Evening star., 1936-06-11
THE STAR WASHINGTON c. THURSDAY JUNE H.

ties which the Emperor Napoleon
faced in q coalition of hostile Euro
pean powers, had the courage to
act for the benefit of the United
States without the full and unanimous
approval Of every member of the legal
profession.
He was told by some Of his closest
advisers and friends that the Con-
stitution of the United States con-
tanned no clause authorizing him to
purchase or acquire additional ter
ritory, and that because specific au-
thority did not exist under that great
charter of government. none could
be exercised.
Jefferson replied that there were
certain inherent qualities Of SOW
ereignty which could not be sepa-
rated from a federal government.
He and Robert r. Livingston put
the treaty through; the next Con-
gress appropriated the money; nobody
carried the case to the Supreme Court,
and, as result, Louisiana and
Arkansas and Missouri and Iowa and
Minnesota and Kansas and Montana
and North Dakota and South Dakota
and the larger portions Of Wyoming
and Colorado and Nebraska and Okla
homa fly the Stars and Stripes today.
1t is not without the greatest his
torical significance that Arkansas was
received into the Union in 1885.
Prior to Jackson's day, 1t may be
uyif nf finFl
that the leadership of the Nation was,
with rare exceptions, in the hands Of
men who, by birth or education, be-
longed to q comparatively small group
for the reason We have not far to
seek Universal education was not
yet fully established; communication
difficulties prevented the diSSemina-
ton of news except in the larger COM
munities and along the main avenues
of transportation: the very ballot was.
| in many States, limited to those with
special property qualifications.
Disnay Greets Election.
The wave Of popular acclaim that
swept Andrew Jackson into his high
Office was the result Of the recogni-
tion by the people Of the United
| States that the era of q truer demo-
racy in their national life was at hand.
l need not describe the diSmay that
| the election of Jackson excited-and
honestly excited-in the hearts of the
hitherto elect, or the widespread ap-
prehension that 1t aroused among the
| so-called "guardiana groups" of the
| Republic.
Groups such as these have never
wholly disappeared from American
political life, but it will never be pos
Sible for any length Of time for any
group of the American people, either
by reason of wealth or learning or in
heritance or economic power, to re-
tain any mandate. any permanent
authority to arrogate to itself the
political control Of American public
life.
In the early days Of the Republic
these days when Arkansas became q
State-our life was simple.
Today that life is gone. It's SIM
plicity has vanished and we are each
and all of us parts of a social civili-
zatior which ever tends to greater
complexity.
Our country is indeed passing
through a period which is urgently in
need of ardent protectors of the rights
Of the common man. Mechanization
of industry and mass production have
put unparalleled power in the hands
of the few. No small part of our
problem today is to bring the fruits
Of this mechanization to the whole
people
The measure Of the need has been
the measure of the organization neces-
Sary to meet it. The human sympathy
of our people would have tolerated
nothing less. Common sense will
tolerate nothing more. "s'
Beneath one of the symbolical fg-
ures which guard the entrance to
our great new Archives Building in
Washington is inscribed this quota
ton from Shakespeare's tempest
What is past is prologue"
Times change, but mans basic
problems remain the same. He must
seek a new approach to their solu-
ton when old approaches fail him.
Prices, wages, hours Of labor, con-
ditions of employment, social secur-
ity, in short, the enjoyment Of all men
of their constitutional guarantees of
life, liberty and the pursuit OF happi-
neSs-these questions, so delicate in
their economic balance that any
change in their status Is reflected
with the speed Of light from Maine to
California-we are commencing to
solve.
Whether it be in the crowded tene-
ments of the great cities or on many
of the farm lands Of the Nation, we
know that there dwell millions Of our
fellow human beings who suffer from
the kind of poverty that spells un-
dernourishment and underprivilege.
If local government, If State gov
ernment, after exerting every reason
able effort, Is unable to better their
conditions, to raise or restore their
purchasing power. then surely it would
take a foolish and short-sighted man
to say that it Is no concern Of the
National Government itself
We know that equality of individ-
ual ability has never existed and never
will. but we insist that equality of OPP
portunity still must be sought. We
know that equality of local justice Is,
alas, not yet an established fact; this
also is goal we must and do seek.
Arkansas has given many distin-
guished men to the Nation, but, my
friends. want to tell you very simply
and from the heart that in the meet
ing Of our dificult problems of today,
no man deserves greater credit for
loyal devotion to a great cause than
my old friend and associate, Senator
Robinson Of Arkansas.
May repeat the historical maxim,
What is past Is prologue" It's mean
ing is not obscure. Out Of the story
Of mankind's long struggle to govern
himself we should learn lessons which
will guide us in solving the problems
which beSet us today.