A Government of Laws,Not of Men - Annual Address - November 21, 1912

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Patrick

Address delivered at the Annual Banquet of the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York on November 21, 1912 by James M. Beck. The speech argues that effective government depends on a spirit combining liberty and justice with self-restraint by the people. It reflects on the Constitution’s 125th anniversary, recounts the centennial celebration, and contrasts political ideals with practical stability and lawful governance through historical examples.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

An address

A Government of Laws,Not of Men

Annual Banquet of the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York

97-84041-27Beck,James Montgomery # An address [Philadelphia][1912] COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIESPRESERVATION DIVISION # BIBLIOGRAPHIC MICROFORM TARGET ORIGINAL MATERIAL AS FILMED·EXISTING BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD RESTRICTIONS ON USE: Ropoductions may no b mao without pemison to Coumba Unersty Lbrarios # TECHNICAL MICROFORM DATA REDUCTION RATIO: //./IMAGE PLACEMENT:IAIB B DATE FILMED: 3-6-97 INITIALS: MS TBACKING\#: 170 FILMED BY PRESERVATION RESOURCES,BETHLEHEM,PA. 0 2 73 # A Government of Laws,Not of Men Delivered at the # Annual Banquet of the Chamber of Commerce of theState of New York November 21,1912 By The Honorable James M.Beck “A GOVERNMENT OF LAWS,NOT OF MEN.” ADDRESS BY THE HONORABLE JAMES M.BECK. Delivered at the anntual banquet of the Chamber of Commerceof the State of New York,November 2I,I9T2. MR.CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN OF THE CHAMBER OFCoMMERCE:When I received the invitation of the Chamberof Commerce to speak on this occasion,I could only regardit,having due regard for the important position which theChamber has always occupied in this city,as being almostthe equivalent,in a democratic community,to a royal com-mand. 26 hack,1920-c.R,W I,as all this audience,was most deeply impressed by thespeech of the distinguished Senator from New York.Elim-inating for the moment his most timely and interesting ref-erence to the moral duty of this county in regard to thePanama Canal,I was deeply interested by Senator Root'sstatement that,in any form of government,it is necessary toits effective and practical workings that there should be aspirit not only of liberty and justice but of self restraint onthe part of the people.I cordially assent to that which hesaid with his felicity of diction,and I venture to add,that itis not only necessary that there should be,in any free people,a spirit of liberty,but that it is absolutely essential that thatspirit of liberty should have its practical expression in a work-ing government that will have both stability and justice in itspractical operation. There has been,so far as I know,no public reference inthe editorials to which the Mayor has referred,or in any pub-lic speech in recent months,to the fact that this is the onehundred and twenty-fifth year of the Constitution of theUnited States.One hundred and twenty-five years ago,someforty gentlemen with powdered queues and knee breeches metin the assembly room of Independence Hall,and there triedto accomplish the stupendous task,in a time of peace,ofputting all of the comprehensive powers of government intoone compact written statement.They fulfilled this purpose asno other generation had,and they had that spirit of liberty,towhich Senator Root has referredas no other generation ever 4 had.They had not been unfamiliar with a written consti-tution,because they had already framed one that had signallyfailed.They lived in a time of political philosophy in whichmuch was said about the rights of men,and in which almostevery nation in civilization was inspired as perhaps no preced-ing generation had been,with all the noble ideals to which ref-erence has been made.And yet,although a constitution hadbeen formed before,and although Edmund Burke had said,not long before this constitution was framed,that nationswere confounded with“nests of pigeonholes,crammed fullwith constitutions ticketed,assorted and ready made,"for thefirst time in history that convention formed and laid down aconstitution carrying out in a practical way the most phil-osophic ideals of English and French statesmen.That consti-tution is yet younger than this Chamber of Commerce,and istill,after one hundred and twenty-five years,standing uponits feet. Twenty-five years ago it was my privilege,as a young mem-ber of the Philadelphia bar,to take part in the Centennialcelebration of the adoption o

FAQs

Who delivered the address and when was it delivered?

James M. Beck delivered the address on November 21, 1912, at the Annual Banquet of the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York.

What principle does the speaker say is necessary for effective government?

The speaker argues that effective government requires liberty and justice, alongside self-restraint by the people.

How does the address relate its arguments to the U.S. Constitution?

The speech references the Constitution’s 125th year and discusses how the constitutional convention produced a practical framework that has endured through time.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Patrick