Trusting Massach: A Guide To Faith And Devotion

Calvin Coolidge's speech, 'Have Faith in Massachusetts', was delivered on January 7, 1914, in Boston, Massachusetts. Coolidge's speech was made in gratitude for his election and outlined the values of the senate and country, as well as the work that was to be done. The speech is a collection of remarks on the importance of the commonwealth, the role of the government, the judiciary, and the need for self-government.

The Commonwealth is one

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.

The general welfare cannot be provided for in any one act

The phrase "The general welfare cannot be provided for in any one act" comes from Calvin Coolidge's "Have Faith in Massachusetts" speech, delivered on January 7, 1914, in Boston, Massachusetts. The speech was given in response to Coolidge's election as President of the State Senate.

Coolidge's speech emphasised the interdependence of the Commonwealth's citizens, stating that "the welfare of the weakest and the welfare of the most powerful are inseparably bound together". He argued that the general welfare could not be provided for in a single act, but that it was important to remember that "the benefit of one is the benefit of all, and the neglect of one is the neglect of all".

The Need for Representative Government

Coolidge went on to stress the importance of representative government, stating that it was the "most modern, and nearest perfect system that statesmanship has devised". He acknowledged its weaknesses, attributing them to the imperfections of human beings, but also highlighted its strengths, noting that even with imperfect administration, representative government secured more blessings for the people than any other system.

The Role of Courts

Coolidge also discussed the role of courts, stating that they were established "not to determine the popularity of a cause, but to adjudicate and enforce rights". He emphasised the importance of courts remaining independent of political influence, stating that "a hearing means a hearing" and that when "the trial of causes goes outside the court room, Anglo-Saxon constitutional government ends".

Coolidge concluded his speech by reiterating the importance of self-government and self-support, stating that "self-government means self-support". He encouraged his audience to "do the day's work" and to have faith in Massachusetts, believing that it was a place where people secured "in a larger measure, the blessings of organised government".

Representative government must be preserved

Representative government is the latest, most modern, and nearest perfect system that statesmanship has devised. Its weakness is the weakness of 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.

The Need for Representative Government

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 languishes. 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.

The Role of Courts

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 courtroom, Anglo-Saxon constitutional government ends.

The Role of Legislation

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.

The Role of the Individual

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.

The Role of Education

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.

The Role of Wealth

It may be that the diffusion of wealth works in an analogous way. As the little red schoolhouse is built 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.

The courts of Massachusetts are known and honoured wherever men love justice

> 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 honoured 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

The people of Massachusetts cannot look to legislation for success. Industry, thrift, and character are not conferred by an act or resolve. The government cannot relieve people from toil, nor can it provide a substitute for the rewards of service. The normal must care for themselves, as self-government means self-support.

The Role of Government

The government's role is to provide for the defective and recognize distinguished merit. It should also care for the weakest in society, as their welfare is inseparably bound together with the welfare of the most powerful. The general welfare cannot be provided for in any one act, but it is essential to remember that the benefit of one is the benefit of all, and the neglect of one is the neglect of all.

The Importance of Representative Government

Representative government is the latest, most modern, and nearest perfect system that statesmanship has devised. Its strength lies in the fact that even with imperfect human beings administering it, it secures more blessings for the people than any other system. No nation has discarded representative government and retained liberty. Therefore, it must be preserved.

The Role of Courts

Courts are established to adjudicate and enforce rights, not to determine the popularity of a cause. No litigant should be required to submit their case to the hazard and expense of a political campaign, and no judge should be required to seek or receive political rewards. The courts of Massachusetts are known and honored wherever justice is loved.

The Need for Self-Government

Self-government means self-support. People are born into the universe with their own personalities and the right to have property that is their own. Ultimately, property rights and personal rights are the same thing, and neither can be preserved if the other is violated. Each person is entitled to their rights and the rewards of their service, no matter how large or small.

The Role of Education and Wealth Diffusion

History reveals that no civilized people have existed without a highly educated class and large aggregations of wealth. The diffusion of learning has come down from universities to common schools, with the kindergarten being the most recent addition. Similarly, the diffusion of wealth may work in an analogous way. As the little red schoolhouse is built in the college, the fostering and protection of large aggregations of wealth may be the only foundation on which to build the prosperity of the whole people. Large profits mean large payrolls, but profits must result from service performed.

A Call to Action

Massachusetts should have faith in itself and its people. While other states may surpass it in some unimportant details, there is no place on earth where people secure, in a larger measure, the blessings of organized government. Massachusetts should do the day's work, protect the rights of the weak, and help powerful corporations better serve the people. It should expect to be called a "stand-patter" and a "demagogue" but must not become one. It should not hesitate to be as revolutionary as science and as reactionary as the multiplication table. It should not try to build up the weak by pulling down the strong, and it should not hurry to legislate. Instead, it should give administration a chance to catch up with legislation.

Frequently asked questions