Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-07-14
What Is Liberty?


President Wilson in one OF MS
recent magazine articles gives very
comprehensive, though rather aca-
demic, definition of liberty, as the
perfect adjustments of human inter-
ests, human activities and human
energies" That sounds somewhat
rhetorical as betting a college pro-
fessor accidentally elevated to the
presidency, but as such nttcrances go
1T may be accepted as satisfactory.
However, the homely illustration II
forgotten pubicist has never peeh
surpassed. The illustration ran
something like this: A man has
perfect right to thrust his list III
front of him, as violently ana as
often as pleases him-until some
body with the same perfect right
gets in range of the original INST.
That is to say. every mans liberty
ends whore another's begins.
That is the perfect adjustment
of which the president writes and
yet il is vastly different from the
system advocated by the reformers
whom the president so conspicuously
indorses and represents. That sys-
personal opinions, prejudices, pas
sions and caprices which can he en-
acted into laws through the predomi-
nance of a majority of the voters OF
legislators, with an utter disregard
as to whether those opinions are ad-
Unstable or take into account any
rights which the minority may pos
sess. Every session of a state legis-
lature witnesses Hood OF Ill
assorted bills which represent for
the most part the personal views Oh
the law makers introducing them or
what the latter consider to be the
wishes of those whose votes they de-
sire to secure for future use. III
follows that under the system giving
to one man the same right at the
ballot box possessed by every other
man, the mere desire to get votes is
not safe guide to official or legls-
lative action.
That is to say that a majority Is
not prima facie evidence of the JUS
tice of any given piece of legislation
1t may mean, and usually does, that
the welfare of the minority whether
the latter constitute one-tenth or
four tenths of the whole, may have
been ruthlessly disregarded in the in
terest of the other nine or six, Nothing
could illustrate more effectively the
presidents departure from his own
definition than his attitude IN the
matter of tariff and other important
legislation which he is advocating.
He is not seeking any perfect ad-
justment of interests" but the domi-
nation of the misguided preJudiees
of the majority to the utter disre-
gard of the rights or welfare of the
business interests of the country. l.
nine men out of a given ten decide
that the other one shall have his
business destroyed or that he shall
pay an income tax while the nine are
exempt, or shall pay two or three
taxes while the favored nine pay
none, the nine are infallible and can
do no wrong So long as they consti-
tute majority.
That is the Wilson system and the
system of the present Gay reformers
who pirate of majority government
but recklessly trample upon the
rights of the minority. The major
ity can very easily commit the grav-
est wrongs and it very often does so.
The president and all reformers
would do well to stick to the text
of perfect adjustment and at least
make an attempt to make the ADJUST
ment as nearly perfect as imperfect
human wisdom and incomplete human
Justice can devise