New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-09
WHAT DOES THE PRESIDENT MEAN'
of Property and the Nsh to Personal
Established Been Abaneo'-" wilson's
Omahasp nd Its Implications

straint Unless by due process Of Law: h.,
, the third absolute right inherent in sv.,,
Englishman is that Of property, which ear
sists in the free use, enjoyment and dispos,l
of all his acquisitions, without any cout,ol
or diminution save only by the laws Of A.
land. He goes on TO say that the Eneli,h
constitution was formed and developed !,
order to secure to the individuals the actu,I
endowment of these three great fuhdamept,I
rights. Therefore, the constitution had a.
tablisned other subordinate rights to pro.
| tect and maintain inviolate these tire,
Among these subordinate rights forum,
outworks or barriers of protection are "a.
constitution, powers and privileges Of Par.
lament, the limitation of the Kings pre.
rogatve and the institution of courts Of ju,.
tice In other words, government exists IN
England for the purpose Of Going precisely
what the signers Of the Declaration Of hide
pendence said-namely, TO secure 10 men N.
inalienable rights Of life, liberty and the Dur.
suit Of happn' SIS.
Chancellor Kent, the American Blscks,or.
says:
1.-THE absolute rights of individuals nav
be resolved into the right Of personal m
curity, the right Of personal liberty and N.
right to acquire and enjoy property. These
rights have been justly considered and fire..
quently declared by the people of this coun.
try to be natural, inherent and nalienabls.
The effectual security and enjoyment Of then
depend upon the existence Of civil liberty;
and that consists in being protected and gov.
erned by laws made, or assented 10, BY Tie
representatives Of the people and conducive
to the general welfare. Right itself, in civil
society, is that which any man is entitled
to have. or to do, or to require from Others
within the limits prescribed by law"
Does, then, the President mean by his Ut
terances at Omaha that the rights OF prep.
erty are no longer fundamental or important
or absolute and that il is not government
function to protect the property rights o.
its citizens! Does he mean that the rights
of mankind do not include the right to &C.
qure and enjoy property or possessions Of
any kind? If not, precisely what does be
mean by rights of mankind?
Furthermore, if the right 10 personal %.
curity, which includes life, and the right 10
property, which distinguished authorities
have held to be among the inalienable rights
of man. are worth all the labor that has been
spent in defining and protecting them in the
past, are they not worth fighting for! The
President would have us believe that insist.
ence by Americans on their right to live or
land or sea is something not worth fighting
for He would have US believe that to OBJ
ject to such things as the Lusitanis murder
the raid on Columbus, the destruction Of
American lives in Mexico, would be to look
about for petty quarrels." Apparently LIE
and property are in no way connected in hi,
judgment with the pursuit Of happiness, nor
does any dispute about them call "for that
sort of quarrel within whose intricscies are
written all the texts of the rights Of man
whatever under heaven that may mean!
Will those who thoughtlessly land falsely
acclaim the President for having kept US out
of war stop to think what national humilia-
ton and disgrace his words at Omaha imply!
The phrases used by the President, such %
strict accountability" 'too proud to fight
rights of mankind" something worth fight.
ing for" lead one who reveres the honor 81
his country to ask seriously, and with great
respect, whether the President appreciates
the meaning of his words. His facility fof
graceful utterance seems TO prompt him 10
speak first and think afterward, or, as hai
been said, to open his mouth only to put bio
foot in it. CHASE MELLEN.
New York, Oct. 6, 1916.