Evening star., 1937-01-20
Continued From First Page.)

epidemics just as. after centuries
Of fatalistic suffering. we had found
Q way to master epidemics of dis
ease. We refused to leave the
problems Of our common welfare to
be solved by the winds of chance
and the hurricanes Of disaster.
Writing New Chapter
In Self Government Book.
In this we Americans were dis
covering no wholly new truth; We
were writing a new chapter in our
book OF self-government.
This year marks the l50th ami
versary Of the Constitutional Con-
vention, which made us a nation.
At that convention our forefathers
found the way out of the chaos
which followed the Revolutionary
War; they created q strong Gov
ernment with powers Of united ac-
ton sufiicient then and now to
solve problems utterly beyond in
dividual or local solution. A CEN
tury and q half ago they estab-
lished the Federal Government in
order to promote the general well
fare and secure the blessings of
liberty to the American people.
Today we invoke those same
powers Of government to achieve
the same objectives.
-Four years of new experience
have not belied our historic in
stinct. They hold out the clear
hope that government within COM
munities, government within the
separate States, and Government
of the United States can do the
things the times require. without
yielding its democracy. Our tasks
in the last four years did not
force democracy to take a holiday.
Nearly all Of us recognize that,
as intricacies Of human relation
ships increase, so power to govern
them also must increase-power to
stop evil; power to do good. The
essential democracy Of our nation
and the safety of our people de-
pend not upon the absence Of
power but upon lodging It with
those whom the people can change
or continue at stated intervals
through an honest and free system
Of elections. The Constitution Of
1887 did not make our democracy
impotent.
Exercise Of All Power
Made More Democratic.
In fact, in these last four years
we have made the exercise Of all
power more democratic; for we
have begun to bring private auto
cratic powers into their proper
subordination to the public's Gov
ernment. The legend that they
were invincible-above and beyond
the processes Of a democracy-has
been shattered. They have been
challenged and beaten.
Our progress out Of the depres-
sion Is obvious.
But that Is not all that you and
Imean by the new order Of things.
Our pledge was not merely to do
a patchwork job with second
hand materials. BY using the new
materials of social justice We have
undertaken to erect on the old
foundations q more enduring
structure for the better use Of
future generations.
In that purpose we have been
helped by achievements Of mind
and spirit. Old truths have been
relearned; untruths have been un-
learned. We have always known
that needless self-interest was bad
morals: we know now that 1t Is bad
economics. Out Of the collapse of
a prosperity whose builders boasted
their practically has come the con-
viction that in the long run eco
nomic morality pays. We are be-
ginning to wipe out the line that
divides the practical from the
ideal; and In 50 doing We are fash
ioning an instrument of unimag-
ined power for the establishment Of
q morally better world.