| Show Hoovers Hoover's Constitution Day Address iL Tells Perils Facing Bill Hi II of Rights SAN DIEGO Cal Sept 17 UP W P Foll Following Following Is s the text tex of former President Herbert Hoovers Hoover's Constitution Constitution Con Con- day speech here hero today In Ita the 1 12 2 minutes which I oc occupy occupy occupy oc- oc cupy I in this discussion I shall refer to but one phase of the CO Con Co- Constitution In its its' m many ny b bearings upon national life that life that is ia the bill of rights Today the Constitution Is Indeed Indeed In In- deed under more vivid discussion than at at any MY time since the thel years b before fore the civil war The background background background back back- ground of that issue was negro slavery but butin In the foreground was the constitutional question of states' states rights and In the final determination determination de de- termination was the fate of oC the union The aroused Interest of oC today is again the e rights of ot m men n. n Today the issue is the rights of the they individual in relation to the government ent this too Involves the fate of the nation If It for no other reason this discussion ha has been forced force l upon us b because cause new philosophies ies And nd new theories of ff government have arisen in the world which militantly deny the tho Validity of our principles O Our r Constitution Is Is' not alone I g plan of a g great geat at federation federation fed fed- cration of states under representative tati e government There Thero is embedded embedded em em embedded bedded In it also the vital principles principles principles prin prin- of the American system of liberty That system Is s based upon certain inalienable freedoms and protections which not even the government may infringe an and which we call the bill of ot rights It does docs not require a lawyer to in interpret interpret in- in those provisions They are areas areas areas as clear as ass the Ten Command Command- m merits ments Among oth others rs the freedom free free- dom of worship freedom of speech and of the press the the right of peaceable assembly equality before before before be be- fore the law just jus trial for crime freedom from unreasonable search and security from being being- deprived of life liberty or property property prop prop property erty without due process of law are the principles principles' which distinguish distinguish distinguish distin distin- our civilization Herein are are the invisible sentinels which guard the door of every home from Invasion in invasion invasion in- in of coercion of Intimidation and fear Herein is the expression expression expression sion of the spirit of men who would be forever free Growth of Centuries These rhese rights were were verc no sudden discovery discovery dis dis- overy covery covery no overnight inspiration They were established by hY centuries centuries centuries cen cen- of struggle in which men died fighting bitterly for their recognition Their beginnings lie in the Magna Charta at Runnymede Runnymede Runnymede Runny- Runny mede years before the Con Con- Constitution Constitution lon was written Down through the centuries the habeas habeas' corpus the he petition of rights the declaration of ot rights the growth of the fundamental maxims maxims maxims max max- i ims of the common law marked their expansion and security O Our r fo forefathers rs migrated to America that they might attain them more fully When they wrote the Declaration Dec- Dec larati n of Independence they boldly extend extended d these rights B BeSore Before Be Be- lorethe Sore fore the Constitution could be berat- berat ratified ratified rat rat- patriotic men who feared leared a return to tyranny whose chains had been thrown off oCI only after y years of ot ton toll and bloody war insisted insisted in insisted in- in that th these se hard won I rights right should be Incorporated in black and white within the Constitution tion and tion-and and so came the American bill of ot rights In the tho hurricane of revolutions which have swept the world since the tho great grea war me men struggling with tho the wreckage and poverty of that great catastrophe and the complications of t the e mac machine ine age are re In despair despal surrendering their fre freedom dom for false promises of ot economic security Whether Whether- it t be f fascist ItAly nazi Germany communist corn com Russia or their lesser followers followers fol foJ- fol- fol low lowers rs the result is the same Every day they repudiate every v ry principle of the bill blU of rl rights Freedom of worship is as denied Freedom Freedom of speech is s suppressed The pre press s is is s. s censored aJ and d distorted dis dis- dl distorted with propaganda T The e right o of criticism ri is denied Men go goto to jail or oi the gallows gallows' for honest host hon est cst opinion They may not as assemble assemble as as- for discussion They speak of public affairs only In hi whisp whispers ts is r T They e are subject t. t to search and seizure by spies and inquisitors who hn haunt t the e la land d. d The safeguards fiords in trial or or i imprisonment t are are s set t. t aside There Ther is no right in one ones one's s savings or ones one's wn own home wl which ich the government government gov gov- government need r respect Ch Charges Servitude Here s I-s is a f form rm of ot servitude or slavery slavery slavery-a a slipping back toward the tho middle ages Whatever these governments are re they have one common denominator the the citizen citizen citizen citi citi- zen has no assured rights He is submerged into the state Here is the most fundamental clash known to that mankind mankind that is free trec freemen freemen I Imen men and women cooperating under under under un un- un- un der orderly liberty as contrasted with h human J beings made pawns of Idi dictatorial government men who are slaves of despotism as against free men who are the masters of the state Even in America where liberty blazed brightest and by Its glow I shed light on all the others it is besieged fro iron from without and challenged challenged chal chal- challenged from within Many May In honest belief h hold ld that we cannot longer accommodate the growth of science technology and mechanical mechanical me me- chani al power oyier t to the bill of rights and our form of ot f government govern govern- ment With that I do not oat agree Mens Men's i in ie cannot c be of more value than men themselves But It would be that better-that we sacrifice e something of oC ec economic efficiency than to surrender these primary liberties In them lies a spiritual right of ot men Beh Behind nd them is the conception which is the highest development of the Christian faith the faith the concentration concentration tion of individual freedom with brotherhood From them is the fullest flowering of individual human human human hu hu- man man personality Those who proclaim im that h t by the tho machine age there is created an irreconcilable conflict t in which liberty must be sacrificed should not forget the battles for these rights over the centuries for let it be remembered that in the end these are are und undying ing principles Which which spring from the souls of men We Ve imagine conflict not because the principles of liberty are unworkable in a machine age but because we have not worked them conscientiously or have forgotten forgotten forgotten for for- gotten their true meaning Sees No 10 Pron Promised Gain Nor do I admit that sacrifice of these rights I would add to economic economic economic eco eco- efficiency or would gain in economic security or would find finda a single job or w would uld give a single single single sin sin- gle assurance in old age The dynamic forces which sustain economic eco ceo I security and progress Inhuman inhuman In Inhuman human comfort lie Jie deep below the surface They reach to those human human human hu hu- man impulses which arc watered alone by freedom The initiative of ot men their enterprise the in inspiration inspiration inspiration in- in of thought flower in full only in m the security of these thes rights And by practical experience under under under un un- der the American system we have tested this truth And here I may repeat repeat- what I have said elsewhere Down t through ro gh a century and a half this American concept of human human human hu hu- hu- hu man freedom edom ha has had enriched the whole world From the release of the spirit the initiative the coop cooperation and the courage of m men n which alone comes comes of ot these tre freedoms doms has been budded this very machine age with all its additions additions ad ad- of t comfort its reductions o of sweat Wherever Wherever-in in the tho world I the system m of ofU aJI liberty Y has been sustained mankind has been better clothed better fed fed better housed has h had d more lei lei- lei sure Above all men and women have had more self They have been more generous and of finer spirit Those hose who vho s scoff that liberty liberty lib lib- lib lib- erty is of no consequence to the underprivileged and the unemployed are grossly Ignorant of the primary fact that it is through the e creative and the productive impulses s of free men that the re redemption redemption re- re of those sufferers andI and I their economic security must come which curtails these freedoms and stimulants tomen tomen to tomen men destro destroys s the possibility of the the f full Jl production from which economic eco eco- economic J security can alone come I Balance of of Powers These rights and pr protections of the bill of rights are safeguarded Inthe In the constitution through a delicate dell deli t cate ca cate e. e balance and separation of powers In the framework of our government That hat has has' been founded on the tho experience over centuries including our own own day Libe Liberty is Is' safe only by a division division divi divi- sion slon of powers and upon local I self self government We know full tull well that power feeds teeds up upon tinon 1 Itself partly from the greed of power and partly from the Innocent be behot be- be hot lief that Utopia can ca'n can be att attained ined by dictation n or coercion Nor is respect for the tho bill bilI of ot rights a fetter tetter upon progress progress Itha It ha has been no no dead hand that hat ha baa ha J Ji i i jit ji i I r carried the living principles of I liberty over these centuries Without Without Without With With- out violation of these principles and their safeguards we have amended the constitution many times in the past century to meet the problems of ot growing tion We Vo will no doubt do so many times again Always groups of audacious men In government or or out will attempt to consolidate privilege against their fellows New invention invention- and new ideas re require require re- re quire the constant remolding of our civilization The fun functions of government must be readjusted from time to time to restrain the tho strong and protect the weak That Thatis I is the preservation of liberty it it- it self We Interpret t somo sarno provisions of the bill of rights rights' IS so that the they override others They indeed jo jostle Ue each other In course of changing national I life buts life but their respective domains can be defined by virtue by reason and by law Jaw And the freedom of men menIs menIs menis Is not possible without virtue reason reason reason rea rea- son and law Jaw Liberty Comes A Alone one Liberty comes alone and lives alone alono where the won hard rights of men arc where governments themselves may not infringe where governments are arc indeed but the mechanisms to protect and sustain these ples It was this concept for which Americas America's sons have died on a hundred battlefields For 20 years in the service of my country at home and abroad I have dealt with tho the backwash of war and revolution I have had poignant duty to observe the beginning beginning beginning be be- ginning and the march of forces which lead lend to the overthrow of liberty In many lands I have known the men who fought bravely brave brave- ly to lo save humanity from these I h have ve one conclusion conclusion conclusion con con- from it all Liberty never dies from direct attack No one will vill dare rise tomorrow to tomorrow tomorrow to- to morrow and say he is opposed to the tho bill of rights Liberty dies from the encroachment and disregard disregard disregard dis dis- dis- dis regard of its safeguards Its de destruction destruction destruction de- de Can ran be Ibe no less Jess potent from Ignorance or r desire to find shortcuts to jump over some somo immediate immediate im im- im mediate pressure In our country abdication of its responsibilities I and powers by congress to the I executive the repudiation by the 1 government of its obligations the I centralization of authority into I federal gov government at the expense of ot local government the building up of huge bureaucracies the coercion or Intimidation o of citizen citizens citizens citi citi- zens zen are the same sort of first sapping of safeguards of oC human rights that have taken place in other lands Here Is the cause of ot anxiety and concern to the thinking thinking thinking think think- ing citizens of the United States George Washington in Iri his fare farewell farewell fare fare- well address warned One method of ot assault may beto be to effect cUed in the form of constitution constitution constitution tion alterations which may impair impair im im- pair pall the energy of the system m and thus to undermine undermine that that which cannot cannot can can- cannot not be directly overthrown Yet every form of constructive progress can be developed within the tho spirit and safeguards of the bill of rights That is the only foundation upon which progress progress' maybe permanent All AH other foundations foundations foun toun- are the sands of disaster The nation seeks for solution of many difficulties These solutions can come alone through the constructive constructive con con- forces which arise from the tho spirit of free men and women The purification of liberty from abuses the restoration of confidence confidence confidence dence in the tho rights of men from which come the release of the dynamic dynamic dynamic dy- dy forces of initiative and enterprise enterprise enterprise en en- are alone the methods through which these solutions can be found and the purpose of oC American American Amer Amer- lean ican life assured Scotland may have a hour forty-hour work week |
