On MAY 15, 1926, President Calvin Coolidge stated at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia:
“The eminent divine Jonathan Mayhew…suggested to James Otis that the communion of churches furnished an excellent example for a communion of Colonies…
On the 6th of May, 1776…Edmund Pendleton…joined with Patrick Henry and Meriwether Smith in drafting resolutions to be proposed by Thomas Nelson, which refer to our country as ‘America’…
After setting out the grievances that it had endured and ‘appealing to the Searcher of Hearts for the sincerity of former declarations’ and a discussion in which Mason and Madison took part,
on the 15th of May, 1776, it was:
‘Resolved unanimously, that the delegates appointed to represent this Colony in General Congress be instructed to propose to that respectable body to declare the United Colonies free and independent States’…
But there is another element of recent development.
Direct primaries and direct elections bring to bear upon the political fortunes of public officials the greatly disproportionate influence of organized minorities.
Artificial propaganda, paid agitators, selfish interests, all impinge upon members of legislative bodies to force them to represent special elements rather than the great body of their constituency.
When they are successful, minority rule is established, and the result is an extravagance on the part of the Government which is ruinous to the people and a multiplicity of regulations and restrictions for the conduct of all kinds of necessary business, which becomes little less than oppressive…
No plan of centralization has ever been adopted which did not result in bureaucracy, tyranny, inflexibility, reaction, and decline.
Of all forms of government, those administered by bureaus are about the least satisfactory to an enlightened and progressive people.
Being irresponsible they become autocratic…
Unless bureaucracy is constantly resisted it breaks down representative government and overwhelms democracy.
It is the one element in our institutions that sets up the pretense of having authority over everybody and being responsible to nobody.
While we ought to glory in the Union and remember that it is the source from which the States derive their chief title to fame, we must also recognize that the national administration is not and can not be adjusted to the needs of local government…
The States should not be induced by coercion or by favor to surrender the management of their own affairs.
The Federal Government ought to resist the tendency to be loaded up with duties which the States should perform.
It does not follow that because something ought to be done the National Government ought to do it…
I want to see the policy adopted by the States of discharging their public functions so faithfully that instead of an extension on the part of the Federal Government there can be a contraction…
The principles of government have the same need to be fortified, reinforced, and supported that characterize the principles of religion.
After enumerating many of the spiritual ideals, the Scriptures enjoin us to ‘think on these things.’
If we are to maintain the ideals of government, it is likewise necessary that we ‘think on these things.'”
William J. Federer is a nationally known speaker, best-selling author, and president of Amerisearch, Inc., a publishing company dedicated to researching America’s noble heritage.
To learn more visit William Federer
Featured image: Calvin Coolidge by Charles Hopkinson, 1932
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