Show I A fr CONFERENCE OF STATES Voicing the concern which thought thoughtful ful public men everywhere feel the New Ness York legislature has under con consideration consideration consideration a bill calling cailing a conference of delegates from each state to meet next October and frame Crame a policy which shall check hoek the tendency of or the na national national national administration toward contraIl centralization centralization of all power in the national goV goVernment ro go The conference is to be composed of three delegates from each state and will consider uniform legislation on such subjects as divorce labor public utilities fire fre and life Insurance and Interstate commerce with a view to preserving to the states the constitutional tonal rights which were reserved to them but which the federal adminis administration seems poems to think can en be abrogated ed oil e at t will willIn wi willIn In a 8 way the call caI for a conference is intended as an answer answer to Secretary Roots fleets Rots famous speech which was in interpreted as a threat from the admin administration adminIstration to assume state powers for fortha fortha forthe tha the federal federl government because some states have hae shown an Inability inabit or what the administration regards as Inability ty to discharge duties dutes implied In the constitutional compact Significance attaches to this move moe whether hether It materializes In a a confer conference conference conference ence or not because beuse it Indicates the extent of the dissatisfaction with wih the presidents attitude on this most Im un Important question queston of ot the day Representative McCall of Massachusetts in ina ina ina a notable address on birth birthday birthday day da expressed sed the tho fear fer which disturbs every thoughtful observer that this ten tendency tendency tendency dency toward centralization is not ful fully fulI fully ly I understood nor Its dangers danser appreciated elated cite by b the people generally He rep represents rEp represents resents re a much larger mass than thap he hI supposes suppo es in his criticism of the presidential dentini dental policy but such a conference as is proposed propos would woul go 0 far toward sentiment against a a fur further furth ther th r usurpation of state prerogative by bythe bythe bythe the executive such as has been maul mani manifested f ted in the San Francisco Frncisco case in the theat attempt at to pass the tho Beveridge child laboc bill bi and more recently recent in the summons to state governors of states to Washington on the presidents com corn command command mand Such centralization of power and en on encroachment encroachment on state prerogative as have been ben common with the president ent must either be bE resisted and the line lne of demarcation fixed or else eIsa state lines will wi be obliterated in all al but imaginary boundaries Since the great geat civil war warI it I has been leen supposed that no further question queston as to the limitations of na national national tonal power and states s ates rights rIght re remained remained maine to be determined but within this presidential term the executive has pushed encroachment to the point of absolute disregard of oC constitutional nl limitations ns ho has compelled Califor California mitt nia nia to abandon its it clear right to con control control control its is own schools he lie has suggested legislation in states and in various rous ways indicated his intention to extend his power beyond what have heretofore been ben regarded as aa constitutional boundaries Unless the fhe individual states are ready red to abandon the theory theor of ot the fathers and yield to the federal govern government ment meat the rights which were so jealous jealously ly l withheld in the founding of the gov gow government government some check heck upon these those en on encroachments encroachment of ot federal feder power will wl have to be devised in concert Whether the New York idea is adopted opted or not it is certain that a a rapidly growing gowing public sentiment will wi find a a form for of expression expression sion that will make clear the issue be between tween state and federal power and bring that issue to a conclusion in the tho thenet next net presidential campaign |