The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-02-24

Washington is stirred to action. Nothing escapes
the vigilant eye Of the government and It's innum-
cradle functiOnaries. II the price OF one article
goes up. let the government take charge Of the
seller; IL the price of another goes down. let the
government take charge OF the buyer. And thus
the carnival of government activities goes mer-
rily on. Government control is the remedy for
every Ill, and government regulation the source
of every good.
The people pay all the expenses. In some in
stances they pay it all through the government at
Washington. In the case of other activities they
pay half through the government at Washington
and the other half through the governments of the
states. But the people pay all the expenses OF this
complicated machinery of government, that mas
its agents looking over the shoulders of every bust
ness man and directing affairs of every citizen.
The fathers embodied with rare wisdom those
elements Of strength and endurance which were
essential if the government was to be perpetuated
through the ages. They avoided with the fore
sight Of statesmen the things that lead to disap-
pointment and discomfort among the people. The
fathers studied the experience Of mankind in self
government. They studied the lessons and proflted
by the teachings Of history. They sought and
found the causes of failure by ether peoples in the
experiment of self-government. They did not
wander into the realms Of fancy. They were Gre
ating a government for human beings whose ma
ture has remained the same through all the CEN
turtles Of time. They knew that the Things tnat
in other ages had invited criticism, provoked dis
content, and resulted in disappointment and revo-
luton would lead to the same end in future ages.
They therefore created a government. adapted to
the nature Of man, a simple government OF laws to
be enacted and enforced by the chosen representa-
tives of a free people. The purpose OF the govern
ment was to protect them In their natural rights,
and to enable them to meet their national ana
international duties and obligations. Its powers
were limited.
The fathers did not contemplate ut any time
under the Constitution they gave us a government
by men. 1t was not In the scheme of the fathers
that at any time the people should be beguiled
into using the government at washington for
supervising or directing their purely personal, To-
cal, and domestic affairs. They knew that in a
government of free people no man is big enough
or wise enough or good enough to command an
other, his political equal, in what he may or may
not do. 1t is fundamental that a free people may
not be expected long to endure the annoyances, the
yexations, the arbitrary regulations, the restrlc'
lions, or the disappointments that are incident to
government by men acting as the functiOnaries OF
a central authority. directing the affairs OF and
exercising police powers over the people In the
remotest parts Of their territorial limits. Even
the assurances of government bureaus that the
authority exercised over the liberty of the citi-
zens is for his own good will not long beguile the
citizen into a surrender of his right to live under
a government Of laws enacted by his authority and
consent that merely protect him from injury by
others and protect others from injury by him.
There Is no wore In the discussion by the faith
ers of the powers and duties of the government
they have handed down to us that leads to the
belief that 1t was contemplated in their plan that
the head Of any department or the chief OF any
bureau or the agent of any commission should at
any time make restrictions or arbitrary regula.
tons affecting the life, liberty. property, or the
pursuit of happiness of the citizen. Such restric-
tions upon the Individual as were contemplated