November, 1937
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
457
THE CHRISTIAN VIEW OF CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT [ Continued, from page 425] revolt under itself. A well-organized minor ity, welded into cohesion by oppression, frequently will win out over a whole people which lack organization and unity. It is a fundamental moral principle that the liberty and welfare of all depend upon the liberty and welfare of each. The great est good of the mass depends upon securing the greatest good of the individual. Under God, the majority can benefit itself only by a system of government which respects the rights of the minority and which obeys moral principles in seeking the common good. The masses can never achieve real benefits by taking to themselves authority above moral and Constitutional principles, founded upon the divine moral order.
Injustice in Spite of the Constitution We must recognize, of course, that selfish minorities have frequently exploited large groups of our people. Ruthless individuals have interpreted-individual liberty to mean individual license to 'exploit the common people. Clever lawyers have sometimes twisted property rights to make possible the destruction of human rights. There have been politicians in office who have favored the strong at the expense of the weak. They have upheld the Constitutional rights of a privileged few, while they have permitted the destruction of the rights of the many. Too often our elected officeholders have failed to live up to the letter and the spirit of the Constitution. Injustices have been done under the Constitution, but no injustice has been or can be done according to the Constitution. The Constitution provides for liberty and justice for all. But legislators, influenced by lobbyists and political ma chines, have frequently passed laws which grant special privileges to some, while equal rights are denied to others. All this failure in true justice causes some men to feel that there is something wrong with our Constitutional form of government. They blame the system for in justices done by selfish individuals or groups functioning under the system, but out o f accord with its moral principles. The moral principles underlying our Constitu tional system are eternal; they are based on the eternal moral law of the Creator. Changing conditions, of course, require new applications of these principles. They some times require amendments to the Constitu tion which will permit a wider application and more effective operation of underlying Constitutional principles. Motives Behind Constitutional Changes But the special danger at this time lies in the efforts of well-meaning political lead ers to hinder in application or even to scrap entirely the basic moral law, enshrined in the Constitution, upon which our nation is founded. Men anxious for the speedy re form of abuses seem unwilling to follow Constitutional processes. They seem unwill ing to have the majority bring about re forms within the framework of the Consti tutional and moral pattern of our society. They are obsessed with a search for “ short cuts.” They seek sweeping, unlimited power to do things in a hurry. They wish to seize limitless power for the majority or for themselves. They aim to neutralize or to suspend Constitutional requirements that power be used within the limitations of moral law. Revolting against the abuses of selfish groups, they would have the majority seize power to deal ruthlessly and even brutally with the “ privileged few.” Oppression of the few will never benefit the majority. But there is a real danger in this procedure, a procedure that is based on a denial o f fundamental moral principle. This danger lies in the fact that politicians who seize power, for the alleged purpose of benefiting the majority, frequently use that power, once they get it, to grind down the majority. Selfish and greedy politicians say that they wish to destroy the “special
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