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a July 31. 1955
STATES' RIGHTS A PBILCSOPH! OP GOVERHHET
Ir. Speaker, ledies end gentlemen of the House: For the pest severel weeks this
Legislature hes been in extreordinery session peeling on netters of tremendous
importenoe to Floridiens present MW future. A portion
of the legisletion considered during this extreordinery session directly refers
to metters invoking the sovereignty of this stete over the illegel ureurpetion
of power grented the Pedersl Sowernment by the Supreme Court of the United Steteex
in its recent opinions releting to netters of stete opersted schools, the eedeticn
lews of verious ststes end the power of the stste end politioel subdivisions over
its people, possessions, perks, beeches, end other educetionel, sociel end
recreetionel erees end ectivities.
The constitution of the United Stetes. ratified in 1788. eotuelly went into effect
on nednesdey. Herch d. 1989. It is divided into seven erticles supplemented by
' its twenty-two emendments. the first ten of which ere known es the Bill of Rights.
. 11ers is no provision or eny lengusge in any of its seven component erticies or
its enendments included in the Bill of Rights which xlgltntn relegetes ewey fro.
the stetee the powers which ere constitutionelly therein.
ls heve peesed in this extreordinery session- certsin wise Mme
legisletive reoonmendetions of the Febisinski committee. The committee is.tc be
coenended.for its reseereh end study end the hills which we pessed. end .;::i. my
opinionggflgh in preserving e segregeted public school system. I shell neke
further reference to this metter subsequently.
ecently the Attorney: Generel of the verious etstes in convention sssemblsd
pessed resolutions condemning the Supreme Court of the united Ststes for its
till-Ill violstion of the constitutionel msndete not only es to public schools
but else for striking with en iron bend the sedetion lees of the werious states.
Ihet better proof is there then for the Legislature to follow through the mejority
opinions of officiei lewyers of Various stetes whose opinion is In: obviously
epproved by the vest mejority of the people of this greet stste.
There is no more frightful pegs in Anericen history then the one which the
Supreme Court of the United Stetes hes so recently sdded emphesis then this pe
lined et destruction of stste government, completely ignoring whet historiens
hewe tredition.ly lsbeled the Stetss' ight Philosophy of Govsrnment. Our r
in thie Legieleture ie indeed e right of the people of thin etete end goee to
the very route or our eociety. It touchee upon thcee thinge end inetitutiene
vhich 'e rightfully expected ee e birthright, being Floridiene. being Southernere,
being Anerieene.
There hee been invoked euceeeefully on nueeroue occeeione from the eerly deye of
our hietory thie doctrine of etete'e rdghte through e procedure which Anerieen
Jurieprudence hee eptly leheled IITRRPOSITIOI. It ie ee legel en the Genetituticn.
It in en eolid ee the eerth'e toundetion end ie ee Americen ee e hntdcg end eoce
ole. I heve noted during thin extrecrdinery eeeeicn verioun Iierd. neck, etrenge,
to the effect thet to etend for interpoeition ie ehenetul. illegel end erong.
It in my opinion thet thin Legieleture ehould not go hone eithout reeponding to
the cell or ite people end reieing our voice to e bellowing roer directed et the
Pederel Government eeying ee intend to preeerve thet ehioh our foretethere geve
ue STATIB' RIGRYS. Kent once eeid "Freedom 1e elone the unerigineted birthright
of men; it belonge to him by force of hie hunenity. end in in dependence on the
will end creeticn or every other. ineorer ee thie ocueiete of other pereone end
treeden. It thie in true of individuele certeinly it ie true of etetee in e
democretie society. lhitloek once eeid, I'When you define liberty you limit it
end when you limit it you deetroy it." The eeee ie true or the Anericen eyeten
or government. lhen the Pederel Supreme Court ueurpe by linitetione the poeere
thet ere rightfully cure ee e eovereignxy. free end independent etete. it ie in
effect ettempting to limit our liberty end indeed it ie deetroying it.
The new role of inericen governnent to touch the hend or the cppreeeed end to help
the indigent, crippled end blind. in e humeniterien end proper one. but the
eoneeienee or e nen cennot he bought with noney end the expenditure of Federel
Funde to verioue etetee in inereeeing enounte ehould not cerry with it the
unmerrented curee of sucking like e vioicue monster the righte end privilegee
end libertiee ehich rightfully em conetitutionelly ere preeerved unto the etd. e.
I hnve eeen. ee heve you, theee odicue rederel renge eurging tormerd tor neny
yeere Insultingenmnutmg ueurping end fettening iteelr es it core on the legel
the
truite of the :tetee. I heve eeen/Pederel government ettempt to etenp cut end
cloee the voice of Floride in the Heticnel Denouretic Perty Convention in 1969.
when I begged. pleeded end fought to reiee my voice for etetee' righte in eupdyt
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or Senetor Rueeell or Georgie. Iheee Federel longere Inn heve entered on e
ul-
celeuleted eehe-e to destroy e11 etetes' rights fought ue then they ere
righting us not:
I believe tron the hotton or n: heert thet we will he doing our etete end our
children end ell or Floride'e future generetione en injustice it we fell to ect
et this tine with every tool et our eon-end. one or ehieh is interposi ticn.
.6 1 )mm x W9!" art
I hold in my head the edition or We therein one of inerice'e
truly greet eteteenen of ur tine, the Bonereble Jenes 1 Burn of South Ceroline,
eteted in e rim end unnietekebie ienauege the dengere of the current trend in
e stetunent entitled "lhy the Supra Court Must Be Curbed." This distinguished
ecutherner end Amerieen is e toner Governor of South Geroline end consequently
epprecietee end underetende preeervetion or etete'e righte. to e former Secrete
ci Stete of the United Stetes he hes dined with tinge md hes been eble to via
this eerth'e empire of netione eith ell or their reletive merits. Yea, this nen
the, only e tee yeere ego eee en iseoeiete Justice of the Snore-e Court of the
United Stetes, he: given herioe ite earning thet this very Court met he curbed,
leeet our righte ee Anerieens shell either into conplete obscurity.
Severel monthe ego I told the 3 million people of Florian in tire, definite
end positive lenguege or my stend end conviction in i'evor of stetee' rights. I
did so beoeuse I so finely believe so cannot run our own public school eyeten it
re eennot outlevt comunietio activities in our etete. it we cmnot build, neintein
end regalete our perks, our beeches end other reereetionel ereee end it we
cennot control and regulete our public treneportetion systems, then short will
cone the dey then re any well lose our euthority to reguiete our trei'fic lees,
our reel eetete leee. our domestic reletinn inn, our rights to even free
newly, epeeeh end eorehip. Fran present trends there is no IQ of telling when
or iher the ueurpetion or stetes' rights ends unlece Ie cerry on the tijht with
ell gor. intelligence end determinetion et our contend.
In Fioride ve heve no gooseetepping regimented populue teking orders from en
ell poeer dictetor or eer lord of government, no ruling cleee or no peesent
eieee, end everyone ney Inks his life ehet he eill. This is true beceuee in
Flex-ice es ere tree. A lot or this treedon is ours beceusq o Federel
4M
Conetitution. the hesio lee or om- lend, preserveskinviolen forever. lien: or
0 041..
theee treednns the rights thet reserve unto the stetee end
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nsansotieeeeetes-theueef ooordingly, it is we who ere the lovers of freedom,
it is we who ere defenders of oonstitutionsl government, it is we who ere
showing leyelty to our nstion end wsy of life in thst we ere people who ere
oerrying in this fight easinet this treseherous monstrosity which is extreotins
the Very iiies blood trees the veins of Anerioen ireedon.
Theretore, I oell upon this Legisieturs to pose Iith resounding force e
resolution or interposition whereby this sovereign state or Florids impose its
lewful stete sovereignty over end shove the unlewful usurpation or its powers
end rights he Pederel Government through the recent decrees of the Supreme
Court or the United Stetes. In teking this eetion I believe we will dispell the
ides thst petriotiem of e etete's riyxts brand is foolish end old reshioned. To
the oontrery it will show our sister etetes end indeed the entire world thst
Florian is detennLned. As Chsunoey M. Depew eeid, "Let the boys be the trsined
soldiers or oonstitutionel freedom, the girls the intelligent lovers or freedom.'
In looking to the future we must of necessity drew strength, vision end under-
stending from Lnerioe'st.ru1y greet men or the pest, one of duos wes Deniel
lobster, who ones seid, "No nsn surfer too much end no men een fell too soon,
if he sui'i'er. t! or if he tell, in the defense of the liberties end
constitution of his country. I say that no member or this hegieieture oen
the
efford to ignore/precious rights of the people or Floride by toiling to pese
e resolution or interposition which i, &t Dmiel Webster says} In
defense or the liberties end constitution of his country."
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