Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1910-03-11

legislative attention. The only man who
would be restrained by this provision OF
your law is some miserable creature who
would strip his wife of her pin money, and
that kind can well be left to the police
regulations of the several States
"Mr. President, there are many other
particular objections to this bill, but for
bear to consider them, because have al
ready taxed the patience OF the Senate
long enough. 1t has INDUCED me at length
and with its courteous attention so often
that shall not trespass further upon its
time. In closing, only beg leave to say
that perfectly understand that the appeal
which have made on behalf of the Con-
stitution, and on behalf of the fundamental
| principles of good government, are all in
vain. ! understand, however, that do not
appeal to them more vainly here than
would elsewhere, because the public mind
has become infected with a distemper
which frets under every limitation upon
its power. The people, even more than
their Senators and Representatives, jeer at
those OF us who invoke the Constitution,
and they applaud the men who scoff at it
as progressive statesmen but warn you
here and now, that if, in obedience to a
public clamor, you violate the Constitution
to-day, you will not be heard to plead it
against your successful rivals tomorrow.
The Constitution must be Obeyed at all
times and in all things. or else the day will
come when it will not be obeyed at any
time or in anything. A written constitu-
ton which is not .religiously obeyed is
worse than no constitution at all, and it is
certain to become what Greek philoso-
pher once said all written constitutions
area mere network which ensnares the
weak but through which the strong break
with impunity. do not, sir, believe in a
written constitution because reverence
the wisdom Of the dead. but believe in it
because fear the power of the living.
am not willing to trust you. nor am will
ing to be trusted by you, to legislate upon
the great and inalienable rights Of freemen
except within the limits of written con-
stitution; and demand that those who
speak and act for me shall live I'D to it in
the exactness of its letter and in the full
ness of its spirit. If you set it aside in
order that you may do something which
you want done, what right have you to
resist your adversaries when they attempt
to set it aside in order to do something
which they think ought to be done !? Do
you imagine that you can deny its protec-
ton to others and yet enjoy its protection
yOurselfY Others may think that, Mr. Presi-
dent but do not.
But, sir, intense as my convictions are
upon this subject, realize that am out
Of harmony with the spirit Of my time
and am sometimes almost persuaded that
| am living in an age and attempting to do
a work for which my opinions totally unfit
me. If could have lived fifty years ago
might not have persuaded the majority to
accept my views, but could never have
provoked controversy with my political
associates over them. hope and believe
that such time will come again, because
the American people can not be so blind as
not to see that they are governed too much
If they shall reach that conclusion before
paternalism has done its deadly work, then
we shall have a revival of that old faith |
in the man and that old distrust of the
government. We shall learn ourselves, and |
we shall teach our children. to believe that
the Constitution created the Union, and
that neither can survive the other. If we
destroy the one, we can not save the other
and II we save the one, we can not destroy
the other"