Omaha daily bee., 1919-07-13
Views and Reviews
Basic Principle Of Federal
and State Constitutions

and State Constitutions
As the time approaches for the preliminary
steps toward Nebraska's coming constitutional
convention a little more talk is being heard of
the subjects that the convention may take up
| A number of big questions bound to be
projected-the general framework of the state
government. the scope of legislative powers
the reorganization of the judiciary, just sys-
tenn of taxation, a more efficient public school
establishment, just to mention few. The
chief obstacle to intelligent discussion OF these
problems, as find it, is the general lack of in
formation as to what our present constitution
provides and distorted ideas of the functions
and operation of the government and this,
among those who would naturally be expected
to be toerably we'll posted. Because their
profession has to deal with the laws enacted
by virtue of the constitution. the lawyers seem
| to be the only ones who have frequent occasion
/ to refer to it, and even they a rule look to
only one thing at time in connection with
the particular case they may be investigating.
| | once asked a man who sat upon the bench
for many years whether he had ever given at
tention to certain provision of the constitu-
ton and he frankly answered, mo. | never
| had occasion to study that section. am sure
no point was ever raised under it in any suit
| ever tried" The lawyers, however under
stand the basic principle of constitution making
| grasp it. What | mean is that under our form
of government our federal constitution is a
delegation of power, while state constitution
is limitation of power. In other words, the
! federal president and congress can do only
what the constitution expressly or by fair i'm
plicaton permits, while the state authorities
and more particularly the state Legislature may
| do anything which the constitution does not
prohibit. This is the explanation therefore of
the long. and the short constitutions the
| lengthy documents indica ting that the people
in those states do not want to trust the officers,
whom they create, to act for them except under
| detailed directions. People who say they want
short constitution should understand that it
| means fixing only the broad outlines of the
| government in the constitution and giving the
| public officers wide discretionary powers while
holding them to strict accountability in their
| exercise
Rev. A. F. Sheriff. who has been revisting
! Omaha after 20 years in other fields, was for
| 20 years, as pastor of the First Congregational
church, of the leading ministers of this
city Now nearing his 80th year, he came to
Omaha in 1869 and remained until 1882 being
| here through what may be called the formative
period of the city, during which time he was
active in all the movements for the educational
| and moral improvement of the community. 1t
must have been, as he says. an eye-opener for
| him to come back and see the Omaha of today
in contrast with the Omaha of which he was
/ part
The present First Congregational church
at Nineteenth and Davenport, at the time hailed
as a palatial edhce. was erected Just before
DR.. Sheriff. severed his connection with the
church, and nearly all the other Congregational
congregation, the one St. Mary's avenue,
which has just been reunited, being the product
of a factional division and secession. The
Congre gationa church has always been strong
in Omaha because it has had strong men in
its ministrv-strong in the earlier days as well
as now. DR.. Sherrills pastorate here was al
! most coincident with the first 20 years of The
Bee: and feel safe in saying that he has the
distinction of having commanded more space
i'll The Bee for his sermons than has any other
one minister who occupied an Omaha
| pulpit
The week brought news of the death of c.
P. R. Williams, who was one of the o1d.hners
on The Bee, although not associated with the
paper for many years. Familiarity known as
"Charlle" Williams. he printer and fore
man of the first composing room and genial
and popular, but with us only a short time.
He later located at Grand Island and for
dozen years more served as an internal
revenue agent for the government. position
which he filled with the happy faculty for max
ing and keeping friends even among those he
had to call to account. He was always close
" my ldtneT uuflnS MS l1etme Wnen he al
ways counted on the loyalty of Charlie" Will
lams.
have received copy of the book, "Roose-
velt,' written by George Sylvester Viereck
| who won undying fame as boy poet and eter-
nal odium as the editor of THE Fatherland"
The book contains lot of interesting docu-
ments and other information, but in true
Viereck type tells about Viereck than it
does about Roosevelt. The very first sentence
particularly is characteristic. This book dear
full secret between US. 1t will not be reviewed
in the American press. 1t will not even be
mentioned" Now l do not hesitate to men,
ton the book, but only to disabuse the Viereck
mind of the delusion that he is the victim of an
alright conspiracy of silence and that the
overpowering forces of oppression and perse-
cution have picked him out for their limitless
wrath In fact, referred to his reference to
me in connection with the Roosevelt 19l2)
episode at the time it appeared periodical
lnstallment. now incorporated into the book
The main point now sought to be made is that
Colonel Roosevelt was equally ardent ad-
mirer of Emperor William and of things Ger
man until after the outbreak of the war, when
the colonel, despite entreaties and pressure
from former champions. denounced the invasion
| of Belgium and issued clarion call to lovers
of liberty to ward off the menace of militarsm
while Viereck took up the cudgels for kutur
inviting the eventual cudgelling of himself To
me knowing the Viereck of old and appreciat-
ing his high literary ability, though never in
sympathy with his propaganda exploits the sad
part is that he seems still convinced of the
rectitude and righteousness of his course and,
Judging. from this book, to look for literary
martyrdom as welcome recompense