The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, February 16, 1967, Image 6
Page 6—The Newberry Sun, Newberry, S. C., Thursday, Feb. 16, 1967
COMMENT
on
Men & Things
By J. K. BREED1N
Perhaps we need an attitude
of defiance in view of the re
cent decision of the Supreme
Court of the United States.
The great Court decrees and
ordains that the Legislature of
the State of Georgia must seat
a man whom the Legislature
of Georgia previously refused
to seat.
Now, now, that’s something
isn’t it? Has the United States
Court authority to compel the
Legislature of Georgia to seat
someone when the Legislature
has definitely refused to allow
him to take a seat? The Court
is bound by the Constitution
and must not set it aside. The
Federal Court is no absolute
authority - it is bound by the
Constitution. What says the
Constitution? Each House shall
be the judge of its members
and can accept or reject an\
member as it may decide to
accept or reject.
We must assume that the
Federal Supreme Court Justic
es are awareof their obligation
to respect and conform to the
Constitution. If I were a
Georgian I would insist on an
assertion of its own jurisdic
tion by the Legislature of the
Sovereign State of Georgia.
Didn’t Georgia reject a
decision of the Supreme Court
many years ago ?
The Constitution is so clear
and explicit in this that I can
hardly believe that the
Supreme Court expects
Georgia to bow meekly and
humbly before the Court which
is acting in clear disregard
and defiance of the Supreme
law of the land.
Years ago, when men were
men and declared themselves
in open defiance of the arrog
ance of Kings, men in England
and men in America defied
Kings and all others who in
vaded their rights.
We still cherish the memory
of John Hampden of England.
The snow of last Thursday which delighted the hearts of youngsters placed a
beautiful coat 6f white on the lawn and shrubbery of the Southern home shown
above. A few hours after the picture was taken Friday morning, only the hardiest
of snowmen remained to remind of the almost five inches of snow. (Sunphoto.)
King Charles may have cut off
many heads, but the arrogant
King lost his head, so that’s
that.
We owe much to England
because many of our leaders
had been educated in England.
True it is that we had some
very extraordinary men, but
the spirit of that day has been
quenched; today we mumble
and blow off in the street, but
the resolute, indomitable
spirit of 1776 is not flourish
ing now.
I have a faint feeling that
the new arrangement of the
State Senate will not thrive.
There is a dignity which has
been lost. Just think of Sumter
and Clarendon with no senator
exclusively for either senator
or Clarendon and some large
Counties now are entitled to so
many Senators that we think
confusion will . result r ather
than efficient operation.
We are in an era of more or
less hasty and ill-considered
legislation on a national scale;
HOME
/
LOANS
Economical Rates
Rapid Service
For Home Purchase
For Home
Construction
For Home
Improvement
The
STATE
Building &
Loan Association
1117 Boyce Street
Newberry, S. C.
Dial 276-5660
Ralph B. Baker
Louis C. Floyd
Pinckney N. Abrams
Thomas H. Pope
and an arrogant assumption
of authority and jurisdiction
by ambitious Federal authorit
ies, of all branches.
Probably the States should
repudiate some presumptuous
assumptions of power.
R. Aubrey Harley
“The Defense Department
reported last week that the
number of American combat
deaths in Vietnam from Jan.
1, 1961 to July 23, 1966, total
ed 4,400, surpassing the total
of U. S. Battle deaths in the
Revolutionary War. Since Jan.
1, 2,820 Americans have died
in Vietnam. Below are the
number of American battle
deaths in the nation’s nine
wars. The Defense Department
describes ‘battle deaths’ as
those directly attributed to
enemy fire, excluding accident
al deaths or deaths in prison
camps, and says that satistics
on wars before Worid War I
are estimates only.
Revolutionary War - 4,435;
War of 1812 - 2,260;
Mexican War - 1,733;
Civil War - 214,938;
Spanish-American War- 385;
World War I - 53,402;
World War II - 291,557;
Korean War - 33,629;
Vietnam War - 4,440.“
“The U. S. Senate, wedding
cakes, a cross-country high
way, a great-domed cathedral
. what do these have in
common? Like an amazing
number of our systems and
customs, they are rooted in
ancient Roman civilization. In
areas from government and
law, architecture and building
construction to language and
fine arts - even wedding cust
oms and dress design — the
world is indebted to the
Romans for their contributions.
A major gift to the modern
world was their advanced
system of roads. Auto drivers
in many lands zip along a
complex system of through-
ways with seldom a thought of
the Appian Way, the Empire”s
longest and most famous road,
is still traveled today. Roman
roads were engineering
achievements beyond those of
any earlier people. Their build
ers tunneled hills and built
bridges over streams. Roads
were remarkably straight,with
easy grades and at regular
intervals there were posts
marking the number of miles
to Rome.
Originally, the roads were
built for solders marching off
to conquer neighboring count
ries and provinces. Later, they
became the avenues for com
merce and united all of Italy by
easing trade. And, as the
Empire prospered, so did its
people; soon the roads were
used for travel and sightseeing.
With this prosperity, the
ancient world saw its bright
est flower - Rome, in full
bloom, and planting seeds that
would reincarnate in later
civilization. The Romans’
military strategy was superb,
their engineering skills, the
small town life, the excesses
of the rich, and the strengths
and weakness of the leaders
were well known.
The Empire contributed
much to the modern world be
fore it fell. Architects are still
inspired by Rome’s great
aqueducts, buildings and the
ingenious use of the arch. Her
architects were the first to
construct the dome, two or
more arches crossing each
other. Most famous example
is the dome of Hadrian’s
Pantheon that spans a chamber
143 feet across. From Roman
drafting boards also came the
basilica, a long, high structure
with rows of columns
separating the central part of
the building from aisles on
each side. It became the model
for Europe’s great cathedrals,
and is copied in many churches
and government buildings to
day.
Roman aqueducts were built
to bring water from distant
mountain springs for use in
cities. These mammoth arch
way constructions stretched for
hundreds of miles in an in
tricate system for which the
Emperor appointed a super
intendent of waterworks.
To conserve their supply of
building marble, the Romans
invented concrete which they
used to build the famous Baths
of Diocletian and the Colosse
um (which still receives thous
ands of visitors annually).
Romans used brick and concrete
in a way that, until recently,
no one was able to imitate.
Gov'ernment and laws are
tinged with Roman influence.
Plebeians, the common people,
were - the first to elect repre
sentatives to government. The
working-class plebes struggled
for political and social equality
by using a potent weapon of
the modern world’s labor
force - the strike. Tribunes,
who represented the plebeians,
gained the right to sit outside
the doors of the governing
bodies' chamber and shout
‘veto!’ (Latin for ‘I forbid’)
against measures they opposed
- first use of the veto. And
members of the U. S. Senate
and Assembly had their
counterparts in the Roman
Senate and Assembly.
Still more far-reaching was
the influence of Roman law.
As the Empire grew, foreign
ers trading with Roman
citizens refused to recognize
the traditional Roman laws.
Gradually the judges developed
the ‘jusgentium’ (law of
nations), the beginning of in
ternational law. Later the
Emperor Justinian brought
together in one great code all
the laws under which the
Roman government operated.
The Justinian Code became the
foundation for many legal
systems in the modern
world.”
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