The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1913-06-05

the panacea for all our political Ills.
I have little patience with these lat
ter.day reformers who would upset
all the developements of more than n
century of government by law and re-
urn To the old rule Of the mob. led oy
men endowed with superior ability or
rather FEASIBILITY. Had the Progress
i've movement of last year succeeded
in CARRYING with It a majority OF the
people and had 1t been lasting enough
to have abrogated the constitution
this country would have been COM
mitted to revolution as completely as
was France to that which placed That
country under the rule of an unre-
strained majority and reign OF terri
or. II would have required years OF
sanity to undo that work OF wreck
ers and patiently build up again
foundation of fundamental law.
To a man who has passed century
in public life in the most strenuous
and progressive period or civilization
who has for forty years had
part in the clash Of opposing ideas,
sentiment, and prejudice in the house
of Representatives which is the clear
ing house OF American policies, there
has never been a more dangerous
movement in American politics or
one more reactionary than this which
has caught the eye Of many. people
with the alluring label Of Progressive
Party.
The Changes Of a Generation
have, as a boy, watched the old
weather vane on the barn box the
compass in an hour on gusty April
day, and wished could be as free In
my movements and not controlled by
the hand of necessity in driving
straight furrow to the end of the field.
But after some years of experience l
have no desire to see government
of 81 100000 people modelled after the
weather vane, and swing to All points
of the compass in response to the
zephyrs of impulse and the gusts of
sentiment or whirlwind OF passion;
to lynch a man in an hour and bu III
monument to him the next hour as
hero and martyr to rumor All
prejudice.
No; 1.-THE Constitution may have been
the work Of ordinary and even medi-
ocre men, rather than of the great
geniuAss they are pictured by tradi-
, ton but that work is the foundation
upon which mas been built the great
est superstructure of legislative en-
actment, executive administration
and judicial decision that has ever
been known in civilization. | am not
willing to see without protest govern
ment by dynamite either by mistake
eli labor leaders or by other mistaken
enthusiasts, who would apply the dyn-
amite theory and blow up the founda-
ton of a government by the people.
| object to such methods even though
the wreckers may be as wise as Solo
mon, as devoted to the people as Bru-
tus protested to be or as pictured in
their own prospectuses.
| have seen this country develope
under that constitution so as to make
the United Safes the marvel of the
world and the model Of free govern.
ment everywhere, even in the Orient.
| am old enough to have seen the rail
roads cross the Allegheny mountains
and spread like a spider web over
the whole continent-to carry the
products Of the west to the seaboard
more economically for the people
than they could be exchanged in New
England before this area Of steam
! have seen the reaper and mower
the gang pillow, and the whole revo
luton in agriculture by labor saving
machinery, ! have seen the tele
graph and the telephone wnen they
were looked upon as experiments
the electric railroad and the electri,
power plant development; and wa,
ridiculed as a reckless spendthrif
legislator when l helped make con
siderable appropriations to aid Prof
Langley in his experiments with thu
flying machine.
have seen great discoveries |,
science and medicine that benetite
the whole people in the years sine
| left North Carolina with my pa,
ents and heard my mother cry ou
"Goodby, civilization" because W
were emigrating to the West. And
have seen greater development, nc
only OF enterprise, but also OF educ,
ton, charity and benevolence, by tn
people as whole, through the age,
= cy Of the state and also by the e
forts OF the individual than bad A