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The Project Gutenberg eBook, Experiments in Government and the Essentials of the Constitution, by Elihu Root This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Title: Experiments in Government and the Essentials of the Constitution Author: Elihu Root Release Date: December 17, 2003 [eBook #10485] Language: English Character set encoding: US-ASCII ***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EXPERIMENTS IN GOVERNMENT AND THE ESSENTIALS OF THE CONSTITUTION*** E-text prepared by Afra Ullah, Lazar Liveanu, David King, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team EXPERIMENTS IN GOVERNMENT AND THE ESSENTIALS OF THE CONSTITUTION BY ELIHU ROOT 1913 PREFACE The familiar saying that nothing is settled until it is settled right expresses only a half truth. Questions of general and permanent importance are seldom finally settled. A very wise man has said that "short of the multiplication table there is no truth and no fact which must not be proved over again as if it had never been proved, from time to time." Conceptions of social rights and obligations and the institutions based upon them continue unquestioned for long periods as postulates in all discussions upon questions of government. Whatever conduct conforms to them is assumed to be right. Whatever is at variance with them is assumed to be wrong. Then a time comes when, with apparent suddenness, the ground of discussion shifts and the postulates are denied. They cease to be accepted without proof and the whole controversy in which they were originally established is fought over again. The people of the United States appear now to have entered upon such a period of re-examination of their system of government. Not only are political parties denouncing old abuses and demanding new laws, but essential principles embodied in the Federal Constitution of 1787, and long followed in the constitutions of all the states, are questioned and denied. The wisdom of the founders of the Republic is disputed and the political ideas which they repudiated are urged for approval. I wish in these lectures to present some observations which may have a useful application in the course of this process. I E
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