Evening star., 1951-09-17

IoSAANAA wal oAlIs UllCy may NC CAC~
Icuted or eXiled without a fair trial
and without appeal.
The Soviet citizens live in fear.
Their society is a junglQ through
which the naked power of the gov
ernment prowls like a beast of
prey, making all men afraid.
Experience of Men Rejected.
The Communists claim that they
have to use the weapons of tyran-
ny in order to improve the condi-
tions of the people. But that is not
true, That is a rejection of the
long experience of mankind. BY
Iresorting to the worst evils of an
cient tyranny. the Soviet rulers
have held their citizens in terror
and bondage while freedom is
growing in the rest of the world.
And the evils which the Commu-
nists brought back into the world
the evils of political persecution
and unrestrained state power
have grown and f1ourished, and
become much more terrible than
they ever were before. Modern in
ventions, modern means of COM
munication, modern methods of
propaganda make the power of the
state more formidable than it was
! in the days of the stage coach and
the muzZle-loading musket. The
power of the Kremlin is more ef-
fective, more violent. more far
reaching than the power of the
Cars or the power of Genghis
Khan or the power of other ty-
rants of the past.
Today, the tyrant can uproot
and liquidate whole classes of
people and entire nations. The
death camps of Hitler Germany
or of modern Siberia demonstrate
that the unreStrained power of
the government can be a greater
evil in our modern civilization
than it ever was in ancient times
The only guarantee against
such a society of fear and cruelty
| is the principle that the govern
ment is not above the law. Our
Declaration of Independence and
our Constitution proclaim that
the Government is subject to the
fundamental law.
/ System of Checks and Balances.
The Constitution sets up a
system of internal checks and
balances which may seem cumber-
some to us at times, but which
succeeds in preventing any part
of the Government from having
absolute power. Under our Consti-
tuition. it is not only the citizens
who are made to conform to the
principles of justice, but the
Government itself. And the citi-
zen has the power to enforce his
rights against the Government.
The rule of law is made supreme
Our Constitution protects US
from the evils of tyranny. But
this is not all our Constitution
does. If it were, it would not be
enough.
A constitution must do more
than provide restraints against
the illegal use of power. 1t must
give the people means of dealing
with their day-to-day problems.
of continually correcting the in
justices that spring up in human
society. A constitution that is not
adaptable-that prevents the gov
ernment from acting for the gen.
eral welfare of the people--will
not long survive. 1t will become
a mere historical curiosity.
Ours is not such a Constitution.
We have discovered, over the
years, that it offers the means for
correcting present evils without
throwing away past gains.
There are always those who op-
pose necessary reforms. Such
people often turn to the Consti-
tuition to justify their position
But our Constitution has seldom
proved to be a barrier to changes
which were needed for the welfare
of all the people. Our Constitu-
ton has not set up an ariStocracy
of wealth or privilege. 1t does not
serve the privileged few at the ex-
pense of the great majority of the
people.
Means For Developing Ideas.
| The great advantages we have
made in recent years in legislation
to improve the condition of labor
to bring economic security to the
| farmer, to provide aid for the
needy. to develop the resources of
the country for the benefit of ali
/ to improve the health, the educa-
tion, and the housing of the aver
age family-all these advances
have been opposed in. the name of
the Constitution. But it never
was the purpose of the Constitu-
tion to bar such advances. On
the contrary, the Constitution
provides the means for carrying
into effect the fundamental ideas
of justice and liberty and human
progress on which our Govern
lernment is founded.
Acting under our Constitution
we have been able to solve the
problems which have driven other
countries into revolution We have
been able to make necessary re-
forms without overthrowing the
ancient guarantees of our liberty.
Building on the experience of the
past we have opened the way to a
brighter future.
On this occasion. we ought to
pray to Almighty God that the
American people will remain
faithful to the spirit of the Dec
laration of Independence and the
Constitution. We should ask that
they be ever mindful of the great
wisdom and truth that are en-
bodied in these two documents,
and through them, in our form of
government.
The wisdom of our form of
government is that no men, no
matter how good they may appear
Ifo hn Yoau ho onfrIIctod uJith oh.