The Minnesota fiery cross. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1924-19??, 1924-03-28
DEMAGOGUES HOLD
SWAY, SAYS ATWOOD
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American congress from Philadelphia
to New Jersey.
Even George Washington wrote at
that time that he could see nothing
ahead but the dark future of anarchy.
Then Sc men met in Philadelphia and
| brought order out of chaos. They
were statesmen. They had such men
in America in those days. These men
met and wrote the constitution of
the United States.
Their work is the only document
in the history Of the world that in
stantly brought order and govern
ment of situation bordering on an
archy and confusion. Based on the
tenets of that great document ma
tional credit became an actuality
and America was recognized among
the nations of the world.
"And yet today the average chief
| Justice of a state supreme court does
not know what is in the constitu-
tion. The average college president,
/ venture to say, couldn't pass an ex-
animation with a mark Of 25 per cent
on ten questions based on the United
States constitution. Men nowadays
are popular and are chosen to office
not as they know but as they assault
the constitution.
Chose Golden Mean
an that constitution our forbears
established a representative govern
ment. They carefully avoided the
principles of an autocracy with its
authority in the hands of hereditary
princes, but just as carefully avoided
the principles of democracy with its
follies of direct action and referen-
dunn. | venture to say that If the
constitution had been submitted to a
direct vote of the people it would
have lost by vote of four to one or
ten to one.
ITO the men who wrote the consti-
! tuition, democracy meant about the
same as Bolshevism does to us today.
! You will recall when first the Russian
socialits overthrow the government
of the cars how sentimental writ
ers blazone the fact to the world
that there was the dawn of a truly
democratic government. Well, they
were right. 1t was a democratic gov
eminent, but when it failed, these
same writer's were quick to recant,
and to explain to their readers, Oh,
we were mistaken. That was not
democracy but bolshevism.' Thus a
new word was coined.
Our forefathers were strict believ-
ers in a representative form OF gov,
eminent. OF course they assumed
that we, their children, to whom the
wonderful heritage of such govern
ment was given, would be careful IN
choosing our representatives to carry
on that government.
Thought Well of POsterity
"They assumed that the people of
such a commonwealth as Minnesota
would appreciate that heritage. They
could not have imagined that a man
would be sent to the United States
senate from such a commonwealth on
his boast that he had never read our
history.
"If Garfield, the canal boy, driving
his mules, with a smile on his face
at the thought that he was really in
the land of opportunity, that If he
did one Job we'll he would get bet
ter. striving evenings to improve his
mind that he might be worthy some
day of bigger things, lived today
some agitator would approach him
with the argument, You have a hell
of a job This is a hell of a country.
Get the mule drivers organized.
Form a bloc, like the agricul tural
bloc where every member is bone
head and some day the mule drivers
may send you to the legislature
That is what the present generation
is substituting for the ideals left
them in our constitution.
"We are failing, in this present
day. to keep the sacred contract with
the unborn as the great dead kept 1t
with u.s."