The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-08-04

of the matter for so years by judicial de-
cision and call to arms, he still believes
in the defeated quiescent and decayed doc
trine of state rights.
In this connection, we call attention to
The Second Epoch in American Political
HISTORY published by Woodrow Wilson
Pr 40 to 81 in which the arguments of
the different political schools are set forth
and wherein Robert Y. Hayne of South
Carolina made an elaborate contention for
notification with the historic reply of
Webster which has BECOME a classic.
Contemporaneously the president, An
drew jackson, called vigorous halt on
Senator John G. Calhoun in his TRADE
against the constitution. Until about this
time, the founders Of the republic held
different views, but Daniel Webster and
John Marshall and distinguished galaxy
of contemporaries held fast the suprem-
acy and dignity of our constitution. The
great men was written in blood by the
! supreme struggle Of the Civil war
! So, to-day the breath of freedom and
security permeates our institutions The
spirit of America is found in a series of
most remarkable documents beginning
with the Mayfower compact and ending
with the Gettysburg address Of President
Lincoln.
| That the constitution of the United
| States is the supreme law of the land
state statutes and constitutions to the
contrary notwithstanding, we need, no
| farther evidence If itwere otherwise, our
union would crumble like lumn Of clay
| If the strange doctrines Of His Excellency
should prevail, the union would be forever
destroyed, and we would have tie pitiable
spectacle of forty-eight separate govern
ments instead of the greatest republic in
the world.
| If His Excellency would base his refusal
| TO call am extraordinary session upon
grounds of political expediency, his true
purpose would be manifest. He has a
right to refuse to call an extra session Of
the general assembly although large
majority of both houses favor the amend
ment, but the governor don't want the
women of Vermont to vote; and, in this,
| he is opposed by large majority of his
own party. 1t is, indeed, unfortunate for
the legislative and executive branches of
the government to be so directly opposed
on a vital question of policy. Especially
is this SO when nearly all the states Of
the union are for equal suffrage and Yer
mont, through the ebstinacy Of her chief
executive DISTINGUISHES about half her vo-
tiers as well as a large number Of voters
in other states. Let the country at large
understand that this is not the fault Of
the Republican party Of Vermont
] The governor speaks about lobbying
! constitutional amendments through CON
gress We passed a bill for qualified suf-
! frage at our last session in Vermont The
| governor vetoed it. Il passed the SEN
ate over his veto Why did it fail in the
| house?
| The fixed rules Of the United States
| constitution do not require a referendum
for ratification of amendments 10y the
states but His Fycellencv saws there
should he one. Let him have the United
States constitution amended instead Of de-
| clarng openly against the authority Of
this venerable document. the greatest
written charter ever produced by the
| mind and purpose of man
Finally. His Exeellency challenges the
lieutenant governor to call am extraordi-
nary session during his absence.
/ PROCEEDING within bis constitutional
rights. thu Hon. Mason s. Stone now has
one of the greatest cnoo~funities ever
presented to a public official Let him
exercise it and receive the gratitude Of
| his CONTEMPORARIES