Evening star., 1922-06-15
Gradually Weakening Gov.
F.: ernment Structure, Sec
: retary of War Declares.
"C0NGRESS AT LOW EBB";;
|; HITS AT REFORM MOVES
Believes Prohibition Has Resulted
in "Disquietude' de'-"Running Riot
on Popular Elections
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
CLEVELAND, Ohio, June 15.-A
frankly pessimistic view of some of
the predominant tendencies of Amer
lean political thought was voiced to-
day by Secretary Weeks of the War
Department at the commencement ex-
ercises of Western Reserve Univer-
sity.
In an address which he said he was
tempted to entitle THE Decline of the
American Government" the war Sec
rotary declared the drift of recent
years was gradually weakening the
nations governmental structure by
undermining the Constitution and
sweeping away the principles of par
ty responsibility.
The direct primary, "bloc" agitation
and the country's readiness to accept
constitutional amendments were in
stanced by the speaker as furnishing
evidence that the government was
heading away from its ancient safe
guards and toward complete social
democracy.
Congress at Low Ebb.
As one result. he asserted, in the
public mind. the legislative branch
of our national government probably
never has been at lower ebb than it
Is today"
The direct primary" he continued.
has 50 palpa bly, lesSened the quality or
men willing to serve in public affairs
that prompt action should be taken to
greatly modify or entirely repeal it,
Turning to the bloc movement in
politics, Mr. Weeks declared that when
lrfx into n
do certain things and then finds that
groups break away from party al
legiance whenever their own interests
seem to be directly involved. there is
an end to responsibility in government"
In it's attempts to improve upon the
work of the fathers by amending the
Constitution. the Secretary said. the
country had failed signally.' He added
that in the matter of popular elections
we have run riot" and he suggested
uncertainty seemed 20 ceffter i'm taxa
tion and prohibition.
Exercises Free speech Privilege.
BY way of preface. the Secretary said
his philosophizing applied to no particu-
lar party and that he spoke not as
government official, but as a private
citizen exercising his privilege of free
speech. His address follows. in part:
II am greatly disturbed by the de-
parture in recent years from the
government of the Constitution. as 1
construe it, to other forms of gov
ency toward complete social democ-
racy. While 1 have no fear about
the ability of our government to
endure, I must admit that l am very
pessimistic about the result of the
present trend, which I cannot but be-
ic
governmental structure and may
eventually change it's character.
Hits at RefOrmers.
IN order to be truly progressive
many people conclude they must be
continually moving. We have in this
country large number of reformers
many of them professional reform
ers, who are rushing about tying to
reform everything and everybody.
OF course. there are conditions which
need correction. but often the sug-
gested cure will result IN greater
evil than the existing evil it is de-
signed to correct. A legislator
should resist all such schemes to the
point of being reactionary.
IF any of you young men and
women decide to undertake a public
career, as hope you will, let me urge
you never to support a proposition
because it is popular to do so. Be
guided in your actions by wisdom and
Justice. 1t is easy to obtain the ap-
plause of the unthinking. but it is
q cheap price for the sacrifice of
youf self-respect
Then, we see an ever increasing
tendency on the part of the citizen
to interfere in the details of legis-
Jation. and the representative in
Congress is rapidly becoming merely
tie delegate of his constituency. or
course, he is aware that the people
of his district in all probability have
been unable to give the subject any
deliberate consideration. but an ac-
tive and organized minority may Gre
ate such a furor that It's demands
are mistaken as the expressed senti-
ment of a majority.
Reduced to Mere Machine.
This interference tends to mako
the representative timid and instead
of enjoying the dignified status of
a real representative. he is reduced
to the status of mere machine to
carry out the whims and caprices
OF his constituency.
"I believe the mature judgment of
The people of the country can be trust
ed. II you take any great question
of government and discuss 1t fully in
every school district in the country,
vhrough the press and from the plat
form. the not results will be a cor
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