Evening star., 1924-09-26

which the Constitution is the sole
source and guarantee.
Ours, as you know, is Government
OF limited powers. The Constitution
confers the authority for certain ac-
tions upon the President and the Con-
gress, and explicitly prohibits them
from taking other actions. This is
done to protect the rights and liber-
ties of the people. The Government
is limited: only the people are abso-
lutte. Whenever the legislative or ex-
ecutive power undertakes to overstep
the bounds of it's limitations, and per-
son who is injured may resort to the
courts for protection and remedy.
We do not submit the precious
rights OF the people to the hazard of
prejudiced and irresponsible politi-
cal determination, but preserve and
protect them by an independent and
impartial judicial determination. We
do not expose the rights of the weak
to the danger of being overcome in
the public forum by popular uproar,
but protect them in the sanctity Of
the courtroom. where the still, small
voice will not fail to be heard.
Danger In Changes.
Any attempt to change this meth
cd of procedure is an attempt to put
the people again in jeopardy Of the
impositions and the tyrannies from
which the First Continental Congress
sought to deliver them. The only
position that Americans can take is
that they are against all despotism,
whether 1t emanate from a monarch,
from a parliament or from a mob.
A significant circumstance of the
First Congress. one which ought new
er to be overlooked, lies in the fact
that il resulted from the voluntary
effort on the part of the people to re-
dress their own grievances and rem
edy their own wrongs. We pay too
little attention to the reserve power
of the people to take care of them
selves. We are too solicitous for Gov
ernment intervention on the theory,
first, that the people themselves are
helpless. and. second that the Gov
ernment has superior capacity for ac-
ton. Oftentimes both of these con-
clusions are wrong.
Every one knows that our eco
nomic problems are very far from
being solved. But we are making
constant progress. both in the field of
production and distribution. When
certain abuses arose We adopted
policy of Government regulation and
control. I have no doubt that some
action OF that kind was necessary,
and, OF course, such policy would
be continued But it has not been,
nor can il be hoped that it will be,
always wisely administered. While
II provides some defense against
wrongdoing. its restrictions often
hamper development and progress.
retard enterprise. and when they fail
to produce the perfection promised
tend to bring the Government into
discredit.
People Are Government.
The real fact is that in a republic
like ours the people are the Govern
meht, and if they cannot secure per-
fection in their own economic life, it
is altogether improbable that the
Government can secure it for them.
The same human nature which pre-
sides over private enterprise must be
employed for public action.
1t is very difficult to reconcile the
American ideal of sovereign people
capable OF owning and managing
their own Government with an in
ability to own and manage their own
business. No doubt there are certain
municipalities where some public
utilities have been managed through
public ownership with crcdita bl c
success. But this is very different
from a proposal that the National
Government should take over rail-
roads and other public utilities. What
a strain this would be to our eco
nomic system will be realized when
it is remembered that public commits
sions set the value of such utilities