The Washington times., 1937-06-15
The Fear of the Founders
BIZ J. T. Williams, Jr.

today they when he said them than
"A century ago these words of Patrick Henry, the
patriot and orator. who ended his earthly pilgrim
age this very month hundred and thirty eight years
II have but lamp by which my feet guided; and
that is the lamp of experience know Of way of judging
of the future but by the past.
1t their habit of judging the future by the past that
led the Founders of the American Union to very whole
fear of unlimited power.
This apprehension their reflected the prevailing
sentiment of the people whom the Founders represented
the people of the Thirteen Provinces that later became the
Thirteen Original States of the Union.
And the for this apprehension will be recalled
the minds of the people they begin next September
celebrate the hundred and eth anniversary of the
adoption of the Federal Constitution
These have been clearly forth than
by Henry Adams the American historian and eminent in
terpreter of the administration of Thomas jefferson
1.-THE great object of terror and suspicion to the people of
the Thirteen Provinces he pointed out was power; not
merely power in the hands of President Prince
assembly or Of several Of many citizens Of few but power
in the abstract wherever it existed and under whatever
name it was known"
At that time the European political belief was that
"supreme irresistible authority must exist somewhere in
every government"
But the Trainers of the Federal Constitution who were
meeting in convention at Philadelphia hundred and fifty
years ago this by of the Constitution which
they agreed upon, deliberately made IAN issue with
qut when they to deal with this question power
AS Mr. Adams says, America challenged the European
political belief that be given supreme power
in order to exist and asserted:
THAT the principle not true
THAT no such supreme power need exist in government
allowed to exist because absolute in any form is in
consistent with freedom"
This firm belief the part of the who made the
Constitution led Them the establishment of the Fed
eral Government to provide that it should be Government
of limited and of three branches independent of each
other and each responsible the people for the of the
power delegated to EACH
Europe and America still divided this question of
supreme Europe cngs the belief that somewhere
IN every government absolute power must reside.
America has maintained government for hundred and
fifty years to which the people have denied absolute power
in any branch.
And whenever by whomsoever it proposed to Euro
peanlze IN whole part the American system of
men the underlying purpose of the change is in the drec-
ton of that unlimited which European
insist upon necessary to their exsencethat despotc
which the Founders of the American Union denied
was essential to the life of the they established
to protect the American people.
This question of unlimited power will be much to the fore
when the Senate starts debate of making
radical changes in the Judicial Branch of 1t
VIII be the theme OF many public address during the
SeSqucenennial Celebration And Americans will again
have the chance to judge the future by the past.