The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1912-01-25
Save the Landmarks.
,stnn lTexasl Daily Post.


From the Houston (Texas) Daily Postl
Thou shalt thy neighbours landmark which they
of old thine Inheritance which thou shalt in
Lord thy God giveh thee to possess
1914.
Among lawgivers none that the world
has ever produced outranks Moses. HIS
conception of form of government re-
quisite to meet the needs OF an emancl-
pated race, after long period of bondage,
that they might become great nation in
which equality of citizenship should be
distinguishing feature, is little short of re-
markable when we consider the age IN
which he lived.
The commonwealth which he proclaimed
was the first government on the face of the
globe to put restrictions upon the absolute
power of monarchy, the first to have
popular legislative assembly, the first to
organize government in three departments
Legislative, judicial and executive-the
first to prohibit class or caste distinctions,
and the first to provide for popular in
struction.
We have had many statesmen since
Moses, but in all that they have given US
that was good for the masses they got the
germ of their ideas from Moses.
The land holding system provided by
Moses was the best that has ever been de-
vised for the maintenance of National
vigor in the fulness of its opportunities to
grow in strength with the evolution of the
ages-it made every citizen home owner
and provided laws by which he could not
permanently sustain any other relation to-
ward the commonwealth.
From Moses standpoint as a lawmaker
and we are not going beyond that-he
sought at all times to impress upon the
children of Israel that the possessions they
were to come into were an inheritance
| from the fathers, who themselves entered
not into the enjoyment thereof, according
to the promise of DID, The view of the
matter was readily accepted by the Israel
| ties, and it would seem that since Moses
had so miraculously freed them from the
yoke of bondage and was about to place
them in possession of the promised hertz
age, they would have held true to all of his
injunctions and prohibitions in the face of
the severesto of temptations. That they did
not, history attests only too we'll in the loss
of their National existence.
So important did Moses regard the
maintenance Of the landmarks which de-
fined the limits of each inheritance, and,
therefore, the National inheritance in per-
petuity in its original underlying strength,
that he instructed that in the worship Of
the congregation, the Levites, who directed
the services, tshall speak, and say unto
all the men of Isreal with a loud voice,
Cursed be he that removeth his neighbours
landmark. And all the people shall say,
Amen"
These landmarks, then wereset up to pre-
serve to the children of Isreal unimpaired
their separate original Inheritance as the
safeguard of National security.
When our own Republic was established
as an independent government, after
heroic sacrifices on the part of our faith
ers, the securing by them of the blessings
of liberty to themselves and posterity was
!, the chief thought in mind. With them
liberty was essential to happiness and
progress. Hence, they ordained and es-
; tablished for us our landmark-the con-
stitution of the United States of America
This constitution provides plan of
government that fails in its bene6cent in
terest only in so far as men charged with
the duties of citizenship fail in their re-
sponsbiity as such. If they fail in their
obligations as they now exist, how much
more pronounced would be their failure
under an extension of these obligations.
Yet in one way and another the bound
' aries set up by this chart, furnished us by
the fathers, are being questioned as the
true markings that define good govern
ment from dangerous government. Am
) bilious men, strong in the hold that they
) have upon public opinion, are working
) nightly to destroy the ancient landmarks
5 by which the fathers sought to secure te
i US that which they, themselves, esteemed
: most dear.