Evening star., 1944-11-08
Letters to The Star
Offers Post. Election View
of Constitutional System
To the Editor Of The star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
Inherently, all life upon earth is
stern. This has brought about mans
civilization to escape from the dangers
and hardships of predatory existence
common to all animal life in its natural
state.
With civilization came government.
First in the home, then in q collection
Of the homes, or with the tribe; and I'm
ally in the state, protecting men by law
in their efforts to advance in intellectual
strength, decency and industry, and so
raise themselves above the brute crea-
ton Of which man is an acknowledged
part
AS mans condition Is by nature stern,
SO must his laws be, at times, sternly
administered. When administered Justly
and intelligently, such administration
cannot produce unnecessary hardships.
Upon the other hand, when administra-
ton is arrogant and tyrannical there
must be much hardship, injustice, loss
of liberty and oppression, followed by
bloody revolution.
The American constitutional system
has made the wisest provisions for the
just and honest administration of
government ever devised for the pro-
lection and encouragement of man;
prevention Of tyranny and oppression.
When administered with consideration,
justice and mercy 1t works no injustice
and is better and more reliable sys-
tenn than one under which individual
hope, enterprise and ingenuity are
blanketed and persons taught to rely
upon government officials and not upon
themselves for support and success.
Their ofhcials, necessarily drawn from
amongst themselves, sooner or later
must be unable to carry on for them
selves or others.
Born to a stern existence man can
not devise system under which he
can escape the responsibilities of his
nature imposed existence There Is no
formula for such improvement possible.
What he cannot do individually for
himself man cannot do In community
with others. The commune Is tabooed
by the law of nature governing all ex-
istence
BY his superiority of intellect man is
fortunately so constituted as to be able
to rise above the animal impulses of
his nature. His power of speech dis
tinguishes him from every other animal.
Also his power to produce more of one
article than he can use but not all which
he requires forces him into the society
of others and through barter and sale
each secure for himself all that he
needs. Laws then must be made to
protect each against the dishonesty of
others and those in turn against any
dishonesty which may be shown them.
Abuse of too many secured privileges
oftentimes brings about a thoughtless
reaction against them. Then the
thoughtless seek change in hope that
they will be secure against the abuses of
their times, not realizing that one sys-
tenn can be abused as readily as another
Murder of a system as a cure for abuse
is suicide. A wise warning Is that OF
Pope:
Where grows? Where grows 1t not?
If vain our toll, We ought to blame the
culture, not the soil"
1t may be helpful also to recall the
old fable of the dog with the meat
crossing stream upon log and seeing
the reflection Of himself and meat
magnified in the water, drops the meat
to seize the supposed larger piece only
to find that he has dropped the sub
stance for the shadow.
Surely 1t is safer ITO endure the Ills
we have than to ny to those we know
not Of" F. S. KEY-SMITH,