A Government of Laws and Not of Men

"...It is a great heritage to be born in Vermont, among men given to thrift and industry and pledged to all things pious and noble in mankind. And it seems to me the one important thing we have to do, to impart to our Nation some things of the birthright and heritage of Vermonters, doing away with ignorance by popular education, doing away with the cynicism of the present day by inspiring men to reverence through giving them a wider and deeper view of the works of nature than they see about them. These things we must give our fellow Americans that through them they may be attached to our institutions, that they may better approach the privilege of living under law and order and the privilege of being Americans. And so, being faithful to itself, America may be faithful to all mankind." — Governor Calvin Coolidge, speech at Plymouth Notch, Vermont, July 15, 1920

By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood And fired the shot heard round the world. The foe long since in silence slept; Alike the conqueror silent sleeps; And Time the ruined bridge has swept Down the dark stream which seaward creeps. On this green bank, by this soft stream, We set today a votive stone; That memory may their deed redeem, When, like our sires, our sons are gone. Spirit, that made those heroes dare To die, and leave their children free, Bid Time and Nature gently spare The shaft we raise to them and thee. Concord Hymn By Ralph Waldo Emerson Sung at the Completion of the Battle Monument, July 4, 1837 I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Music: Liberty Fanfare by John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra

"No other theory is adequate to explain or comprehend the Declaration of Independence. It is the product of the spiritual insight of the people. We live in an age of science and of abounding accumulation of material things. These did not create our Declaration. Our Declaration created them. The things of the spirit come first. Unless we cling to that, all our material prosperity, overwhelming though it may appear, will turn to a barren sceptre in our grasp. If we are to maintain the great heritage which has been bequeathed to us, we must be like-minded as the fathers who created it. We must not sink into a pagan materialism. We must cultivate the reverence which they had for the things that are holy. We must follow the spiritual and moral leadership which they showed. We must keep replenished, that they may glow with a more compelling flame, the altar fires before which they worshiped." - President Calvin Coolidge, from his book "Foundations of the Republic," a Speech on the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. " I believe in the American Constitution. I favor the American system of individual enterprise, and I am opposed to any general extension of government ownership and control. I believe not only in advocating economy in public expenditure, but in its practical application and actual accomplishment. I believe in a reduction and reform of taxation and shall continue my efforts in that direction. I am in favor of protection...I want agriculture and industry on a sound basis of prosperity and equality. I shall continue to strive for the economic, moral and spiritual welfare of my country. The laws of the land are being and will continue to be enforced." - President Calvin Coolidge - An excerpt from his address accepting the Republican Presidential Nomination, August 14, 1924. Music: Liberty Fanfare by John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra

Rumble — "Sometimes it is difficult to get the public to understand, not only the necessity but the benefits and the blessings that flow from thrift, industry and the saving disposition, not only to those who happen to put their money in banks, but to the conduct of all kinds of business enterprises. It is not too much to say that almost the whole of what we call civilization is the difference between saving what we make today for use on the morrow, and exhausting it at the time we receive it. And wherever we find a people with sufficient self-control, sufficient balance, sufficient thrift and industry to save their money and increase their capital, there you may be altogether certain that civilization will make progress. Where you find capital being dissipated, where you find a thriftless and improvident population, there you will be equally certain of decline setting in that will end the advance of civilization." -- Governor Calvin Coolidge, Boston, April 23, 1920 "What all these efforts mean would be greatly underestimated if it be thought that they begin and end with the saving of money. Considered in their entirety, they play an important part in the wonderful American experiment for the advancement of human welfare. It is not only the method by which we have built railroads, developed agriculture, created commerce, and established industry,.. but it is also the method by which we have founded schools, endowed hospitals, and erected places of religious worship. It is the material groundwork on which the whole fabric of society rests.. All of this effort represents not merely the keeping of our money but the keeping of our faith. One of the chief dangers to the success of popular government is that it will throw away self-restraint and self-control and adopt laws which, being without sound economic foundation, bring on such a financial distress as to result in want, misery, disorder, and the dissolution of society...It is not through selfishness or wastefulness or arrogance, but through self-denial, conservation, and service, that we shall build up the American spirit. This is the true constructive economy, the true faith on which our institutions rest." - President Calvin Coolidge - from his speech on "Constructive Economy," January 30, 1926 . "The people cannot look to legislation generally for success. Industry, thrift, character, are not conferred by act or re solve. Government cannot relieve from toil. It can provide no substitute for the rewards of service. It can, of course, care for the defective and recognize distinguished merit. The normal must care for themselves. Self government means self support. Man is born into the universe with a personality that is his own. He has a right that is founded upon the constitution of the universe to have property that is his own. Ultimately, property rights and personal rights are the same thing. The one cannot be preserved if the other be violated. Each man is entitled to his rights and the rewards of his service be they never so large or never so small." - President Calvin Coolidge, as President of the State Senate, from "Have Faith in Massachusetts," his Senate President Acceptance of Speech Jan. 7, 1914 "There is a limit to the taxing power of a State beyond which increased rates produce decreased revenue. If that be exceeded intangible securities and other personal property become driven out of its jurisdiction, industry cannot meet its less burdened competitors, and no capital will be found for enlarging old or starting new enterprises. Such a condition means first stagnation, then decay and dissolution. There is before us a danger that our resources may be taxed out of existence and our prosperity destroyed. Another and most important consideration, a fact that cannot be controverted, is that taxes have to be paid by the public They cannot be imposed on any class. There is no power that can prevent a distribution of the burden. The landlord may be the one who sends a check to the public treasury, but his tenants nevertheless make the payment. A great manufacturer may contribute a large share to his income, but still the money comes from the consumer. Taxes must and do fall on the people in whatever form or name they are laid." Governor Calvin Coolidge, from his Address to the Massachusetts General Court, January 8, 1920 "...the policy that stands out with the greatest clearness is that of economy in public expenditure with reduction and reform of taxation. The principle involved in this effort is that of conservation. The resources of this country are almost beyond computation. No mind can comprehend them. But the cost of our combined governments is likewise almost beyond definition. Not only those who are now making their tax returns, but those who meet the enhanced cost of existence in their monthly bills, know by hard experience what this great burden is and what it does. No matter what others may want, these people want a drastic economy. They are opposed to waste. They know that extravagance lengthens the hours and diminishes the rewards of their labor. I favor the policy of economy, not because I wish to save money, but because I wish to save people. The men and women of this country who toil are the ones who bear the cost of the Government. Every dollar that we carelessly waste means that their life will be so much the more meager. Every dollar that we prudently save means that their life will be so much the more abundant. Economy is idealism in its most practical form." - President Calvin Coolidge, from his inaugural address of March 4, 1925. “If our republic is to be maintained and improved it will be through the efforts and character of the individual. It will be, first of all, because of the influences which exist in the home, for it is the ideals which prevail in the home life which make up the strength of the nation. The homely virtues must continue to be cultivated. The real dignity, the real nobility of work must be cherished. It is only through industry that there is any hope for individual development. The viciousness of waste and the value of thrift must continue to be learned and understood. Civilization rests on conservation. To these must be added religion, education, and obedience to law. These are the foundation of all character in the individual and all hope in the nation.” —Calvin Coolidge, “The Destiny of America" (1923). Calvin Coolidge's comments on Cinco de Mayo, other ethnic holidays, assimilation and the melting pot: "We have been, and propose to be, more and more American. We believe that we can best serve our own country and most successfully discharge our obligations to humanity by continuing to be openly and candidly, intensely and scrupulously, American. If we have any heritage, it has been that. If we have any destiny, we have found it in that direction." "But when once our feet have touched this soil, when once we have made this land our home, wherever our place of birth, whatever our race, we are all blended in one common country. All artificial distinctions of lineage and rank are cast aside. We all rejoice in the title of Americans. But this is not done by discarding the teachings and beliefs or the character which have contributed to the strength and progress of the peoples from which our various strains derived their origin, but rather from the acceptance of all their good qualities and their adaptation to the requirements of our institutions. None of those who come here are required to leave any good qualities behind, but they are rather required to strengthen and fortify them and supplement them with such additional good qualities as they find among us. While it is eminently proper for us to glory in our origin and to cherish with pride the contributions which our race has made to the common progress of humanity, we can not put too much emphasis on the fact that in this country we are all bound together in a common destiny. We must all be united as one people. This principle works both ways. As we do not recognize any inferior races, so we do not recognize any superior races. We all stand on an equality of rights and of opportunity, each deriving just honor from his own worth and accomplishments." - From President Coolidge's Book "Foundations of the Republic" "I believe in the American Constitution. I favor the American system of individual enterprise, and I am opposed to any general extension of government ownership and control. I believe not only in advocating economy in public expenditure, but in its practical application and actual accomplishment. I believe in a reduction and reform of taxation and shall continue my efforts in that direction. I am in favor of protection. I believe in the permanent court and further limitation of armaments. I am opposed to aggressive war. I shall avoid involving ourselves in the political controversies of Europe, but I shall do what I can to encourage American Citizens and resources to assist in restoring Europe, with the sympathetic support of our government. I want agriculture and industry on a sound basis of prosperity and equality. I shall continue to strive for the economic, moral and spiritual welfare of my country. The laws of the land are being and will continue to be enforced." - President Calvin Coolidge - from his address accepting the Republican Presidential Nomination, August 14, 1924 "It is my purpose to maintain the Government of Massachusetts as it was founded by her people, the protector of the rights of all but subservient to none. It is my purpose to maintain unimpaired the authority of her laws, her jurisdiction, her peace, her security. This ancient faith of Massachusetts which became the great faith of America, she reestablished in her Constitution before the army of Washington had gained our independence, declaring for ‘a government of laws and not of men.’ In that faith she still abides. Let him challenge it who dares. All who love Massachusetts, who believe in America, are bound to defend it. The choice lies between living under coercion and intimidation, the forces of evil, or under the laws of the people, orderly, speaking with their settled convictions, the revelation of a divine authority.” — Governor Calvin Coolidge, excerpts from an Address at the Tremont Temple in Boston to the Republican State Convention, October 4, 1919.

Date: January 7, 1914 Location: Boston, MA Context: Coolidge accepts his election with gratitude and an overview of the values of the senate and country and the work that is to be done in his famous Have Faith in Massachusetts speech. Honorable Senators: I thank you – with gratitude for the high honor given, with appreciation for the solemn obligations assumed – I thank you. The commonwealth is one. We are all members of one body. The welfare of the weakest and the welfare of the most powerful are inseparably bound together. Industry cannot flourish if labor languish. Transportation cannot prosper if manufactures decline. The general welfare cannot be provided for in any one act, but it is well to remember that the benefit of one is the benefit of all, and the neglect of one is the neglect of all. The suspension of one man’s dividends is the suspension of another man’s pay envelope. Men do not make laws. They do but discover them. Laws must be justified by something more than the will of the majority. They must rest on the eternal foundation of righteousness. That state is most fortunate in its form of government which has the aptest instruments for the discovery of laws. The latest, most modern, and nearest perfect system that statesmanship has devised is representative government. Its weakness is the weakness of us imperfect human beings who administer it. Its strength is that even such administration secures to the people more blessings than any other system ever produced. No nation has discarded it and retained liberty. Representative government must be preserved. Courts are established, not to determine the popularity of a cause, but to adjudicate and enforce rights. No litigant should be required to submit his case to the hazard and expense of a political campaign. No judge should be required to seek or receive political rewards. The courts of Massachusetts are known and honored wherever men love justice. Let their glory suffer no diminution at our hands. The electorate and judiciary cannot combine. A hearing means a hearing. When the trial of causes goes outside the court room, Anglo Saxon constitutional government ends. The people cannot look to legislation generally for success. Industry, thrift, character, are not conferred by act or resolve. Government cannot relieve from toil. It can provide no substitute for the rewards of service. It can, of course, care for the defective and recognize distinguished merit. The normal must care for themselves. Self-government means self-support. Man is born into the universe with a personality that is his own. He has a right that is founded upon the constitution of the universe to have property that is his own. Ultimately, property rights and personal rights are the same thing. The one cannot be preserved if the other be violated. Each man is entitled to his rights and the rewards of his service be they never so large or never so small. History reveals no civilized people among whom there were not a highly educated class, and large aggregations of wealth, represented usually by the clergy and the nobility. Inspiration has always come from above. Diffusion of learning has come down from the university to the common school – the kindergarten is last. No one would now expect to aid the common school by abolishing higher education. It may be that the diffusion of wealth works in an analogous way. As the little red schoolhouse is builded in the college, it may be that the fostering and protection of large aggregations of wealth are the only foundation on which to build the prosperity of the whole people. Large profits mean large pay rolls. But profits must be the result of service performed. In no land are there so many and such large aggregations of wealth as here; in no land do they perform larger service; in no land will the work of a day bring so large a reward in material and spiritual welfare. Have faith in Massachusetts. In some unimportant detail some other States may surpass her, but in the general results, there is no place on earth where the people secure, in a larger measure, the blessings of organized government, and nowhere can those functions more properly be termed self-government. Do the day’s work. If it be to protect the rights of the weak, whoever objects, do it. If it be to help a powerful corporation better to serve the people, whatever the opposition, do that. Expect to be called a stand-patter, but don’t be a stand-patter. Expect to be called a demagogue, but don’t be a demagogue. Don’t hesitate to be as revolutionary as science. Don’t hesitate to be as reactionary as the multiplication table. Don’t expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong. Don’t hurry to legislate. Give administration a chance to catch up with legislation. We need a broader, firmer, deeper faith in the people – a faith that men desire to do right, that the Commonwealth is founded upon a righteousness which will endure, a reconstructed faith that the final approval of the people is given not to demagogues, slavishly pandering to their selfishness, merchandising with the clamor of the hour, but to statesmen, ministering to their welfare, representing their deep, silent, abiding convictions. Statutes must appeal to more than material welfare. Wages won’t satisfy, be they never so large. Nor houses; nor lands; nor coupons, though they fall thick as the leaves of autumn. Man has a spiritual nature. Touch it, and it must respond as the magnet responds to the pole. To that, not to selfishness, let the laws of the Commonwealth appeal. Recognize the immortal worth and dignity of man. Let the laws of Massachusetts proclaim to her humblest citizen, performing the most menial task, the recognition of his manhood, the recognition that all men are peers, the humblest with the most exalted, the recognition that all work is glorified. Such is the path to equality before the law. Such is the foundation of liberty under the law. Such is the sublime revelation of man’s relation to man – Democracy. Calvin Coolidge, Have Faith in Massachusetts: A Collection of Speeches and Messages. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1919.

This is a memo from Jim Clymer, National Chairman of the Constitution Party. I am trying to help get the word out about this party which is based upon principle and integrity rather than nanny state identity politics. I also include some quotes in support of constitutionalism from the highly eloquent and national essay award winning President Calvin Coolidge.

"Sometimes it is difficult to get the public to understand, not only the necessity but the benefits and the blessings that flow from thrift, industry and the saving disposition, not only to those who happen to put their money in banks, but to the conduct of all kinds of business enterprises. It is not too much to say that almost the whole of what we call civilization is the difference between saving what we make today for use on the morrow, and exhausting it at the time we receive it. And wherever we find a people with sufficient self-control, sufficient balance, sufficient thrift and industry to save their money and increase their capital, there you may be altogether certain that civilization will make progress. Where you find capital being dissipated, where you find a thriftless and improvident population, there you will be equally certain of decline setting in that will end the advance of civilization." -- Governor Calvin Coolidge, Boston, April 23, 1920 "What all these efforts mean would be greatly underestimated if it be thought that they begin and end with the saving of money. Considered in their entirety, they play an important part in the wonderful American experiment for the advancement of human welfare. It is not only the method by which we have built railroads, developed agriculture, created commerce, and established industry,.. but it is also the method by which we have founded schools, endowed hospitals, and erected places of religious worship. It is the material groundwork on which the whole fabric of society rests.. All of this effort represents not merely the keeping of our money but the keeping of our faith. One of the chief dangers to the success of popular government is that it will throw away self-restraint and self-control and adopt laws which, being without sound economic foundation, bring on such a financial distress as to result in want, misery, disorder, and the dissolution of society...It is not through selfishness or wastefulness or arrogance, but through self-denial, conservation, and service, that we shall build up the American spirit. This is the true constructive economy, the true faith on which our institutions rest." - President Calvin Coolidge - from his speech on "Constructive Economy," January 30, 1926 . "The people cannot look to legislation generally for success. Industry, thrift, character, are not conferred by act or re solve. Government cannot relieve from toil. It can provide no substitute for the rewards of service. It can, of course, care for the defective and recognize distinguished merit. The normal must care for themselves. Self government means self support. Man is born into the universe with a personality that is his own. He has a right that is founded upon the constitution of the universe to have property that is his own. Ultimately, property rights and personal rights are the same thing. The one cannot be preserved if the other be violated. Each man is entitled to his rights and the rewards of his service be they never so large or never so small." - President Calvin Coolidge, as President of the State Senate, from "Have Faith in Massachusetts," his Senate President Acceptance of Speech Jan. 7, 1914 "There is a limit to the taxing power of a State beyond which increased rates produce decreased revenue. If that be exceeded intangible securities and other personal property become driven out of its jurisdiction, industry cannot meet its less burdened competitors, and no capital will be found for enlarging old or starting new enterprises. Such a condition means first stagnation, then decay and dissolution. There is before us a danger that our resources may be taxed out of existence and our prosperity destroyed. Another and most important consideration, a fact that cannot be controverted, is that taxes have to be paid by the public They cannot be imposed on any class. There is no power that can prevent a distribution of the burden. The landlord may be the one who sends a check to the public treasury, but his tenants nevertheless make the payment. A great manufacturer may contribute a large share to his income, but still the money comes from the consumer. Taxes must and do fall on the people in whatever form or name they are laid." Governor Calvin Coolidge, from his Address to the Massachusetts General Court, January 8, 1920 "...the policy that stands out with the greatest clearness is that of economy in public expenditure with reduction and reform of taxation. The principle involved in this effort is that of conservation. The resources of this country are almost beyond computation. No mind can comprehend them. But the cost of our combined governments is likewise almost beyond definition. Not only those who are now making their tax returns, but those who meet the enhanced cost of existence in their monthly bills, know by hard experience what this great burden is and what it does. No matter what others may want, these people want a drastic economy. They are opposed to waste. They know that extravagance lengthens the hours and diminishes the rewards of their labor. I favor the policy of economy, not because I wish to save money, but because I wish to save people. The men and women of this country who toil are the ones who bear the cost of the Government. Every dollar that we carelessly waste means that their life will be so much the more meager. Every dollar that we prudently save means that their life will be so much the more abundant. Economy is idealism in its most practical form." - President Calvin Coolidge, from his inaugural address of March 4, 1925. “If our republic is to be maintained and improved it will be through the efforts and character of the individual. It will be, first of all, because of the influences which exist in the home, for it is the ideals which prevail in the home life which make up the strength of the nation. The homely virtues must continue to be cultivated. The real dignity, the real nobility of work must be cherished. It is only through industry that there is any hope for individual development. The viciousness of waste and the value of thrift must continue to be learned and understood. Civilization rests on conservation. To these must be added religion, education, and obedience to law. These are the foundation of all character in the individual and all hope in the nation.” —Calvin Coolidge, “The Destiny of America" (1923). " I believe in the American Constitution. I favor the American system of individual enterprise, and I am opposed to any general extension of government ownership and control. I believe not only in advocating economy in public expenditure, but in its practical application and actual accomplishment. I believe in a reduction and reform of taxation and shall continue my efforts in that direction. I am in favor of protection. I believe in the permanent court and further limitation of armaments. I am opposed to aggressive war. I shall avoid involving ourselves in the political controversies of Europe, but I shall do what I can to encourage American Citizens and resources to assist in restoring Europe, with the sympathetic support of our government. I want agriculture and industry on a sound basis of prosperity and equality. I shall continue to strive for the economic, moral and spiritual welfare of my country. The laws of the land are being and will continue to be enforced." - President Calvin Coolidge - from his address accepting the Republican Presidential Nomination, August 14, 1924

Thanksgiving 1927, a Proclamation by the President of the United States of America Proclamation 1819 - Thanksgiving 1927 Under the guidance and watchful care of a Divine and beneficent Providence this country has been carried safely through another year. Almighty God has continued to bestow upon us the light of His countenance, and we have prospered. Not alone have we enjoyed material success, but we have advanced in wisdom and in spiritual understanding. The products of our fields and our factories and of our manifold activities have been maintained on a high level. We have gained in knowledge of the higher values of life. There has been advancement in our physical well-being. We have increased our desire for the things that minister to the mind and to the soul. We have raised the mental and moral standards of life. We have had the blessings of peace and of honorable and friendly relations with our sister nations throughout the world. Disasters visiting certain of our States have touched the heart of a sympathetic nation, which has responded generously out of its abundance. In continuing to remember those in affliction we should rejoice in our ability to give them relief. Now that these twelve months are drawing to a close, it is fitting that, as a nation, and as individuals, in accordance with time-honored and sacred custom, we should consider the manifold blessings granted to us. While in gratitude we rejoice, we should humbly pray that we may be worthy of a continuation of Divine favor. Wherefore, I, Calvin Coolidge, President of the United States, do hereby set apart and designate Thursday, the twenty-fourth day of November, next, as a day of thanksgiving and prayer, and recommend and urge that on that day our people lay aside their usual tasks, and by the family fireside and in their accustomed places of public worship give thanks to Him who holds us all in the hollow of His hand.

Constitutional scholar & expert Mark Levin once said: "The Conservative does not despise government. He despises tyranny. This is precisely why the Conservative reveres the Constitution and insists on adherence to it." In "Ameritopia," Mr. Levin outlines the existential threat to our Constitution and our republican form of government. He says in the book "...the heart of the problem is, in fact, utopianism,...which is the ideological and doctrinal foundation for statism." Levin respects his readers and has a wonderful way with words that will keep you wide awake and thinking as you read the book. In the book Mr. Levin notes: "Although the mastermind's incompetence and vision plague the society, responsibility must be diverted elsewhere--to those assigned to carry them out, or to the people's lack of sacrifice, or to the enemies of the state who have conspired to thwart the Utopian cause--for the mastermind is inextricably linked to the fantasy. If he is fallible then who is to usher in paradise." This book will involve you in a combination philosophy and history course led by Professor Levin and you will learn about the literature (Plato's Republic, Thomas Moore's Utopia, Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto, John Locke, Charles de Montesquieu, Alexis de Tocqueville and others), like Adam Smith, giving the reader the background support and discussion for the aforementioned quote. You will also get Mr. Levin's analysis and comparison of the philosophical reasoning behind republican vs. utopian forms of government, and you will get Mr. Levin's additional comments, analysis and opinion relative to the above. When Mr. Levin quotes, explains and summarizes De Tocqueville's thoughts in Chapter 10, he gives warnings that the American Republic is currently experiencing a "soft tyranny" brought about by an overbearing and controlling administrative state. With attribution to De Tocqueville, Levin notes that the degradation of our liberties is being brought about by a "miscomprehension of equality, resulting in the descent into centralized tyranny." In addition, Mr. Levin, in summarizing and further explaining De Tocqueville notes: "Rather than embracing equality as a condition of natural law and inalienable rights, which underlie a free and diverse society, equality may be misapplied politically in the form of radical egalitarianism and to promote equal social and economic outcomes." As President Calvin Coolidge once said: "To live under the American Constitution is the greatest political privilege that was ever accorded to the human race." Coolidge also said: "We review the past not in order that we may return to it but that we may find in what direction, straight and clear, it points into the future." In addition to his keen intellect and writing ability, what is also great about Mark Levin is that he loves his country and is like-minded with Coolidge on these issues. What I love about Mr. Levin and President Coolidge is that they, like President Reagan are very significant and substantial men. Meticulous and methodical in their approach, what they write is substantive and is supported whenever possible by source documents and supporting literature. It should be noted that President Harding of Coolidge's era who has been maligned by the presidential historians because he was a voracious budget hawk like Coolidge and Levin, really was a freedom fighter who drastically reduced government expenditures and thus helped to keep tyranny of the fascist busybodies in check. President Harding did his job as a supporter of republicanism rather than utopianism . It should also be noted that some in the Grand Old Party never let good deeds go unpunished. In concluding my remarks i would like to note that in Ameritopia, in his numerous other books, on the airwaves and in life, like President Coolidge, Mark Levin doesn't sugar coat anything, he talks to you as a father would talk to his son or daughter, he always tells you the truth, and he never lets you down.

"No other theory is adequate to explain or comprehend the Declaration of Independence. It is the product of the spiritual insight of the people. We live in an age of science and of abounding accumulation of material things. These did not create our Declaration. Our Declaration created them. The things of the spirit come first. Unless we cling to that, all our material prosperity, overwhelming though it may appear, will turn to a barren sceptre in our grasp. If we are to maintain the great heritage which has been bequeathed to us, we must be like-minded as the fathers who created it. We must not sink into a pagan materialism. We must cultivate the reverence which they had for the things that are holy. We must follow the spiritual and moral leadership which they showed. We must keep replenished, that they may glow with a more compelling flame, the altar fires before which they worshiped." - Calvin Coolidge, an excerpt from his book "Foundations of the Republic," a Speech on the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

A fitting Calvin Coolidge quote for this Memorial Day Weekend: From "Freedom and its Obligations," at Arlington National Cemetery, May 30, 1924:

Calvin Coolidge's comments on Cinco de Mayo, other ethnic holidays, assimilation and the melting pot: "We have been, and propose to be, more and more American. We believe that we can best serve our own country and most successfully discharge our obligations to humanity by continuing to be openly and candidly, intensely and scrupulously, American. If we have any heritage, it has been that. If we have any destiny, we have found it in that direction." "But when once our feet have touched this soil, when once we have made this land our home, wherever our place of birth, whatever our race, we are all blended in one common country. All artificial distinctions of lineage and rank are cast aside. We all rejoice in the title of Americans. But this is not done by discarding the teachings and beliefs or the character which have contributed to the strength and progress of the peoples from which our various strains derived their origin, but rather from the acceptance of all their good qualities and their adaptation to the requirements of our institutions. None of those who come here are required to leave any good qualities behind, but they are rather required to strengthen and fortify them and supplement them with such additional good qualities as they find among us. While it is eminently proper for us to glory in our origin and to cherish with pride the contributions which our race has made to the common progress of humanity, we can not put too much emphasis on the fact that in this country we are all bound together in a common destiny. We must all be united as one people. This principle works both ways. As we do not recognize any inferior races, so we do not recognize any superior races. We all stand on an equality of rights and of opportunity, each deriving just honor from his own worth and accomplishments." - From President Coolidge's Book "Foundations of the Republic"

Democrats have always been the party of radical trends and fads. Once it was slavery, Jim Crow and segregation. Now it's authoritarianism, totalitarianism and fascism. - @michaeltruegrit on Twitter: "Sometimes it is difficult to get the public to understand, not only the necessity but the benefits and the blessings that flow from thrift, industry and the saving disposition, not only to those who happen to put their money in banks, but to the conduct of all kinds of business enterprises. It is not too much to say that almost the whole of what we call civilization is the difference between saving what we make today for use on the morrow, and exhausting it at the time we receive it. And wherever we find a people with sufficient self-control, sufficient balance, sufficient thrift and industry to save their money and increase their capital, there you may be altogether certain that civilization will make progress. Where you find capital being dissipated, where you find a thriftless and improvident population, there you will be equally certain of decline setting in that will end the advance of civilization." -- Governor Calvin Coolidge, Boston, April 23, 1920 "The people cannot look to legislation generally for success. Industry, thrift, character, are not conferred by act or re solve. Government cannot relieve from toil. It can provide no substitute for the rewards of service. It can, of course, care for the defective and recognize distinguished merit. The normal must care for themselves. Self government means self support. Man is born into the universe with a personality that is his own. He has a right that is founded upon the constitution of the universe to have property that is his own. Ultimately, property rights and personal rights are the same thing. The one cannot be preserved if the other be violated. Each man is entitled to his rights and the rewards of his service be they never so large or never so small." - Calvin Coolidge, from Have Faith in Massachusetts: Senate President Acceptance Speech Jan. 7, 1914

"The people cannot look to legislation generally for success. Industry, thrift, character, are not conferred by act or re solve. Government cannot relieve from toil. It can provide no substitute for the rewards of service. It can, of course, care for the defective and recognize distinguished merit. The normal must care for themselves. Self government means self support. Man is born into the universe with a personality that is his own. He has a right that is founded upon the constitution of the universe to have property that is his own. Ultimately, property rights and personal rights are the same thing. The one cannot be preserved if the other be violated. Each man is entitled to his rights and the rewards of his service be they never so large or never so small." - President Calvin Coolidge, Have Faith in Massachusetts: Senate President Acceptance Speech Jan. 7, 1914

This is part of a speech that President Calvin Coolidge delivered at the Tremont Temple in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 4, 1919. Coolidge was Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at the time. The video is provided for educational purposes only. It is provided to honor America's vastly underrated 30th president and to demonstrate how highly competent he was as an administrator, manager.and chief executive.