The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-03-16

~. -, dIC uiidiiSh'S ~
for a masters degree at the UNI
versity of Pennsylvania. She re-
Gently told meeting OF women
that thew need 10 find outside in
,erests once their children are
Drown
Have the American people sunk
so low that they can no longer
govern themselves or decide for
themselves or be trusted but must
be MADE to conform to what a
group thinks is best for them!
This is the method of dictatorship
and not of democracy. | speak OF
the method and not of the man,
and | would say the same who
ever the man was. | cOnccdc the
best of motives TO the president
and do not believe and have
never said that ne personally
wished to become II dictator OF
the European type.
But what of Others? If the pee.
pie yield up that power reserved
10 them alone to alter the consti-
tuition, what may happen in other
circumstances and under other
leaders? Has not Mr.. Roosevelt
himself warned us? Did ne not
tell us month ago that already
such instruments of power had
been built up by the government
in Washington as, in the wrong
hands might Shackle the sibeEtieS
of the people? Think Of some of
the powers already conferred up
on him. He can again devalue the
dollar when he pleases. With the
secretary of the treasury he can
manipulate the sterilization fund
of $2,000,000.000 mot subject to
review by any other officer of
the United States" He can have
issued S3,000,000,000 in green
backs: can decree free and unlim-
tied coinage of silver overnight;
can rule how gold may be acQuir-
ed, held, transported, imported or
exported. He can raise ~ lover
any tariff by as much us 90 per
cent. He, can spend, almost ut his
own discretion sum practically
TWICE as large as the entire fed
elal budget in. 1913. He can de-
termine the rates of pay Of about
100000 people. A publicity
plant for controlling public opin-
ion such as we never saw before
has been built up in the depart
ments. These are only some Of the
powers. HE has which. no other
president; has had, and now ave
are ASKED to- allow HIM and con
eresS 70 control the supreme
CONT, e. ; s.A..s.. - {. y
These are some of those movers
he must have had in mind; when
he said that in the wrong hands
they might shackle our liberties.
In whose hands will these aud per-
hapS more powers be in five
years. ten years? Obviously not
in. those of Mr.. Roosevelt. It's ut
terly impossible for him or us to
say IN WHOSE. Especially since
the war American elections have
been, subject to wide swings.
Roosevelt got just over GO per
cent of the popular vote last year
but the Republicans got nearly
Ga per cent in 1920 under Hard
ing, and Coolidge got over 60 per
cent in 1924. A hundred years
and more ago we had what was
called the Era of Good Feeling,
and Monroe polled all but one of
the. entire electoral vote in 1920.
But by 1924 his party had been
split .ipto four factions each with
a candidate for president in the
field. Who can say what the next
few years may bring, and in
whose hands may rest these pow
ers the president has warned us
of?
Do we want to give up any
more to the unknown men of the |
future? Do we above all, want to
give up our inherent right to have |
voice in the changing of the |
constitution and of our funda- |
mental law? Remember that the
constitution as originally drawn
and with all it's amendments, is a |
SINGLE INSTRUMENT. The
method of changing ONE part
may be used on ALL. If the peo-
pie are not to pass on amend
ments but if the constitution is
to be changed by packing the
court, then that same method
might some day be used to alter
those parts which guarantee us
our religious anu other liberties
as well as those relating to COM
merce and other matters. The
only thing which we can do now
Is to- make ourselves heard as
loudly as possible in Washington. :.
(Would that we had with JUS to-
day, on the anniversary of his
NINETY-SIXTH birthday, that
great liberal, the late Justice Oil
yer Wendell Holmes, who retain
ed to the end his patriotism, his
liberalism, his broad interpreta-
ton of both life and law, and
that vision which enabled him to
sle,- like Washington, not merely
what might be desirable FOR THE
MOMENT but what WOULD
BUILD SOLIDLY FOR THE FU-
TURE.) %
As an ordinary American, as a
fellow citizen, | plead with you,
in closing, not to allow the indie
pendence of the court to be sac
rificed to the changing moods of
an electorate as reflected in even
the best legislature, or subject to