Omaha daily bee., 1920-02-26
Restore the Constitution and
Stop Class Domination
From the New York Evening Mail.

Elihu Roots keynote speech before the re-
publican state convention last night put plainly
before the American people some of the dangers
that confront them and pointed out with clear
cut emphasis the only way in which those dam
gers are to be avoided.
Summarized in the briefest possible compass,
Mr.. Roots plea to the republican party and to
every good American, whether a republican or
democrat, can be put in seven words: Restore
the constitution and stop class donination!
At the beginning of the war the American
people, without distinction of party, voluntarily
and gladly placed in the hands of the federal
government powers of which the scope IS utl-
precedented in our history. That abdication OF
individual rights was made to enable the ad-
ministration to apply every force in the nation
to the imperative task of winning the war.
Now that the war has been won, and peace
has been actually II not technically restored, Il
is time for America to return to peace coneep'
tons of government. Mr.. Root rightly said:
There is double immediate purpose to be
served. One to restore the habit of freedom.
1t is dangerous for people to acquire the
habit of bowing to power without limits
They soon become subservient, and then
The other is to step multitude Of interior
ences, Il-judged although we'll meant, with
the natural course of business through which
alone the natural laws can operate to restore
normal conditions.
Both immediate purposes thus defined by
ton outline the pressing work of national re-
construction-political and economc-to which
the republican party must address itself with
every energy and in which the mass of the
American people will join with full realization
Of its essential Importance if we are to maintain
democratic form of government in this coun-
try.
Recent tendencies in our government have
revealed with dsquieting distinctness trend
toward one-nlan power and the bureaucratic
cnt,f tnn$ c1,N h,,,a
who holds the form and purpose of his coun-
try's institutions dear
Upon the republican party, which gave its
unreserved cooperation to the party in power
during the war, with an eye single to the great
national purpose to be accomplished, now de-
colves the duty of restoring the lost balance
OF our ship of state, of restoring not only The
letter but the spirit OF the constitution
In discussing the relations between the work.
ers and the managers of our industries, Mr.
Root outlined another purpose to be achieved
a purpose closely related to the general task
of restoring the constitutional life of America
On this head, referring directly to the demands
of workers in essential industries, Mr.. Root
said that under existing conditions
Whether they (the denlands) be right or
wrong, the people OF the country, who are de-
pendent upon the continued operation of those
| industries, must in some way secure conlpi-
ancc with the demands in order to save their
lives, unless the makers of the demands relent
or are controlled. lhe~ situation presents with
startling distinction the question whether our
American popular government is to continue
or is to be changed into a class Dictatorship
The American people must control not only
their political life, but their economic life. Both
principles are equally VITAL and neither of then,
can be sacrificed without dangerous abdca-
ton of basic popular rights. The majority
that is TO say, the people as whole-must rule
in political matters as we'll as in industrial mat
ters.
In emphasizing the urgent need for the res
toration OF the rights of the people, the repub-
1ican state convention has struck constructive
note that will appeal to the American people
as whole and impress upon them the duty and
the immediate opportunities of restoring and per-
petuating their heritage of freedom against the
encroachments alike of executive and class
power.