The Washington herald., 1915-04-11
Mr.. Roots Note Of Warning.

Senator Roots speech as Chairman started the
New York Constitutional Convention on a higt
level of ideal and practical effort. Mr.. Root de
clared that there is duty of public morality as
truly as there is duty of private morality, and
that constitutional convention should seek to
answer the question of what is public right. But
he warned the convention that the real definition
of public right public morality is not to be found
in the reasoning of acute and highly trained speci
alsts, but in the conscience of the great body Of
the people when the people are instructed, law
abiding and liberty-loving, and when their voice
is free from impulses, and distractions of special
occasions, interests and desires.
We have in this country, an uhchanging guide
in the political philosophy of the Declaration of In
dependence which declared: Gall men are endowed
with inalienable rights" and the government was
instituted to secure these rights "The rights OF
the individual citizen" said Mr.. Root, "are not
derived from the State, but are independent Of it.
and all the powers of government find their justi-
hcation only in their adaptation to secure the
rights of the individual. These inalienable rights
of the individual citizen, cannot rightfully be
taken from him by legislators executives or
majorities or armies" 1t is we'll that the men who
to frame constitution for the 10000 900
citizens of New York. have before them such a
clear and forcible definition of public morality
and public right, for after their labors are con-
cluded the people will act, not in passion or on
impulse, but looking to their inalienable, in
dvidual rights. when the new constitution is
submitted for ratification.
There has been tendency to drift away from
the original conception Of government its powers,
duties and responsibilities, when Americans made
their declaration of independence and to follow
after strange political gods, some of which were
set up by the ancient republics and led directly
to despotism as did any empire, kingdom or oil
garchy. We have majority rule within limitations,
and the limitations hedge about the inalienable
rights of the citizens to life liberty and the pursuit
of happiness where this pursuit does not interfere
with the nalienable right of other citizens.
We have had political teachers and prophets
who lost sight of the individual citizen in their
admiration for and their confidence in the State.
or in their hope of influencing majori.es. Mr..
Root has sounded much needed note of warn
ing, not only to the constitutional convention in
New York. but to the people at large in every
State in the Union. Majorities never stable;
they swing like the pendulum and the farther they
swing to one extreme the more radical is certain
to be the rebound, and what may be called pub
lie right by unreasoning majority one year may
be called public outrage by majority the next
year. The weather boxing the compass in
the shifting winds of March day is not good
model for constitutional government. Majorities
have been known to lynch and then on
second thought in remorse to erect a mont
ment to his memory. The Puritans had the old
idea that individual rights must all be subordinate
to the State, but have nothing in American
literature of which the descendants of the Puri-
tans are more ashamed than the old blue laws of
Connecticut Auy suggestion for the reenactment
of that old code would cause revolution in any
New England State and yet we have political agi-
tators who are drifting that way pieeemeal.