The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1911-10-03
Here's Seattle Professor Who Dared
to Blaze the Path for Twentieth Century
Progressives! They Called Him "AnarchiaIs


Albert q. Meade OF Washing
ton. In his inaugural speech,
used the following words. preg.
nant with meaning because Of
the threat carried;
"Any attempt upon the part
Of an instructor 20
influences the boys and girls Of
this state 10 believe that our
system Of government 10 based
upon fsIiaeious pr nc pies
Will receive Immedh
ate attention from tho essou-
tive department. and the In
struetor engaged In the exploit
tstion Of such un-Ameriean
ideas WILL RECEIVE iMME-
DATE DISMISSAL"
There was but one man In III,
entire state OF Washington agains
whom those words could have beef
directed. and the newspapers di'
not hesitate in saying that II wa
Professor J. Allen Smith. OF th,
University OF Washington. PROBES
sor Smith was a thorn In the sid
Of all reaetsonaries in the state
Here was man who was teaching
Progressive ideas. Ito even won
SO far Az 10 say that tho constltu
ton Of the United States had som.
faults.
Rank herosy; he's an anar
chlAt"
That's how he was regarded a
that time by those who controllos
the machinery Of government. Bu
I'm spite OF the governors threat
Prof Smith was not Tired" Stu
dents az the University OF Wash
lngton. most OF whom earn thei
own way through college. are M
'standstillcfA They took up tn
governors challenge and gave nc
iiee that they would walk out" O
the university n Prof Smith wcr'
dismissed
The Pacific Wave. the Ntudcn
paper. came out with n poem OF
ia editorial page. entitled -
Query" which n not elegant. ha'
the merit of being direct and sits
nificanf. II made a pointed In
quiry n people would be permitted
70 progress 'or must they be lik'
Chinese. contentad with WREATH
their fathers have wony" And !
ended up with.
~Ah no. there are only few.
So narrow they cling 10 suci
theories thin.
And JOYl they are not in on
AL"
In 1907 Professor Smith publish
ID HIS now famous book. "Th'
Spirit OF the American Govern
msnt.- which has recently beef
quoted frequently la congress ant
In discussions uf the recall o
judges. Again the powerful ma
ehinery Of federal and state GOV
eminent sought TO have the here
tic removed
For In his book. Prof. Smis'
made the startling declaration tina
the Judiciary had usurpco iesisis
tive and executive functions. Star,
linxy AZ that time II was unhears
~. And here Was a man who bold
~ snid that the courts were excf
ciHing the veto" power on the poo
Plies legislation. ~. pointed on
that the courts were never giyef
express power 20 declare acts o
congress or the legislature uncon
HltntionAi Never was there a ter
book In any school or college II
the country whore the defects q
the government were treated as II
Prof. Smiths book.
And here IN what Judge C. n
Hanford. agsins, whom people o
Seattle have recently started i'm
parchment petitions. said AZ LIN
coin Day banquet given the faculty
Of the University OF Washington IN
1905.
"No student Of the Unlver.
city should be permitted 20 In
duiqc the coneeit tina; he can
make a better constitution than
that given 20 us by Washington.
Madison. Franklin ard HamIl-
ton, ard as II has been ex-
pounded BY the great jurists
composing the supreme court
Of the United States. Theorists
who critieise the constitution
Ignore the conditions which II
was made 10 fit and by ianor-
ing them they ignore God A.
mighty. who created the condi-
tiors-"
Prof. Smith was forced TO smil,
when he recalled Judge Hanford'i
words.
"And he made the speech on Lin
coins birthday, apparently forget
ting that Lincoln. too. had som,
faults TO find with the courts Of
his day" he said.
lt's nearly 70 years since Prof
Smith wrote the chapter ON the ia
dietary In his book. II has taken ,
long time to awaken tho people e
the undemocratic powers possessed
by the courts. but Prof Smith see.
the dawn of greater and free