Page:James Bryce American Commonwealth vol 1.djvu/412

390 — prevailed so far that the Supreme court now holds that the power of Congress to make paper money legal tender is incident to the sovereignty of the National government, and that a Democratic House of Representatives passes a bill giving a Federal commission vast powers over all the railways which pass through more than one State. There is still a party inclined to strict construction, but the strictness which it upholds would have been deemed lax by the Broad Constructionists of thirty years ago. The interpretation which has thus stretched the Constitution to cover powers once undreamt of, may be deemed a dangerous resource. But it must be remembered that even the constitutions we call Rigid must make their choice between being bent or being broken. The Americans have more than once bent their Constitution in order that they might not be forced to break it.