“We are not without our problems, but our most important problem is not to secure new advantages but to maintain those which we already possess. Our system of government made up of three separate and independent departments, our divided sovereignty composed of Nation and State, the matchless wisdom that is enshrined in our Constitution, all these need constant effort and tireless vigilance for their protection and support.”

Calvin Coolidge’s Inaugural Address

Calvin Coolidge’s way of approaching government was drastically different from many of his predecessors and successors because he maintained it the way it was, instead of expanding it. This is seen through the words and actions of four presidents as my selected examples.

First, Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt, after reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, sent government inspectors to meatpacking plants, and, after hearing their reports, passed the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and the federal government started inspecting food. That act expanded government, securing new advantages at the loss of others, and led to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Theodore Roosevelt used his power as president, his “bully pulpit” to endorse his ideas, such as conservation. This too expanded government.

Next example is Woodrow Wilson, who said “The Constitution was founded on the theory of gravitation… The trouble with the theory is that government is not a machine, but a living thing… It is accountable to Darwin, not to Newton.” This means that in Wilson’s opinion it was not supposed to be constant, as gravity, but to evolve and change with the environment, as the theory of evolution. Would it evolve to a smaller form? Not unless everyone was like Coolidge.

Let’s look a little more at Calvin Coolidge himself. Coolidge, in contrast to Theodore Roosevelt, said “The words of a President have an enormous weight, and ought not to be used indiscriminately.” He did not use his position as a “bully pulpit”. Read this statement again, with Woodrow Wilson’s quote in mind: “We are not without our problems, but our most important problem is not to secure new advantages but to maintain those which we already possess. Our system of government made up of three separate and independent departments, our divided sovereignty composed of Nation and State, the matchless wisdom that is enshrined in our Constitution, all these need constant effort and tireless vigilance for their protection and support.” This clearly shows he did not believe it should evolve, but remain constant.

Finally, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR). FDR’s New Deal passed 15 major laws in 4 months. Those acts, in contrast to Coolidge, did not “maintain” the government but “secure[d] new advantages” for the government, allowing FDR to shut down banks, control businesses, and provide jobs.

Whether these acts from the presidents brought new advantages or not, which are huge debates, it is plain to see that those laws did not maintain what they had. Except, for Calvin Coolidge, who kept government small and constrained, doing his best to maintain the freedoms they had, rather than enlarging and expanding it. But Coolidge also called on us, each of us, the children of this Republic, saying that it required our “constant effort and tireless vigilance for their protection and support.” Taking a moment to decide how you can be more vigilant, and more constant in your daily life could bring some large dividends.