The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-02-28
Senator Owen Impress 4
Gathering at City Auditor
ium With Value of Progrs IS
slvenesS.
What Constitution
Has Cost Natio J.
All Going to Be Change
Speaker Declares, Arnio II
Applause Supreme Cousi
Too Far Removed Frcsll
the People.


Before a crowd OF over Thousand
people in the City auditorium last night
| Senator Robert l.. owen, of OklahoI..s,
expounded the principles of The lnit..@-
tive and referendum. He is the guess
Of the Virginia Progressive Democrat
league. which is holding a two day &C
ference here. Accompanied by q.
ernar Stuart aud Attorney Gene. 4.
Z John Garland Pollard the senator fr,
Oklahoma appeared on the platform ~
S:So O'Clock, and was greeted WITH Il
Tremendous ovation.
1 Senator owen spoke for about q II
hour and a half, keeping his audiences
intensely interested. eloauently and
! clearly defining the position of the pro-
gressive In the United States today.
49, tteFtaeH General Pollard as preKt-ss
: dent of the progressive league. ill.,
troduced Senator Owen with few
well chosen remarks The appearance
OF the attorney general brought fot III
another ovation.
Mr.. Pollard declared that no par ~
can continue to he useful unless 1t cssh
solve the problems of this progressi
age. and unless it could do so, VIZ
merely blocking the course of progress.
He told of the origin of the progressive
movement in Virginia. outlining BRIEF
ly the plans of the organization.
To Days OF Jefferson.
/ Senator owen began by taking tbs
progressive movement in its infancy
! going back to the days OF Jeneratsf
ANA Hamilton. atfti- tine drafting of tf-a :
! constitution. saying the progressis d
movement covered long period cx
! time. when the great republic began tia
! thought and the people drew instrL-
ments to govern themselves.
a ,zIx t..+.t t~<v~ -
| the constitution would reveal u.o
crafty hand of those who regarded
property right over human right, aAsi
those same who drew 1t, did 1t with
out authority. He told of the manner
in which the constitution of the United
States was drawn. saying that locked
behind closed doors. the draftsmea
held secret debates. the purport ~
which was never made public until tbs
principle actors were dead. A clos
examination of this constitution. tbs
speaker declared, would reveal tEu
facts that the very provisions of TIL
bill of rights, which gave free thought.
free speech. trial by jury. free pres
and free religion were left out, but IL
was Nirginians who came to the frOnt
and refused to adopt II until the togl
amendments were written In, =-s7= -
This was not an accident" he said.
DO you remember the cost of one Of
these amendments. in 'S5? l do. Il
was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, and
! remember the cost. When l MaG
young, | remember the great ware
houses which were turned into hos
pitfalls to take care of the Confederate
wounded and the huge morgues piled
with Confederate dead. Yes, re-
member the cost.
What Constitution Is.
This constitution was 50 framed
that the people have no power over
States. and whose court is it? Who
pays its salaries? Who furnishes II
with it's chamber, its clerks ana its
marshal? And yet the constitutions
was so framed that the people have
no power"
He outlined the workings of thags
constitution, but said he had nothing
against the Supreme court. but meralx
/ wanted to show the people what the
constitution really was. He said there
had been some bad decisions of the
Supreme court, one of which was the
bred Scott decision. from which. tha
people had no recourse except by thu
sword. He declared the progresstvea
stood for tho principles of submitting
to the will of the people, and further
declared that laws of man must ~
written in the light of human nature.ss
Senator Owen went back into his
| tory and related the struggle betweem
Hamilton and Jefferson. The former.
he declared. .mistrusted the psoplAs
while the latter built his whole doc
trine on his faith in the people, aud Il
il was the following of the former WIN
wrote the constitution, and removed III
the supreme court FIVE degrees from
/ the people. But, he said, we aro
going to change all Of that in this NJ
country" The speaker was frequently e
interrupted by the applause.
Senator owen then went into tho
- an