The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-02-24
Opposes Income Tax and Di-
. rect Election of United
States Senators.
SPOKE FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF
"A STUDENT, RATHER THAN A
aEFoRMER, IN HIS ANNUAL AD-
DRESS BEFORE THE STATE BAR
;
ASSOCIATION.

Hon. Jefferson B. Browne, president
of the State Bar Association, spoke on
aGovernment Questions" In his annual
address before that association yester-
day. His address In fun was as fol-
lows:
Our constitution makes 1t one OF the
duties Of the president to deliver an
address at the annual meeting OF the
association, and In obedience 70 tnat
law shall discuss some governmental
questions from the viewpoint OF STU
dent rather than a reformer. as 90
not expect to affect any benencial
change In conditions or tendencies ~
anything / may say.
sssome observer Of mankind has
classed them under three heads THOSE
who can reason a matter out for them
selves; those who can see 1t after IL
has been reasoned out; and those VINO
never see 1t at all
In considering governmental prob
lens, we may make still another III
vision. and separate mankind INFO
these two classes: Those who believe
their craftsmanship. their earnestness,
their efforts to bring it back to the
faith once delivered to the fathers, viii
he Of any avail: and those who believe
that all such efforts are futile, and that
the nation will follow its destiny un-
affected by the most carefully arranged
human programs or platforms. All ma
tions have a trend which works with
the certainty and precision Of glacier
its movement Is scarcely percept1ble,
its course uncomfortable, Its momen-
tl,nn stupendous. The scientist may
study It but he cannot change Its
eternal destiny.
"Just as the twig Is bent, the trees
Inclined" is true Of nations as N
plants.
The absolute monarchy that gets
slant towards republicanism, will ulti-
mately achieve the name of republic at
least, and the democratic republic that
starts towards absolutism, will reach 1t
as surely as Rome in ancient times, or
Mexico in our own generation, and the
United States may see It's horoscope IN
the histories Of those nations.
When Tendencies May be Directed.
/ concede that while a nation Is In
it's formative youth. its tendencies may
be directed, it's destiny somewhat con-
trolled, but having once received IT'S
bent either towards radical democracy
or absolutism--those twin sisters OF
despotism--it must grow into either.
unless a revolution changes the despot-
ism into reign of terror. or a man
on horseback throttles the people.
The student however may find pleas
ure In contemplating these aspects ard
conditions OF government, SIS the as
troromer studies the movements of the
planets though unable to change the
fixed and eternal course of either.
I deem this much necessary as an
introduction to what I shall say, lest
some one may think I imagine any
thing can check the tendency or stem
the tide towards absoluttsm on which
this country Is drifting. or that any
planned human efforts will be Of any
avail A circumstance some I'M
thought Of or uncomfortable event may
check for a time the tendency, but
nothing short of revolution can change
1t, and revolution will not come until
absolutism has been long enough es-
tablished to become oppressive.
In framing our constitution, the con-
tending forces were the absolutists who
wanted the states to be weak or elimi-
mated altogether, and to have gov
eminent which would act not on the
states but directly on the individuals
who should owe their allegiance to the
general government and not to the
states. DIR. Hamilton fearlessly de-
clared:
q the general power what
ever be it's form, If it preserves itself
must swallow up the states powers"
And Mr.. Read thus voiced the views
of his faction:
"Too much attachment is betrayed
to the state governments. We must
loos beyond their continuance. A ma
tional government must soon Of neces-
sity swallow them up"
va. Feared tho States.
1t is apparent that the advocates nf
absolutism-a despotism under the
name and with the forms Of repuo.
lic-did not regard the people as any
menace to the Capitalization Of all
power In the general government. 1t
was the states as the depositaries of
the liberties of the people that the alb
solutists feared. How else can Mr..
Hamilton's advocacy Of the destruction
ofsthe state governments and the lodg-
Ing of all power in the people as indi-
vfduals, be reconciled with his posi-
tive declaration that he had no scru-
pie in declaring, supported as he was
by the opinions of so many of the wise
and good, that the British government
was the best in the world; and he
doubted much whether anything short
of it would do in America
The constitution as adopted was a
compromise between these contending
theories, and admirably wrought to
safeguard the liberties of the people
through the instrumentality Of the
states, and at the same time, save the
nation from the excuses of too radi-
cal democracy, or the despotism Of a
strongly centralized power. No sooner
however was it in operation than the
contest began again, the advocates Of
Capitalization trying to write into ii,
10y legislative enactment, executive
usurpation, or judicial Interpretation.
Only One "BROMO QUININE," that ]