The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-04-09

That they must be swept aside 10 maze
way Tor a direct democracy In par
ticular. Il appears that the most char
acterlsttc and benefcent OF American
institutions. the Independent judiciary
charged with the Interpretation Of the
law ana with the safeguarding OF con-
stitutionl limitations. is now regarded
as "A harmful check upon the peoples
will and as an obstacle 20 their free
and progressive social and political de-
yelOpment.
IF this vehement denunciation of
our government and OF our courts Is
one-half true, then the Republican
party should get down on its knees
and apologize 10 the people OF this
country for having three times defeat
ed 50 far-sighted man as Mr.. Bryan
for the Presidency Of the United States.
What these revolutionary elements
Of the population most dislike is the
rule Of law. Their conception of gov
eminent is a sort of glOrified lynch
Ing before which the achievements at
Springfield H., or at Coatesyille, Pa,
would fade into insignificance. Any
judicial officer who in obedience TO his
cath. ventures To declare the law TO De
something which is out Of agreement
with their present day prepossessions.
preJudices. emotions or desires, be-
comes a tyrant who should be dashed
from his place on the bench by the
profoundly wicked instrumentallty of
the recall of judges.
1t is forgotten, apparently that a
Judge declares the law. but does not
make ii, and that i'm declaring the law
he is executing the peoples highest and
most mature will. In so doing he L.
not imposing anything upon the people
save what they have imposed upon
themselves as the necessary and we'll
justified restraints upon appetite and
passion. The man who would destroy
the independent Judiciary because he
dislikes or differs from some specific
judicial finding is as mad Us a man
who would set his house on fire i'm or
der to improve its ventilation.
Not Straight Jacket.
with all this the Republican party
must be everlastingly at war. We are
not yet ready to substitute government
by men of presumably good intentions
for government by law. This contest
within the party. and this presidential
election, may decide whether our gov
eminent is to be republican or Cos
sack,
But ii is said, the Constitution was
made in the eighteenth century by men
who lived under conditions long since
passed away. Therefore, the Constitu-
ton is outworn. II must be adjusted
the phrase now runs. to human rights
What about the multiplication
table? What about the Rule Of Three
What about the law of gravitatlon?
Some Of these come down to us from
hoary antiquity. Surely they cannot
be allowed to pass unamended i'm the
face of such changed conditions as
now surround us! Why should the
dead hand of the Greeks and Of the
Arabs and OF Sir Isaac Newton control
our life and thought? Let us be free
and independent and adjust our MODES
Of counting and of computation to the
new economic needs that surround u.s.
Perhaps those who invented the multi
pication table and the Rule of Three
never heard of a corporation with a
thousand millions of capital! How
could the multiplication table and the
Rule of Three be expected to deal with
n condition such as that?
The fact is that in the history of
mankind some things, after long toll
and tribulation are settled once for all.
They neither invite nor permit amend
ment and Improvement. These achieve
ments, taken together, are progress;
they constitute progress; they are The
evidences of progress; they are what
the word progress means. To attack.
to undermine, or To overturn them Is
not progress. but reaction.
THE fundamental principles which
underlie the Constitution of the United
states are no straight jacket into
which n growing people is forced to its
distress and harm. They are rather n
chart by which the ship Of state may
Hhii puN vi itM anu untflcU
seas, certain that the danger spots are
clearly marked and the heavens ac-
curately indicated. These principles
can never grow old; they are ever
lastingly young and new and true.
Patent Medicine Politics.
I'VE are today infested with political
patent medicine men. Ignorant of or
binary laws of political and social
growth. oil. 6efying them. they press
upon us the odd and curious nostrums
Of their own making which are To cure
our evils. TO abolish poverty, TO do
away with injustice, and To bring about
that happy and blissfui Utopia OF
which certain types of men with moth
ing useful to do habitually dream.
"Pious and oracular aphorisms are
the stock in trade of the political pat
ent medicine man whose pursuit of n
higher office is so compelling that he
cannot find time to attend To the duties
of the office which he already holds.
The plain discharge of present duty
does not seem likely TO commend him
sufficiently to larger and more i'm
portant constituency. Neither the SEN
ate OF the United states nor the gov
ernorship of sovereign state offers
adequate scope for his activities and
hiq gaming He rnt,ot 1,.s,-..