Evening journal., 1915-11-10

ent states varies in many important
particulars.
"'rhe light of local self government is
thus inherent in the sovereignty Of each
state, and, depending upon no power
extraneous to itself, il looks to no
great central authority, except for IFS
guaranteed protection. The states, one
and all-the smallest as we'll as the
greatest-stand on the firm ground OF
their equal sovereignty. as being charter
members of the great corporation OF
American liberty. The permanent and
indestructible character of state auton-
omy would have been manifest under
our scheme of government, evenif the
Constitution had been silent in this re-
gard. But Article y of the amendment.
to the Constitution puts the position OF
the states beyond cavil, by declaring
the powers not delegated to the United
States by the Constitution, nor prohib-
tied by it to the states, are reserved to
the states respectively, or to the people
We all therefore, have a dual citizen
ship We are citizens of the state and
as such. citizens OF the United States.
We owe a double allegiance, to the state
ana W lDt AtNtA al VI nAAiNAoA ERNNAN7
ment. This was new condition of
citizenship double allegiance, but
not divided allegiance. But such is
the perfection Of our scheme Of govern
ment. that the one allegiance never
clashes with the other, and the duties
we owe to the general government are
only amplifcations of the duties We owe
to the ate.
"A distinguished writer on constitu-
tional law says: 1T is question of his
toric fact and not Of theory, that our
federal government was created by the
people of the several states. as separate
bodies polite, reserving to themselves,
respectively, all governmental power
not delegated by the Constitution, nor
prohibited by it, to the states.
Duties Of Citizens.
Think you that it has been worth
nothing to the great cause of free
government by the people and of lib
erty regulated by law, that in all
these years the people comprising the
community of each separate state
have learnd to feel and believe that
their civic well being. their enjoy
ment of the largest measure of in
dividual liberty, consistent with pub
lie order and the rights of others.
and their protection in the rights of
person and of property. depended
upon themselves, upon the wisdom.
fortitude and self restraint they could
bring to the exercise of their duty
as citizens of a free state? Could the
inherent capacity of the people for
self government have been thus in
creased and developed under a con
solidated government established by
the absolutism of a majority of the
whole people of this republic merged
in common mass? ! think but one
answer can be given to these ques-
tions by the thinking people of this
country
THE burden of my thought, which
l have endeavored. however imper-
fectly, to express. is that the people
as a whole could not otherwise have
made successful the great expert
ment of self government inaugurated
by the fathers. and the experience Of
more than a century and quarter
in which this dual scheme of govern
ment has been tested. is conclusive
evidence Of the contentmens of the
people Herewith. Il has survived the
tempest of Civil War and still con-
tinues as the surest protection Of the
rights of self government and of the
Individual liberty we enjoy under it
today.
Now let me call your attention to
some of the reasons why this expert
ment of ours, as it used to be called,
has achieved a success never before
achieved in the history of govern
ment.
"ln the first place. we have the in
herited aptitude for self government
Of the race from which the founders
of our institutions came. We are also
fortunate in the hOmogeneity of the
people who first settled upon our con-
tinent, from whom in the beginning.
our institutions took tone and color.
II is true that, in later years, we have
welcomed to our shores vast numbers
or people from the continental coun-
tries OF Europe, and notably from
Germany, but they have all found here
well established the princil les of self
government, political freedom and
personal liberty, and have enjoyed
and are enjoying with us today the
opportunities which these principles
have created. These accessions have
contributed not only to our growth in
population, but have reinforced the
energies, public spirit and patriotism
OF our whole people. There can be
no divided allegiance, and those who
have come TO us and who have be-
come part of our constitutional dem
ocracy must. as Americans. abjure the
absolutism of autocracy and the Di-
vine Right, so arrOgantly asserted I'm
support of despotism.
Covenants Of People.
The great and controlling reason,
however, for the success OF this great
experiment in free government, Is that
the essential rights OF life. liberty and
the ursuita OF happiness are secured
by those written charters of govern
ment which we call constitutions. The
art OF printing and tho consequent dif
fusion OF education and infelliFehce
nave given a potency and sacfedneaa
TO those written guarantees 0f free
government which they would moi Ia
former times have possessed. ~ them,
there Is no place for hbsoluiiem not
even the absolutiam of iha people
themselves. They are covenants 0f the
people inter sese-with each other
by which they ablure the abuses Of
tneir own power and pat limitations
upon its exercise.
Here We touch upon what ! have
reserved for the last most import.
ant feature OF our constitutional dom.
ecracy. With rare wisdom, born of
tneir own experience, and knowledge