Evening star., 1926-05-24

Support for the idea of State rights.
which was the outstanding feature of
the address by President Coolidge at
the sesquicentennial observance in
William and Mary College, Williams
burg, Va. has been variously inter-
preted. although the prevailing opln-
ion is that the Executives position
comedies with traditional Democratic
doctrine. Criticism of bureaucracy met
with general response in the country.
There has been a tendency, as the
President maintains agrees the Char
lotte Observer DemocratiC), Ito load
up the Federal Government with du-
| ties which the States should assume.
| The States have been running to the
Government and the Government has
been responsive in absorption of rights
| the States have lodged, in evasion OF
responsibility belonging to them.
| The situation has been largely brought
about by willingness on the part OF
States to surrender the management
| of their own affairs, under mistaken
belief that the Government could
| handle them better" The New York
Herald Tribune Republican) similar
| ly holds that 'the States, through
their Senators and Representatives,
| continue to ask for too much assist
ance from the Federal Government
assistance in building State roads, in
| education and in other undertakings
| which are within the State domain
1.-THE lesson of it is" in the opinion
| of the Milwaukee Journal Gndepend-
ent), that government is not safe
| when people, ceasing to look after 1t
| intimately and in person. appeal to
| far-off federal authority as somehow
all-wise and all-powerful. though, in
fact, it can be no wiser than they
| themselves have made it in choosing
| the men who compose it." In fact,
"as President Coolidge points out"
according to the New York Times Tin
dependent Democratic), I'VE have had
many painful illustrations of the tend
ency of the bureaucratic system, and
of government by commission, to be-
come offensive to individual rights,
overbearing, inefficient and corrupt"
The Birmingham News independent
Democratic) believes that "unquestion-
ably it is through the diversification of
opinions, through State governments.
and through their Withholding to
themselves as nearly as possible the
right to mind their own business, that
We have established a democracy
which may well become a bureaucracy
unless State legislatures check them
w
mean to say" adds the News. that
limited cooperation between the
States and Washington is not the part
of wisdom, but that complete surren-
der would be exceedingly dangerous"
The Presidents denunciation of bu-
reaucraoy as setting up ''the pretenSe
of having authority over everybody
and being responsible to nobody" the
Indianapolis Star independently sug-
:~-l,4 H. @oI ~,
special address to Congress, where
the highly organized minorities go
with their demands for appropriations
on the Wasteful and injurious dollar
matching plan of State aid. This pro-
gram" continues the Star, "originally
devised for road building, has been
perverted to such an extent that q
small army of bureaucratic meddlers
now usurps the functions of the sep
arate States The Presidents idea
of State rights, however, it is asserted
by the Pittsburgh Gazette-Times Re-
publican), "is not that of the South
before the Civil War, but it is the doc
trine as interpreted in the light of the
result of that conflict. He would have
the States accept their full RESPONSE
bility instead of asking the National
Government to do what is the duty of
the States to perform The Green's
boro Daily Record independent Demo-
cratic) adds it's testimony that the
Presidents position means that
whenever the attitude of State
does not accord with the great body
of public opinion of the Nation'-and
the dominant element is to be the sole
judge-then the National Govern
ment will be crowded into the position
of enlarging its own authority at their
expense! Stated a bit less bluntly,
is not this virtually the reiteration of
the kaiseristic doctrine that might is
right? 1t seems so to u.s."
Paying special attention to the his
torical background of the Presidents
address, the Springfield Daily News
independent Democratic) quotes the
statement that those who helped to
establish the Nation "broke the power
of Parliament because it's actions did
not represent. were not benefiting the
American public" and offers the COM
ment that they were neither inert
nor selfish, as the President implies
we are noWIs' and that they were
crusaders. courageous men," The
Philadelphia eublia. LedgenrG Gndependr1