The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-08-12
LAW INEFFECTIVE
WITHOUT SPIRIT
People Themselves Must
Give Support to All
Legislation
TOO MUCH LAWMAKING
Office Of Government Is Not
to NEEDLE With Individual
Liberty of Action

6AN 4 iNfA " Af1f" ~ nus
Vice President Coolidge, addressing
the American Bar association here
tonight declared, 1T is time TO sup
plemcnt the appeal to law, which IL
limited. with an appeal to tho spirit
OF tho people. which IS unlimited.
NO reliance upon the national
character has ever been betrayed
the vice president asserted. 'But
our countrymon must remember
that they have and can have no de-
pcndonce save thcmgclvCs. oar IN
stitutlons are their Institutions. our
government ig their government,
our laws are their laws, 10 IL for
thcm to enforce, support and obey.
II In this they fan, there are none
who can succeed"
Asserting that the supreme court
has stood az the guardian and pro-
tector OF our government. and above
all tho great champion OF tho free
dom and ths liberty Of the people"
Mr.. Coolidge. referring 10 the pro-
posnl to give congress power 70
make valid by re-onactmont n law
declared unconstitutional by the SUI
premo court. declared;
"such provision would make the
congress finally supreme. In the last
resort It's powers practically would
be unlimited. This would be 20 do
away with the great main principle
OF our written constitution, which
regards the people as sovereign
and the government ns their agent,
and would tend to make tho leglsla-
tive body sovereign and the the peo-
pie It's subJects. II would. to an oX-
tent, substitute for the Will OF the
. N,anAln daIinlfglu aud uantlV
expressed In their written constitu-
tion. the changing and uncertain
\ will OF the congress. That would
4 radically alter our form OF govern
ment and take from It Its chief
E guarantee OF freedom"
Too Many Laws.
Citing the child labor law decl-
1 sion, the vice president pointed out
Z that should the people desire to
/ have the congrogs pass laws relating
/ TO that over which they have not yet
! granted TO It any Jurisdiction, the
(. way Is open and plain 10 proceed
4 by amending tho constitution.
Citing the growing multiplicity OF
I laws" which he ascribed partly to
"tho increasing complexity OF ad-
1 vanclng civilization and in part to
Z "the attempt to raise the moral
( standard OF society by legislation"
I ne said the spirit OF reform Is alto
/ gether encouraging" but there
i needs 10 be better understanding
! OF the province OF legislative and ju-
dicial action and n "wider compre-
hension OF tho limitations OF the
law"
"There exists. and must always
exist" he said, tho righteous au-
thority OF the state. That Is the
sole source OF the liberty OF the in
divldual, but 1t does not moan an In
Z quisitive and officious intermeddling
7 by attempted government action In
all the affairs OF the people. There
is no justification for public inter-
ference with purely private con-
I Germs"
Mr.. Coolidge compared the trend
"for the better part OF century
during which "the early amend
ments were all In dimlnutlon OF tho
power OF the government and de-
! claratory Of an enlarged sovereignty
! OF tho people" and the movement
, ein the opposite direction" during
/ "the past 80 years" from the inter-
! state commerce act OF the late eigh-
ties TO the recently enacted mater
nifty aid law,
Change Government Process.
This has not been accomplished
J without what 10 virtually a change In
the form, and actually change in
: the process, OF our government" he
: declared, adding that II had proceed
ed "on the theory that It would be
for tho public benefit to have gov
ernment, TO greater degree, the
direct action of the people" In
this change, he said, some OF the
stabllizing safeguards" originally es-
Z tablishod have been weakened
and "the representative element has
been diminished and the democratic
element has been increased, but II
Ia siill constitutional government"
"It is not sufficient to secure leg
islation" for promoting general re-
form or reflecting tho raising Of
the general standard of human re-
lationshlp." he continued, and
leave 1t TO go alone" A renewed
and enlarged determination 90 Sc
euro the observance and enforce
mont OF the law, is required he de-
; clared.
There can be no perfect control
OF personal conduct by national leg
islauon," he added. "rhe people
/ cannot dlvest themselves OF their
really great burdens by undertaking
10 provide that they shall hereafter
- borne by the government"