Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-11
WANT AMERIcANISM BUREAU

San Francisco, Aug 1O.-The address
of Chief Justice William Howard Iaft.
referred to by some of the delegates as
the keynote" speech of the convention,
and the report of the committee on
progressive American ideals. Martin I.
Wade of Iowa. chairman. were made
at the annual meeting Thursday OF the
American Bar association. The First
Congregational church was the setting
for Justice Taft's address. n the pig
gathering there must have reminded
him Of some Of his public appearances
as the country's chief executive. JUS
tee Taft read his address. but managed
to get in his characteristic chuckle oc-
casionally.
The Wade report, read in the con-
v@ention hall. was given a hearty recep-
ton by the delegates.
Vice President Calvin Coolidge, an
other outstanding figure of the con
vpntion. was to address the delegates
Thursday night.
Establishment of a bureau to further
American ideals and to offset a grow
ing tide of anti-Amerlcanism when
was declared to be %arousing great prey
udice against the courts ana the coh-
| stitution was recommended to the
American Bar ASSOCIATION by its com
mittee on American ideals.
I'VE are convinced that if it could
be submitted to a vote the comin'ttee
| reported. a large number OF u citl-
Zens would vote in favor of abollshing
the constitution entirely.
Report by Judge Wade
The report. which also denounced the
rrnrncoI 70 clnYha laoiSlDtIVp bodies
with supreme authority. was presented
by Judge Martin ]. Wade of the United
States district court Of Iowa. The
other members of the committee are
G.. A. Severance of ST. Paul. Mimi.
president of the American Bar assocla-
ton: Nj ior Edgar b. Tolman. Chicago:
Walter George Smith. Philadelphia; X.
F.. l.. Saner. Dallis. Tex. and Judge
Andrew A. Bruce, Minneapolis.
Many Of our people are convinced
that the constitution was intended as
an aid to the rich and powerful the
report said. That it affords unwar-
ranted immunities to the railroads and
other great corporations. and is an In
strument of oppression to the poor.
They do not know that the consti-
tutional limitation invoked by the cor
poration to protect its property in time
of danger is exactly the same iImlta-
ton upon which the widow. the work
ing man and the farmer rely TO guard
their possessions against wrongful IN
vasion.
They do not know that no man is
so poor or SO obscure that he cannot.
in the hour of threatened injury, turn
to the constitution as his protection
against the wrongful acts of the rich
and socially prominent.
Because iniunctions are issued in
certain cases. judges are bitterly criti-
cized. when to deny the right of in
junction would be 70 violate the oath
the Judge has taken to administer the
law as it is. 1t is much better for in
diyiduals and for society that wrong
should be prevented than to award
damages after wrong is done. It is
better to prevent the forest fire than
TO attempt TO reforest the devastated
region.
yet at a recent convention it was
declared that the continued exercise
Of this unwarranted power is a blash-
phemy on the rights and claims Of free
men of America
Confidence in Courts
confidence in the courts must be
revived. Resistance 10 authority Is
resistance to the will of the people.
who can have any law they desire.
provided they take pains to organize
and crystalline public sentiment"
The proposal by a United States sen
ator that legislative bodies be clothed
with supreme power 'can mean nosh-
ing less han the destruction of our
written constitution the report said.
Under such a proposal the American
people are guaranteed freedom of
speech and action only until some
legislative body declares otherwise"
The committee proposed working
through schools and colleges to fur
Their American ideals Of citizenship and
advised the creation of a committee
upon American citizenship" composed
of five members representing different
parts of the United States and non
partisan In political and industrial
questions TO arouse public sentiment in
favor of support for the constitution.
1t also urged that every newspaper
and magazine establish n "deportment
of American citizenship" and that a
course in American institutions and
ideals be made part of the curriculum
in all schools and colleges.
OF course. the subject can't properly
come before the convention of the