New Britain herald., 1922-08-09
HEAD OF BAR ASSN,
 SPEAKS ON LIBERTY
President (. A. Severance Delivers
 Lecture on Laws

San Francisco, Aug. 9.-(By Asso ciated Press. .)-The American peopl, should be taught that the federal con stitution and laws and the courts tha' interpret them do not destroy bu preserve their liberties. declared Cor. | denio A. Severanc, president of tho American Bar Association, in opening | the annual meeting of the association here today.
 Russia Seek Power.
 A proposed constitutional amend ment to prevent courts declaring lawf unconstitutional he cited as a sample 1 "of an innovation that would take away the liberties from the people by giving Congress unchecked power He declared influences from soviet Russia were seeking to overthrow the American government by force If nec- essary.
 If the proposed constitutional amendment should be adopted, not only would Congress have unlimited right to deal witf, subjects that have always been looked upon as belong ing to the states and reserved for tbeir exclusive cognizance. but it could wipe out the Bill of Rights and all the pro lection that 1t gives to the people.
 It is matter of real concern that the American Federation of Labor approved the proposed amendment, and such action by tffe representa- tives of so large an orga nization is symptomatic of very serious con- dition of the public mind"
 In an address entitled The consti- tuition and individualism," he traced the development Of American liberty as sheltered and protected by the constitution and by the judicial inter pretations placed upon 1t and de- cared that a growing tendency to- ward centraization of power in the hands Of the government was a dan- ger to the people.
 Men Work For Joy.
 "The fact that men will not labor with diligence unless they can enjoy the fruits of their toll is ignored by those who preach communism and denounce the exaltation of the indi- vidual," he said. They forget that the sel1shness which would take from the industrious that which he has achieved, for distribution among the whole, Is far greater than the selfish ness of the man who seeks to pos sess bit of land for the exclusive use of himself and his family"
 Although each change of life caused by modern inventions, such as railroads, telegraph, pipe lines and even airplanes and radio has fitted in with the constitution, he said, late agencies of thought have attempted to substitute bureaucratic authority for the individual responsibility and self reliance.
 If we do not check the tendency to set up a bureaucratic government at Washington we invite disaster" he declared. The wise men who wrote the constitution did not intend to place the citizen in leading strings If legislators are permitted to run riot under the pretended exercise Of police power, the constitutional guarantees for the protection of liberty and prop erty will be destroyed ss.
 If contracts between individuals truly private in character can be rem dered valueless by the fiat of bare majority of legislative body, under the plea of necessity or emergency, and if the legislature is permitted to be the judge of the existence of such necessity or emergency, what be- comes of the constitutional provision such contracts immune from legislative attack7"