The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-07-05

[
 attending Advhncements incident to
 greater activities. It is not for mo
 to detail the expansion and trans- l formation. We are an outstanding 1 industrial and commercial community
 today. and I join you In very great pride in the Marion of 1922. and
 wish for 1t accentuated growth. mag
 nified importance, and larger social. l educational, moral and patriotic at
 tainment in the century to come. It 1 would little avail to recor1 more ma | torial enlargements. The conscious
 ress of mental and spiritual attain
 ments, readily fostered by material 1 growth. Is the real compensation to
 be striven for.
 Let mo turn my thoughts to the
 natal day of the nation. One hun
 dred and forty-six years have passed
 since tho prophetic beginning. and 1t
 will be A patriotic thing to stop for
 retrospectlon and introspection and
 circumstances, to take stock about 1 our keeping of the legacy bequeathed by the founding fathers.
 A1n our International relations all
 is well. They are securer today, with
 moro assuring prospects of peace
 than ever before In the history of the
 republic. New guarantees have re- l gently been added, by the very pro-
 cess of exchange viewpoints and
 bringing the spOkcsnhen of great nn-
 ti0ns to the conference table and for
 tho exchange of views, and to re-
 solve to do together those fine nnd
 nobler things which no one nation
 could do alone.
 Frankly, we have a broader view point than the founding forefathers. We must have. because human prog
 ress has altered our world relation ships. but we have held firmly to all | the Fundamentals to which they com l mitted us. We cannot be aloof from
 the world but we can impress the world with American ideals. l mean
 to say 1t, because 1t is seemly to
 say 1t, the world believes today il
 American national unselfishness as
 never before and recognizes our com
 mitment to justice to be no less reso-
 iute than our determination to pre-
 serve our liberties Even Russia, to-
 ward whom we remain aloof, except ] in sympathy and a very practical proof thereof, looks upon America as | friend and example.
 Surpassed Dreams
 | But let us turn to introspection' | take stock among ourselves. Mate- rially we have surpassed the widest dreams of the inspired founders. l
 saw the Is starred flag the other day,
 the flag of 1872. unfurled over Fort
 McHenry, during the attack in which | Francis Scott Key wrote The Star Spangled Banner once made tho fif- teenth state. You can little guess the contrast between the blue field with .5 stars and the same field
 with the 4s glittering stars of to- day all fastened by popular faith and frightened by popular hope.
 We are great. ana rich, and pow erful as to states and sections; we are in the full concord of union. This great organic law has been preserved and It's ambigulties removed. where there has been enlarged federal au-
 thority, the states have wished 1t so.
 The constitution has been amendeo to meet the popular will. Our rep- resentatives from official govern
 ment Is responsive to the Will oi the ma iority, responsive to the exhibition of deliberate public opinion. It must bo no to endure. To tho protection of minorities, we must ever rule. The constitution and the laws sponsored by the majority must be enforced. II does not matter who opposes II an opposing minority has "a just op1ec- l ton, the rising tide of public opinion
 will change the law. There is no ! abiding liberty under any other pAan' Amendment "1S"
 | sI mean to sound no note of pessi-
 mism. This republic is secure. Men aces do arise, but public opinion will 1 efface them. Meanwhile, government must repress them. The eighteenth amendment denies to minority fancied sense of personal libarty, but inc amendment Is the will of America h.ff hn h.
 ment and public opinion. else con-
 tempt for the law will undermine our very foundation.
 The foremost thought in the con- ! stitution is the right of freedom and the pursuit of happiness. Men
 must be free to live and achieve.
 Liberty is gone in America when any
 man is denied by anybody the right to work and live by that work. It | does not matter who denies.
 "A free American has the right to | labor without any others leave. It 1 would be no less than an abridse- ment to deny men to bargain collect
 ively. Governments cannot tolerate I any class or grouped domination
 through force. It will be sorry day
 when group domination Is reflected | in our laws Government, and the
 laws which 1t is charged with en-
 forcing, must be for all the people.
 ever aiming at the common good. | "The tendencies of the present day
 are not surprising. War stirred the l passions of men. and lefs the world
 in upheaveal. There have been re- adjustments and liauidations. and
 more remain to be made. In the
 making there has been the clash l Hat of
 the natural tendency to defend self
 interests. It has developed groups
 and blocs, and magnified class incli- nations. But the readjustment is no less inevitable, and it is world wide. l It is the problem of human kind. Your government has sought to aid. with patience, with tolerance, with
 sympathy It has sought to mitigate
 the burdens. It has sought the merg- ing of viewpoints to make the way
 easier. It believes the America of
 our opportunity and unchallanged se- curity affords the way to solution. Peace Demands
 | Tn war we give all we possess. all l our lives, all our resources, every thing. to make sure our national sur vival. Our preservation in peace is
 no less important. It calls for every
 patriotic offering. because dangers
 from within are more difficult to
 meet than the alien enemy. My one outstanding conviction.
 after 1e months in the presidency. Is that the greatest traitor to his coun- 1 try is the person who repeats to prejudice and inflames passion, when sober Judgment and honest speech are
 so necessary to firmly establish tram | Quility and security.
 "A few days ago chanced to see l in g home paper a quotation from