The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-07-08

dent in 1924 and
his speech here is regarded as
sounding what he believes to be the
main issue for his candidacy IN
1928.
Reviewing the course Of govern
ment under the question "A gov
eminent of law or a government
bv menu" he declared that the
American people are no longer flreo
nv old issues but respond only to
such appeals as prohibition, the ku-
Klux Khan, and fundamentailsm.
Everything Regulated
In emphasizing the drift OF al
fairs, he said:
"In any event our Government
has become the most regulatory IN
the western world, outside OF Russia
and Italy. Inspectors and spies ana
official regulators follow the 100 per
cent American from the day ne
draws his first nourishment from
his inspected mothers breast.
I'm some places he cannot marry
whom he pleases, but must mate IN
accordance with the eugenic dictates
of a state uplift bureaucracy. In
other places, when his children
come, a police power tries to tell
him how he shall raise them and
what they shall and shall not be
taught.
Give kissing Rules
Here he is told what he may eat,
there what he may smoke and
everywhere what he may not drink.
What he may read or write or see
on the stage is prescribed too, and
not content with this, his Cove n
ment advises him how to hang cur
tains in his home, what meat to
cook for his Christmas dinner and
not two months ago the Depart
ment Of Agriculture distributed
throughout the country treatise
entitled Pocket Essay on Kissing
Cautiously enough, the greatest
onslaught upon our liberties must
be attributed more to the aspira-
tons of virtue than to those Of ini-
guilty. Progressive men anxious to
bring about social betterment have
not had the patience to work these
things out through the slow proc
esses of State action, but have
sought to attain them through the
quicker and broaded scope of the
Federal Government.
"They have felt that II the Con-
stitution blocked their righteous eff
forts, it should be changed or get
out Of the way. AS their objects
were virtuous, to oppose their means
or their methods was considered
Ubiquitous. To talk of personal free
dom was considered treason to the
uplift.
Approaches Tyranny
"The result, of course, has been
to vest in the Federal Government
power that often approaches tyr
amy and to produce a degree OF
Capitalization and bureaucratic au-
tocracy that has no place with a
free people.
1.-THE result, too, is more and more
to transform American law from
its age-old purpose of protecting
life, liberty and property into a
scheme for social CONT II and for
the regulation of persona conduct
and relations.
But if I rightly sense danger in
the growing disregard of constitu-
tional limitations, the hope before
us is that the organic law has not
yet been amended or interpreted
beyond repair or restoration. Most
of what is traditional and Ameri-
can and inspiring still remains in it
Free speech, free worship, the
right to assemble and petition for
the redress of grievances, the sane
tity of the home, individual liberty
equality before the law, all these
still are written in the Constitution
"It is no figure of speech to say
that the American bar and the
American courts must regard them
selves as the trustees Of these
American institutions if they are
to endure.
"And SO I close with the convic-
ton that a bar whose British pro-
genitors checked executive usurpa-
ton in sixteenth and seventeenth
century England, bar which ir
nineteenth century America made
our government a government Of
law and not of men, cannot now
conf1ne itself chiefly to pleading ano
practice and nursing rich clients.
at cannot ignore its traditions OF
political and juristic leadership. II
must take up the torch for those
guarantees of ordered liberty anc
constitutional government which
unsurrendered will enrich sYr fu-
ture as they have enshrined oul
past"