The Washington herald., 1913-01-26

sure I saw the Governor smile. whether
at me or the memory Of the election ]
shall attempt no conjecture.
Has the Constitution of the United
States become old-fashioned and does II
need to be modernized?' I asked next.
Roger Sherman, I remembered. had op-
posed all early efforts to tinker with
that sacred instrument. I'VE ought not.
he said In the House OF Representatives.
ito interweaye our propositions in the
work itself because II will be destruc-
tive OF the whole fabric. We might
as well endeavor to mix brass. iron and
clay. as to incorporate such heterogen-
eous articles as were proposed by the
Progressives of that period. Would the
Governor indorse the view Of his great
grandfather?
Every constitutional government, he
replied, takes more or less of the color
OF its time from year to year because
II Is expounded by human beings, who
must, necessarily, take their color more
or less from the times in which they
live. In this way every written consti-
tuition becomes somewhat changed in
tone and aspect from one century to
another. Every generation has its own
point OF view. The Supreme Court of
the United States, as at present con-
stituted, takes a very wide view Of what
the Constitution Of the United States
means, and a view which, l think, would
not have been entertained by all the
members Of the court thirty years ago.
The Constitution Is All Right.
We have a twentieth century Constitu-
ton OF the United States because we
have q twentieth century set OF judges.
The Bible is the same Bible now that
1t was IN the Middle Ages, but It means
to most Of US something very different
from what it is generally understood to
have meant then.
"The Constitution OF the United States
was wisely made very short Its trainers
relied on practice and the influence OF
the lessons OF political administration to
fill up the outline. What it is cannot
be fully understood without reference
to its judicial construction, to its prac-
teal construction from decade to decade
ANY one, for instance, who reads our
Constitution without knowing Its his
tory, or the history OF It's development.
would think that the electoral college OF
the States really selected the President
and Vice President. OF course, We know
they only constitute forty-eight ballot
boxes. into which ballots determined by
somebody else than the elctors are de-
posted by the electors. They have only
q Tree "nen one OF Itle Calul-
dates prescribed for dies before the vote.
Il do not think a convention to revise
the Federal Constitution is called for. I
trust the pending amendment proposed
by Congress for the election of United
States Senators by n direct vote Of the
people will be ratified have no doubt
IL will be. The next question will be
whether 1t is not best to follow II with
another amendment wiping out the cleo
toral college and letting the people vote
straight and by a short ballot for Pres
ident and Vice President, the vote to be
cast Statewise, and every State as such
to have the same number Of electoral
votes which 1t now has as expressed in
the number constituting each electoral
college, that is, as many votes as she
has Senators and Representatives in
Congress That will be ALL" the Gov
ernor said. Now the next inquiry"
will the trust question ever be set
tled?'' / asked. wishing vigorously that
1 might have moment in which to
sharpen the Governors lead pencil.
Trusts to BE Broken Up.
The trust question only arises when
big concerns are Illegally managed.
Whatever Is Illegal. the law will find a
way to stop. But a corporation is none
the worse If it acts legally, because it
Is big"
What has been your greatest discoy-
cry since becoming Governor of Com
necticut?' 1 asked. Perhaps, / thought,
there VIII be a personal revelation con-
corning the frightful state of American
public life as pictured by publications.
which want to build up a circulation and
by politicians who are seeking after
Office.
7 was reasonably familiar" putting
stress on the word reasonably, with
the problems of government" the Gov
ernor answered, before I was elected
I did not expect to make any startling
discoveries and I have made none. Next"
You have said that the average work.
ingman to-day lays up less than did the
average working man fifty years ago?"
Il made some such statement. IL 7
remember rightly, before an audience of
Worktngmen. at a worlSingmen's club.
which was asked to address in Hart
ford while / was on the bench. I at
tr1buted the fact largely to the feeling
that when a rainy day comes their
unions or benefit societies will look after
them and when they die will give them
q proper burial OF course, this (feeling)
does not AFFECT the the nonunion working
man, 30 far as unions are concerned, bur
he Is often member of a benefit society
and II he keeps his dues up knows that
his family will be protected in case of
his sickness or death.
"A hundred years ago there were no
such means Of protection. Everybody
had to lay up for himself The savings
banks offer the best and surest method.
State supervision of benefit societies has
improved their security But nobody is
quite as safe as the man with money in
the bank. drawing interest and subject