Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-02-27
THE CONSTITUTION AND THE
PROGRESSIVE" MOVEMENT

/ ludL lIlIo oCNtIOn - b4At - ~tNN
back and exception to the onwa d
sweep of "progressiveism" in politics
and economies, that the onrushi1g
waves of reform" have so far beat
almost without effect on the walls of
allegiance to old-time traditions and
faith in old institutions that mark this
| section. AS he puts it, in a very in
teresting resume of political condi-
tons in the last issue of the Saturday
Evening Post:
The rise in importance of the state
university and agricultural college in
state runs parallel with its advance
in those political and economic chang
es that are remaking our American
state institutions. The leading COM
monwealths in the progressive move
ment are Wisconsin, California, Ore
gon, Nebraska, Kansas, Washington,
Ohio, Iowa, New Jersey, Minnesota,
Maine, Massachusetts and New Hamp-
shire With the exception Of Massa-
chusetts, New Jersey and New Hamp
shire, each of these states spends
much more money for higher educa-
ton than for any other single item in
its state budget. And the influence of
Harvard upon Massachusetts and OF
Princeton upon New Jersey, of course,
must not be discounted.
The rule seems to work we'll back
ward; and one may account for the
conservatism of the South, which to-
day is the most reactionary section of
the country, by the fact that during
the past generation the South had 9th
er problems and could not afford u
spend lavish sums for higher educa-
ton. The hope of the South is in the
fact that during the last decade the
= Southern state universities and indus
F. trial schools have been striding into
their proper places in the social
schemes of their respective states"
Mr.. White does not take much stock
in the Constitution standing in the
| way of anything the people really
want. AS he looks at it, the courts
can be depended on to generally
square their opinions as to what S
constitutional and what is not, by the
depth of the peoples determination to
| have change. AS he puts it:
!. The people of the United States
have demonstrated that they not only
know what they desire but they ca,
make their wants felt calmly ana
without clamor, yet with great force
! and emphasis. What the people ser
iously desire and ask for, this they
get; and courts are as ready as legis
latures to follow public sentiment
across the Constitution, if necessary
It is only raw clamor that goes to POT
n this country. Wise progress never
before had such a successful trien.
mum in America as has just passed
The Taft Administration has beer
anything but period of waiting. i
has been a period of effective action
and the action has ben promoted By
the rank and file of citizenship. Mr.
Roosevelt, Mr.. La Toilette, Mr.. Taft
Mr.. Wilson, Mr.. Bryan, Mr.. Harmon
and score of colonies, captains, serg
eants and privates, have done theil
part-not all an equal part, but thei1
part as they saw it. Either or all o
the officers might have died or desert
ed and still the fight would have beer
waged without abatement and witr
succession it has been fight of tn,
folks. The faith is amply justified o
; those who believed that the people
would stand up and fight their own ba
ties, even without the leader whC
: reused them. Those who believed the
J. country had been fattening on spoon
f fed reform must see their folly. Those
+ who have been predicting that the
wave of agitation would recede may Il!
well come aboard the ark. The Amer
!
: to problems of concrete justice. 1t il
l. an active mind-that American mind
and what it has done in a material way
: during the last century will be parel
leled in spiritual way in this cen
I fury. We have come far in ten years
Ii Those who think they can lock The
/ spokes of progress by defeating this
V or the other radical leader should r.
: alize that radical leaders do no
make radical people. Radicalis3
< in the people develops radical lead
ers This is the one big fact that the
departure of Mr. Roosevelt from the
White House, the eclipse of Presiden'
i Taft, and the rise of La Toilette, viii.
son, and the Progressive Insurgent
: group in Congress, prove beyond any
= reasonable doubt"
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