Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-02-13
The Bounds Of "Personal Liberty"

We wish sense Of relation and pro-
portion required Dr; Sheldon 10 begin
prohibition with reading the Constitution
AID expouIding its fundamental puE-
poses
Doctor some thought in INSPIRED express
sion credited TO St Paul-not to stop at
he Gospe.s-tO impress row wide apart
are the personal habits Of the citizen and
the fundamental purposes OF the Consti-
tuition. The protessed purpose OF the Con-
stitu,ion is TO establish justice and Sc
cure tire blessings o. liberty. Il is out
SIDE he purpose OF the Cons;itution TO
leaves them free TO better themselves
Even the great Civil War Amendments
are, At their best. but further insistence
on ilbe1y-liberty without distinction OF
race.
Liberty is the greatest thing in the
word. Il includes freedom Of the seas
c!udes freedom Of each State Of the
Union 20 regulate its own police affairs
its own way. Local government is
fundamental in the American Union
Lewiston sun.
Liberty is pretty good sized chunk
IN human affairs. but so few seem to
know the meaning Of the term that
the rnisconcention makes more Of
hollar than the real thing. Our IL
genious neighbor seems to have an
( alyZed everything but his text.
II the editor Of the Lewiston Sun
were uiarooned on an island in mid
; ocean, without the companionsssfp Of
any form Of animate life, he would
be II possession Of absolute and per-
| feet liberty" according to his ap-
parent understanding OF the word.
He could indulge his personal lib
erty" 20 the full. He could shout and
/ laugh and sing, and disturb no one.
He could peal forth volleys Of pro-
family and God wouldn't bother with
him, because he would have no effect
upon any other Of Gods creatures.
He could, if he mad a suit case full of
the STUFF that Lewiston ward po,it-
iciaas use as the motive power Of
Democratic caucuses, enter the fields
Of the ecstacy Of personal right to
rob himself of intelligence. And in
that stage Of the acme Of personal
liberty" he could stand OF his head
( ii not TOO "happy'p and wriggle his
/ his fine editorial toes in the face Of
Z the Almighty. without disturbing the
+ eQuanimity Of that friend Of editors
| or infringing on the personal liberty"
; OF any human being. He could
/ dance and stagger and whoop, and
/ plow his nose in the dirt; he could
; beat the rocks with his lists, and gnaw
! the trees with his handsome editorial,
/ incisorial smile display. and the world
| wouldn't care a pin.
| Fut should the unhappy moment
! come that another editor, or any other
! breathing thing should drop on his
| little heaven Of personal liberty" the
! editor Of the Sun would have 10 up
( and share MS personal liberty" Be
/ cause some Of the things he had been
doing while going the limit Of his
j rights" might butt into those rights
| of the other fellow. For instance. while
| he was beating the rocks and gnaw-
! ing the trees, under the erroneous alco-
/ holic impression that he was having
a good time he might mistake the
| head OF the other fellow for a boulder
or his shin for the root Of a tree.
So right there is where personal
liberty loses its right to go the
world, and some OF us object to be-
ing the target Of the alcohol which
some poor personal liberty" fool has
substituted for human BRAIN