OCR Text |
Show UNITY IN THE REPUBLIC While thousands of persons, including the Governors of thirty-four thirty-four states looked on, Governor Broughton of North Carolina, representing rep-resenting the South and Governor Saltonstall of Massachusetts, representing rep-resenting the North, shook hands on the battlefield of Gettysburg to symbolize the unity of forty-eight American States. The tableaux was appropriate, despite minor irritations which sometimes attract unwarranted public attention. Loyalty and unity pervade the Republic with little trace of the bitter hatred that prevailed pre-vailed less than eighty years ago. Because the Union successfully withstood the threat of secession and stands stronger than ever among the nations of the ear-th today does not mean, however, that it is immune to the processes that sometime result in the dissolution of nations. It is not disloyalty to suggest, even in the midst of the present war, that the future greatness of the country depends upon the wisdom wis-dom and restraint of a strong federal government which must be willing to recognize and respect the inalienable rights of the people of the separate states. To this end, it will be necessary for the people of the United States, in the course of the coming years, to delineate and define the area in which Federal authority shall be supreme. That this, is necessary neces-sary in order to meet the problems of the present age is certain. Just as apparent is the necessity for definite restrictions upon the power 'exercised by the central government. There must be generous recognition of the rights of the people to local self-government through the instrumentality of state and municipal governments. |