The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1936-06-20

milton that freedom was birth
right. 1t was the natural and in
alienable condition of beings who
were created "a little lower than
the angels" With it went the
principle of equality. Not an E.
quality of possessions, not an equal
ity of degree, but an equality in
the attribute of humanity, an equal
ity of kind each is possessed OF the
divine power to know the truth.
In the possession, maintenance
and enjoyment of these rights the
individual has the guarantees OF
public law. Freedom is secured
by every means legislative ingenui-
ty can provide.
There should be no class distinc-
tons. The government should deal
with its citizens on the basis of
equality. The high estate Of man
kind should not be disregarded.
These are the ideals which supply
the foundation of our constitutions.
It would be idle to claim that they
are always carried into effect be-
fore action can be perfect. Know
ledge must be perfect and that
state has by no means been reach
ed, but it is easy to see what a
change in these standards would
m D y if we are not to
proceed on the assumption of the
mate nobility of mankind, then
there must be an assignment Of
some lower estate. If freedom
and equality are not to be main
tanned, then there must be servitude
and class distinction. If all Of the
people are not permitted to rule,
then there must be a rule Of part
of the people. If there be self
government, there must be some
form of despotic government. II
the individual is not to have the
dollar which he himself earns, then
he must be forced to hand it over
to someone who has not earned it.
Those who advocate a change in
our standard, a change in our l.
deals, a change in our institutions,
a change in our government, can
only proceed in this direction. No
other course is open to them. The
proposal to depoil others of their
possessions is a manifestation Of
the same spirit Of the Black LIE
gion. This is the reason that to
certain of our native born, and
more often to class Of our foreign
born, our form of government
meant the absence of all restraint,
that independence means living
without work, that freedom Is the
privilege of doing what they want
ed to do. 1t is hard earned les
son for them to learn that self
government is still government,
that the rule Of the people does
not mean absence Of authority, that
independence means self support
and that complete freedom means
complete obedience to law. They
are disappointed more than even
when they learn, as they ever do,
that these are so not because they
have been decreed by some body
of men, but that they are so by the
very nature Of things, and all the
governments in the world are po-
werless to change them. OF course
it would be folly to argue that the
peope cannot make political mis-
takes. They can and do make
grave mistakes, they know It. They
pay the penalty
It is we'll also that the people
have power to organize for their
political and industrial protection
and advantage. Here too, there
may be serious errors, but here
too, such errors have been matched
by the errors Of those charged
with the responsibility Of manage
ment, often times the burden and
loss fall on the innocent, this Is
all a part OF the price Of freedom.
We have to bear one another's
burdens, whether we will or no.
We have to make common sacri-
flee for the common good We can