The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1911-09-21

Christian people, acting through thu
institutions founded for them by theil
ancestors, are, l say, body OF mel
unequalled in the civilized world.
Why, they had coronation over IL
England little while ago and they
say they were there resplendant II
purple and gold-the crowned head;
of the earth. Well. who were they
They were the men who have arbitrary
authority inherited from some ancest
or who acquired it by some act o.
fraud or violence, and / say that the
men whom the. American people volun
tarily crown with their confidence
stand higher In the estimation Of man
kind that all the crowned heads In
Christendom and the fact that eacf
of them bears that honor but for lit
tie while only adds to. its dignity. fol
it is given back to the hands from
which 1t Is received.
And SO, with John Sewer in my head
came across the country from that
great meeting, and as an incident Of
the Importance of that body may
refer for moment to something that
happened the other day which Seems
to have created somewhat of a sen
sation just because the governors OF
the different states took a perfectly
simple, natural step. Two of them
had read papers reciting facts about
certain litigation in which it was
stated that the position was taken
that the states of the American Union
have no right to control commerce en-.
tirely within their borders-a most
extraordinary proposition; and there
upon, by spontaneous action of the en-
tire body, the question was raised,
whether the rights of the states were
being adequately looked after in the
Supreme Court of the United States
where some of these cases are pend.
ing, because every one there felt that
1t would be false and an abuse OF
the trust of the people whom those
men represented II we allowed so i'm.
portant matter as that to be passed
upon by the highest tribunal without
most careful preparation and able pre-
sentation, and so committee was ap
pointed by the unanimous action Of
that body to see to it that the rights
of the states in that respect should not
be lest or impaired by a failure OF
proper preparation and presentation,
and at once the papers were filled
with great notices about 1t. Now, II
lawyer had done that nobody would
think anything of It.. They would have
said: HE Is taking a very ordinary
and natural precaution to see to it
that case to which he is not party,
the decision in which will effect him
self or his client, shall be properly ar
gued," but because 1t was the COVER
nors it was looked upon in an entirely
different light.
Now, that idea of old John Sewer
was simply the idea ON which all our
governments are SoHndod, and that is
absolute home rule for all matters
which can be properly attended to at
home, and all of our commonwealth
then are to look after our foreign re
lations and such general matters as
only general government can con.
duct; and the governors in standing
up for the defense of the right of the
state to regulate its own concerns, are
simply following that same line. j
know that there is great impatience
sometimes because all the laws OF all
the states are not Uniform; that impa.
tience is justified in some respects,
and already by the voluntary action OF
the different states We have absolutely
uniform laws on certain subjects. We
have 1t on the bills of lading, which
go everywhere on the winds of com
merce; we have it about bills and
notes, and In some other respects, and
all the time the forces are working to
secure by voluntary action uniformity
throughout the states where unifor.
nifty ought to exist. And believe that
there ought to be more uniformity in
the laws on the subject Of marriage
and divorce and there undoubtedly
should be reformation in that direc.
ton, but of greatest importance with
reference to the liberty OF the indi. |
vidual Is that the authority exercised |
over him shall be as close at hand as
possible, and that means home rule. |
(Applause). In all the history of the |
world 1t is the foreign country which
has been the oppressor. Our ancestors
have complained that where there has
been government from across the seas,
a man had to be taken to distant
place for trial.
Now, | have always believed in the
great value of these exhibitions, the
result of the activities of a commu
nifty or region. If understand 1t,
this exposition is not confined to the
state of Tennessee or city of Knox
vile, but is intended to show the In.
dustries conducted In this great re-
gion, which you call the Appalachian
region" The ordinary idea of it is
to advertise the community. to call
The attention of the world to the op.
portunities which exist mere for the
profitable investment of capital and
he application Of industry, and of
course for that purpose alone 1t would
be very useful-and every community
with undeveloped resources which
needs more capital and labor than 1t
has, must call the attention in some
way Of those who have what it lacks,
renee the exposition is great adver
User; but look deeper than that
here is a greater usefulness than that
n this exposition-I think every man
leeds first of all to get out of himself,
rom under the rim of the actual circle