The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-07-06

The Crusaders of New England,
in an open letter made public yes
terday call upon the senators and
congressional representatives of all
New England states, to study every
piece of prospective national leg
islation in the light of it's relation
to the articles of the Constitution,
and to withhold support from any
measure which might suggest the
possibility of constitutional changes
by indirect means. In an under
scored passage the letter demands:
Let us insure that no change
shall be made in the federal char
acter of our government except by
direction of the people after they
shall have had adequate opportu-
nifty and information to reach a
considered conclusion"
The Constitution, the letter as
serts, has given a greater degree
developed more ambition, created
more human happiness, and given
more comfort to people high and
low, workers, employers, farmers
and merchants, than any other
document ever conceived by the
mind of man. That is why, it
continues, The Crusaders defend it;
not because it was adopted lag
years ago, but because, for this
century and almost half, it has
served every need of our people,
economic, social and political.
The letter quotes Alexander
To in 11ic dnfnnSn nf tho
constitutionality of the Bank of
the United States, to show that If
the present constitutional division
of federal and state powers does
not provide the means necessary
to meet any existing, or prospec-
tive, emergency, then the United
States would furnish the singular
spectacle of political society
without sovereignty, or of a peo-
pie governed, without government"
Nevertheless, it continues, to-day
we are assaulted with the fulmina-
tions of socialist, communist, and
Fascist minorities, with the un-
fulfillable promises of self-inter-
ested opportunists who envisage
relationships at the end of their
paths, and, worst of all, with the
solemn admonitions of honest,
perhaps, but visionary theorists
that the constitutional safeguards
to life and liberty that have served
for lac years, must be set aside in
order that we may WOO prosperity
by destroying wealth. by limiting
production, by redistributing our
assets, by sacrificing our foreign
trade, by distorting normal price
levels, by magnifying class differ
ences, and by sweating our cur
rency as thoroughly as did ever
robber king of old, at cost of
domestic confidence and of foreign
respect"
The letter comedies that such
Characterization may not be ac-
cepted by all but contends that
even 'if we assume that every
movement has it's roots sunk deep
in the soil of patriotism, this in no
wise alters that fact that, in the
view of The Crusaders, theswhole
philosophy of the New Deal is
predicated upon an accommodate
ing Interpretation of the Constitu-
llOu OF all dNOludHCC VI AS PiCcSAe
tenets. The supreme court of the
United States has refused to pro-
vide the former. The Crusaders
contend that the latter should not
be achieved by indirection. They
recognize the possibility that
amendment of the Constitution
may, at some time, become desir-
able. They insist that, at such time,
amendment shall come in the au-
thorized fashion and after dispas-
sionate study of the facts.
1t is the purpose of The CRU
saders, the letter explains, to dis
seminate the facts as widely as
possible: to show what the New
Deal, and other movements. mean
to the people in their legal, eco
nomic, social and governmental as
poets, and to extend as far as pos
sible the realization that the Con-