The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-03-10

its mad war against the free world.
THE most pressing question that
NOW confronts the American people
! the question that underlies and con-
Iditions all problems of reconstruction
and, of advance as we pass from war
conditions to the normal time OF peace
is whether we shall go forward by
preserving those American principles
and American traditions that have al
READY served us so we'll, or whether
we shall abandon those principles and
traditions and substitute for them a
state built not upon the civil liberty
OF the individual but upon the plenary
power of organized government
Under the guise of Federal aid"
groups of self-appointed social reform
ers and political overhaulers are seek
ling to establish national bureaucratic
control of AUCTIONS which were never
contemplated as necessary or proper
for Federal control--which were and
probably are generally believed TO be
within the sphere of "self-determina
ton" reserved to the sovereign states
in the Union.
The issue is now drawn between the
two lines OF future development:
"a Exercise of personal discretion
by all citizens in the voting and con-
troll of public welfare projects for II
lis a truism that responsibility begets
interest and ability; or
(2) Surrender of all such personal
discretion to Federal bureaus, manned
by political appointees and empowered
to rule or wreck according to personal
ability or bias or whim the effects
Ito be nationwide rather than local
lied.
Can any such plan develop indiyid-
ual initiative, encourage popular in
terest, preserve Legislature or budget.
airy checks on expenditures lead
to anything except national. bureau
cratic paternalism?
1T is our custom to proceed by "A
method of almost memorable prog
ression in our attacks on the outposts
of the United States Treasury. To
attack in~broad daylight would be too
dangerous, SO we attack by sapping
and mining" We quote Senator
Thomas of Colorado, member of the
then majority (democratic) party in
assailing an amendment adopted by
the postoffice committee to the post
office appropriation bill providing a.
fund OF 5000. 100000 to be used by the
Government in aiding states in con
struction of public roads which are
now used, .'or which may be made
suitable for" transportation of United
States mails Under this, the Sena-
ter commended every cowpath and bog
could be included. He continued
1.-The 1916 act was justified by its
advocates on the. ground that the Con
stitution authorized the maintenance
OF post roads. Many of the ablest of
our forefathers disputed any such
proposition, but that was in the days |
when states rights really meant some
were too jealous of those rights to
trade them off for federal money"
He described the phrase cor which |
may be made suitable for as joker. !
But to make any point of order" he |
added before Senate two-thirds OF |
whose members want this money for
their constituents, is waste of time. /
Extravaganza such as this affects I
nobody but the man who pays the
money. And what do we care for
him? Let him kick! Who caresl
The exercise VIII do him good" 4
Commenting on the reason advanced
by. the committee that building these
roads would give work to the return
ing soldiers, he asserted that he noted
the interest of some particular class
was often used by the present Con-
gress as an excuse for unwise legisla-
ton.
81 remember he said, when the
members of my party in Congress
woud rail at the Republicans for be
ing the protectors of class privilege.
but | tell you that my six years of
service in Congress have seen more Z
class legislation passed than ever was !
passed in the history of the country.