Evening star., 1938-01-25

kOA AAAASV0Ns AAAA0 &A C0Ay ~ WA0 Cl0&E
to the trainers Of our Constitution
that the greatest possible liberty Of
self-government must be given to each
State, and that any national admin
istration attempting to make all laws
tor tho whole Nation, such as was
wholly practical in Great Britain,
would inevitably result at Sbme future
time in q dissolution Of the Union
itself.
Fundamental Necessity.
"The preservation Of this home rule
by the States Is not . cry of jealous
comnonwealths seeking their own
aggrandizements ct tho expense Of
sister States. It is q fundamental
necessity II We are to remain q truly
united country. The whole success
Of our democracy has not been that
It is . democracy wherein the will Of
q bare majority Of the total inhabitants
is imposed upon the minority, but be-
cause 1t has been q democracy where,
through a dividing Of government into
units called States. the rights and In
terests Of the minority have been
respected and have always been given
q voice In the control of our affairs.
This Is the principle on which the
little State Of Rhode Island Is given
just as large q voice in our national
Senate as the great State Of New York.
The moment mere numerical
superiority by either States or voters
In this country proceeds to ignore the
needs and desires OF the minority, and,
for their own selfish purposes or ad-
vancement. hamper or oppress that
minority, or debar them in any way
from equal privileges and equal rights
that moment will mark the failure
Of our constitutional system.
The doctrine Of regulation and leg
islation by master minds in whose
Judgment and will all the people may
gladly and quietly acquiesce. has been
too glaringly apparent at Washington
during these last 10 years. Were 1t
possible to find master minds 30 un-
selfish; so willing to decide unhesi-
tatingly against their own personal in
terests or private prejudices; men al
most godlike in their ability to hold
the scales Of justice with an even hand
such q government might be to the
interests Of the country, but there are
none such on our political horizon,
and we cannot expect a complete re-
versal OF all the teachings in history.
Now, to bring about government by
oligarchy masquerading as democracy.
1t is fundamentally essential that prac-
tically all authority and control be
centralized in our National Govern
ment. The individual sovereignty of
our States must first be DESTROYED.
except in mere minor matters of leeis-
lation. We are safe from the danger Of
any such departure from the principles
on which this country was founded
Just so long as the individual home rule
OF the States is scrupulously preserved
and fought for whenever they seem
In danger.
Thus 1t will be seen that this home
rule is most important thinp-the
most vital thing-if we are to continue
along the course on which We have 30
FAR progressed with such unprece-
dented success"
No Master Minds.
Such are the words Of the President
and they are timeless words In nv
opinion he never has made a better
speech. They warn us against this
legislation: they warn us even that
this sort Of legislation alters the char
acter Of and jeopardizes the existence
OF the republic itself. And they warn
us that there are no master minds 40
great and pure as to make q success
OF such legislation as this.
Precedents are dangerous things
They open doors that shut behind us
never again to open. They command
march into the unknown In which
there Is no retreat. The proponents of
this legislation have an honest OBJ
jective, q good objective. a moral OBJ
jective, a humane objective. But thev
do not seem to realize that they are
about to open q door in our land that
once opened, may never again be re.
opened. 1t Is the door Of political
Federal control OF labor and industry
as well as hours and wages. 1t NAV
be Immediately q door Of relief-and
1t may not be. It may work we'll here
and III there. But 1t will not work
well for any one long. AS this door
OF Federal control opens those who
open them must close other doors
that Is. the door Of freedom. the door
OF local self-government, the door Of
self-reliance, the door OF our cherished
American system. They are closing
the door Of liberalism They are clos
ing the door Of the right and the COM
petence Of Americans to do for them.
selves. to rely on themselves, to find
or make their way forward. They are
closing the door Of the great room in
which so much has been achieved now
for $50 years.
And upon what does the new door
open? Why. upon nothing less than
the old system Of the rule of the
masses Of men by central political au-
thority, to escape which the God of
the Ages preserved our land until the
fullness of His good time had come, to
which He led our forefathers, and in
which He gave them grace and wis
dom to frame and preserve our noble
system of freedom -of government
with iberty-under which the masses
Of men have achieved a progress with
out compare in all the story Of man.
kinds upward struggle.