Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1924-10-28
We Can t Follow The
Bob Cat

dent during the Wilson admin
istration, says LaF gillette is not
a MENACE but a NUISANCE.
Mr.. Marshall said some otner
things that were intended to
be funny-and no doubt were,
but Fighting "Bobcat' LaFol-
lette is a menace. He is dan
gerous, and one of the great
troubles today is that he is not
being taken seriously by many
folks.
Senator LaFollette is honest,
he's intelligent and he is a
fighter of no second-rate abil-
ity. He has no more idea of
being elected president than you
and we. He's not fighting for
that now, but if he gets siza-
BILE vote he will fight for it and
he might win later.
There are several dangerous
doctrines, as we see it, in the
political economy of the Wis
consin Senator, but the most
dangerous, the one to be fought
with the greatest vigor is his de-
sire to amend the national Con-
stitution so as to give to Con-
gress the power to override de-
cisions of the Supreme Court.
In other words, Lar gillette
would give to the Congress the
right to formulate and pass laws
AND THEN the right to say
that those laws were constitu-
tional.
In word that means the
abolishing of the Supreme Court.
Unless the Supreme Court is
the court of last appeal it is use
Hess so far as protection of the
minority from the assaults of a
majority is concerned.
Speaking here recently. Sena-
tor Walter F. George, said, in
effect:
The Constitution is the only
protection of the MINORITY
against an aggressive MAJOR
ITY 1t is the only safeguard
Of freedom of speech, of free
dom of assembly, and it denies to
any man the right to deprive an
other of his life or liberty with
out due process of law. Take
from the Supreme Court the right
TO determine the constitution
atty Of the acts passed by Con-
gress and you might as well burn
the Federal Constitution You
have in a moment emasculated
and destroyed that greatest doc
except the Bible-that
ever came from the brains of
men.
Given a free hand, with no
restraining influence from the
: Supreme Court, and what might
the Congress not do. Suppose
it were composed of a majority
representing capital. 1t could
nalhfy. every tax law that touches
wealth and place the burden on
the shoulders of the poor. And
on the other hand, if it were
- composed of a majority of men
favoring labor, it could tax out
1of existence every man or cor
poration that it listed as capital
istic. In either case the minor
ity would have absolutely no
protection from an aggressive
: majority.
IF the Congress was so dis
posed, it could pass any law,
affecting every man or but few
men and who would be there to
say it no? The Federal Consti-
tuition and the Federal Su-
y,preme Court is the protector Of
eevery American citizen. Take
from the Supreme Court its pre-
negative to say whether a law is
constitutional, and you have re-
moved the foundation stone oil
American liberty.
The higher court may have
abused its powers, or it may not,
That is a personal opinion. But
it is far safer for the American
people to leave their rights anc
liberties in the hands of tina
court than to place them in tn,
hands of an ever changing Con
gress.
This year we may have al
extremely conservative body
Next year it may be the re
verse. No, we can not follow
Senator Lar gillette in any sucI
wild cantankerous flight as hi
desire to place in the hands o
Congress the life and liberty o
every American citizen.
And that is what you woulc