The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-02-21

fNfl| DOT IT'S 90 speak 10 fun Of
matters Of deiaii Each Of our com.
monNeaiihs has its oNn local needs.
local customs aud habits q Thought
beliefein pure decomrac With
Lincoln. hold tha this country
with It's Institutions belongs 10 the
people wholnhabit n Whenever tlIey
shall grn9 weary Of the existing gov.
eminent they can exercise their Cons
stitutional right Of amending II, We
Progressipes believe that the people
have the right, the power, and the
duty TO protect themselves aud their
own welfare; that human rights are
supreme over all other rights; that
wealth should be the servant. not the
master. of4he people. We believe that
unless representative government
does absolutely represent THE people
i IS not representative government nj
all We test the worth OF an men and
all measures by asking how they con-.
tribute to The welfare ofthe men, wo-
men, and children Of whom this Ma
ton Is composed. we are engaged. IN
one OF the great battles Of the age.
long contest waged against privilege
on behalf Of the common welfare, We
hold It prime duty Of the people to-
free our Government from the control
of money in politics. For this purs
pose we advocate, not as ends in
themselves, but as weapons in the
hands of the people more easily and
certainly responsible to the peoples
will
This country, as Lincoln said. be-
longs TO the people. So do the nat
.ural resources which make 1t rich.
They supply the basis OF our prosper
-ity now and hereafter. In preserving
them. which is a National duty, we
must not forget that monopoly Isl
based on tile control of natural re-I
sources and natural advantages, and
that 1t will help the people little to
conserve our natural wealth unless
the benefits which II can yield are Sc
cured to the people. Let US remem-
Der, also, that Conservation, does not
stop with fthe natural resources, but
that the principle Of making the best
use Of all we have requires with equal
or greater insistence that We shall
stop the waste of human life in indus
try and prevent the waste OF human
welfare which flows from the unfair
use OF concentrated power and wealth
In The hands OF men whose eagerness
for profit blinds them to the cost of
@hot they do. We have no higher
duty than 10 promote the efficiency
Of the Individual. There is no surer
road to the efficiency Of the Nation,
/ am emphaucally n believer in con-
stitutionallsm. and because of this
fact noess emphatlcally protest
against any theory that would make
of the Constitution means OF thwart-
ing Instead OF securing the absolute,
right OF the people to rule themselves.
and TO provide for their own social
and industrial, well.being. All Gdnstt'i
tt,;iors, those of the State'no less than
that Of The Nation, are designed, and
must he Interpreted and administered,
so as to lit human rights. Lincoln so.
interpreted and administered the Ma
ttonal Constitution. Buchanan at.
tempted 3he reverse, attempted to fit
human rights to, and limit. them by,
lie. Constitution. 1t was Buchanan
who treated the courts as fetish
who protested against and condemned
all criticism Of the judges for unjust
and i righteous decisions, and upheld
die Constitution as an Instrument for
the protection of privilege and ofFest'
ed wrong. 1t was Lincoln who APP.
pealed to the people against the judges
when the Judges went wrong, who adj
yocated and secured what was practi-
cally the recall of the bred Scott de-
cision. and who treated the Constitu-
ton as living force for righteous
ness. We stand for applying the Con-,
stitution to the issues OF today as Lin
coin applied 1t to the issues OF his
day: Lincoln. mind you, and not Buch-
anan. was the real upholder and pre-
server OF the Constitution, for the
true progressive, the progressive of
the Lincoln stamp, is the only true
constitutionalist> the only real con
seryative. The object CT every Ameri-
can Constitution worth calling such.
must be what it;is set forth to be in
tlie preamble to the National Gonsti,,
tuition, ito establish Justice" that is,
10 secure Justice as between man and
man by means of genuine popular self
government. II the Constitution is
successfully invoked to nullify the eff
feet to remedy injustice, 1t is proof
nositiye either that the Constitution
needs Immediate amendment or else
that it is being wrongtully and inn
nroperly construed therefore very
earnestly ask you clearly to provide in
this Constitution means which Will
enable the people readily to amend 1t
II at any point it works injustice and
also means which Will permit the peo-
Iple themselves by popular vote, after