the rights of the states, as that the
states will interfere with the rights of
the Nation. Va
After the National government wac
started Its first conflict with provinca,ism
was III the whisky rebellion in Pennsvl
Vanla; the special interests who dealt in
rum III the name of state SOVEREIGNTY de-
ned the execution of the Nations laws.
out washington put down that first
states rights rebellion in the name Of
the government of all the people.
Then came the resistance of specia, in
terests to the laws of all the people in
Andrew Jackson's day. The voice Of
jackson in his day, like the voice of
Washington In his day, was the voice If
q united people against special interests
who. behind the shield of provincialism
sought to exploit all the people.
AHou C'ilIlc tHe special interests that
tnrlVed on slavery and under the provin-
cial Interpretation Of Estates riphtsn
sought to destroy the Nation they cou11
not control. But the Naiona1 spirit re-.
sponded to Abraham Lincoln's can to
arms; and in the mightiest war of his
tory million bayonets again wrote
across our constitution these words of
the American peoples Immortality: This
IS a Nation"
Special interests We're robbing and cor.
rupting the whole people by lotteries.
special interests were poisoning morals
With the leprosy of obscene literature
rhey existed under state protection. The
Nation alone could stop them. They de-
ned the Nations right to interfere, Rut
he Nation did stop them and the supreme
'ourt sustained the Nations power.
1t was the same with special interests
nat We're selling diseased meats, pois-
med foods and adultcrated drugs to the
masses; these special interests again
ought the Nations effort to protect the
Nations people. Yet today National laws
hield the health and lives of the peon,e
These evils fourished under the provin.
lal Idea of the people divided: thew ner.
shed under the National idea of the pco-
lie united. And again today we see these
wo IDEAS arrayed in battle for ana
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