Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-03-20
MARSHALL DEPLORES
EFFORT To LEGISLATE
MORALS INTO PEOPLE
Vice President, LeCturing at
Auditorium, Says Laws to
Regulate Personal Conduct
Lower Them

Decrying the modern tendency of leg
islatures that try to control personal
conduct by the enactment of innumer-
able statutes, and also urging all Amer
leans to rally around the flag and think
less of their rights and more of their
duties as citizens. Thomas r. Marshal
vice president of the United States,
Saturday night delivered one of his
little talks" TO a small but deeply in
tereSted audience in the auditorium The
lecture was sponsored by the Alkahest
i-yceum system, and was preceded by
a vocal program rendered by the Treble
Clef young womens quartet
II don't believe in telling your neigh
Dor how to act" Mr. Marshall said
You can't control people by legislative
enactment. and ii the legislatures keep
on harrassing, vexipg ana annoying the
people 1t will get to the point where
they will only avoid the Spartan crime
of being caught. II is my belief that
every time a law is enacted which tries
to govern personal conduct, it is step
toward lowering the moral standard of
the very people it means to control.
Personally, L would rather have one
man do right because it is right than
a thousand because of their fear of the
law. However. it looks like some of
cur legislatures regard us as a nation
of unregenerates and swindlers, and
they seem to think they haven't done
their duty unless they have found a
new crime and set a penalty for it,"
INTERNATIONAL CRISIS
In speaking of the international crisis,
Mr.. Marshall said:
II pray that we will get close enough
to war to bring all Americans to-
gether under one flag. but not close
enough to actually get into the war
believe that if the dark hour does come,
those who do not stand behind the presi-
dent will be so in the minority that
they will hardly count, but it would be
a sorry spectacle. indeed, if some of our
American citizens were more interested
in the success of the German army than
in the safety of the United States. or
so consumed by their hatred of Great
Britain that they should forget their
duty to the American flag.
Il welcome the foreign citizen who
really wants to be an American. but
IL this great country is to be the melt
ing pot of the world. / say that the
man who won't melt ought to be taken
out of the pot. However, l firmly be-
lieve that the sons of the men and the
daughters OF the women who wanted
to go out of the Union over fifty years
ago are going to be the saving grace
of this country"
In speaking of the strike situation
Mr.. Marshall declared that he was not
taking sides but that he was in favor
OF an eight-hour day.
LIVE AS BRETHREN"
we are going to settle this trouble
between labor and capital when we
get them to come down and live as
brethren and not as antagonists" he
said. But nevertheless, 1 believe that
every man should place his duty to the
union higher than his duty to a I'M
ion and not bring on a serious calamity
that would, if nothing else, render the
government unable to place it's war
supplies. / do believe in unions. They
are perfectly natural organizations and
lawyers and doctors have them Just as
much as the laboring man. although
they are not called by the same name.
and when this period of rest as vice
president is over ] expect to go back
and join my union of lawyers in In
diana. But l do regret that any rail-
road man in America ever thought of
going on strike
Mr.. Marshall held up as his ideal the