, 1922-02-16

Washington Is stirred to action. Nothing escapes
the vigilant eye of the government and its innum-
cradle functionaries. If 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-
rHy on. Government control is the remedy for
every i'll, and government regulation the source
of every good.
The people pay all the expenses. In some In
stances they pay 1t all through the government at
Washington. In the case of other activities they
pay half through the government at Washington
ard the other half through the governments of the
states. But the people pay all the expenses of this
complicated machinery of government, that has
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 II the government was to be perpetuated
through the ages. They avoided with the fore
sight of statesmen the things that lead to disap-
polntment and discomfort among the people. The
fathers studied the experience of mankind In self
government. They studied the lessons and profted
by the teachings of history. They sought and
found the causes of failure by other peoples In the
experiment of self-government. They did not
wander into the realms Of fancy. They we're ere
ntlng n government for human beings whose ma
ture has remained the same through all the cen
turtles Of time. They knew thnt the things that
in other nges had Invited criticism, provoked dis
content, and resulted In disappointment and revo-
lullbl NOuiu lflu u iit 0hiIt Wv ~ hAH't 49,
They therefore created a government adapted to
the nature of man, n simple government of laws to
be enacted and enforced by the chosen representa-
tiyes Of Il free people. The purpose Of the govern
ment was TO protect them In their natural rights,
and to ennble them TO meet their national and
international duties and obligations. Its powers
were limited.
The fathers did not contemplate at any time
under the Constitution they gave us n government
by men. II 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-
cnl. and domestic affairs. They knew that In n
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. II Is 4 fundamental that "A free people may
not be expected long to endure the nnnoyanccs. the
yexntlons. the arbitrary regulations, the restric-
lions, or the disappolntmcnts that are Incident to
government by men acting as the functionaries Of
n 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 cltl-
zens is for his own good will not long begulle the
citizen into Il 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 word Ia the discussion by the firth
es OF the powers and duties Of the government
they have handed down to us that leads to the
belief that II was contemplated In their plnn thnt
the head Of any department or the chief OF any
bureau or the agent Of any commission should nj
any time make restrictions or arbitrary regula.
lions affecting the life. liberty, property, or the
pursuit of happiness OF the citizen. Such restric-
lions upon the individual as were contemplated