Happy Birthday, Rose Wilder Lane!

Rose was the only surviving child of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Almanzo Wilder.  She was born on December 5,  1886. She was named after the lovely wild roses that grew on the prairie which Laura and Almanzo so enjoyed.

While her mother garnered much acclaim and adoration for her "Little House" books, Rose was also a renown author in her own right.  If you have never read Rose's works, please allow me to share some with you here.

She spent much of her writing years as a foreign correspondent.  She had a mind of her own.  And while she was young, she had swallowed the beliefs of the communists/socialists, as so many young people do.  But as she visited those third-world countries whose governments were run by the communists/socialists, she discovered that their system of government was not working for the people.  In her essay, "Give Me Liberty", she put it this way:

"I came out of the Soviet Union no longer a communist, because I believed in personal freedom.  Like all Americans, I took for granted the individual liberty to which I had been born.  It seemed as necessary and as inevitable as the air I breathed; it seemed the natural element in which human beings lived.  The thought that I might lose it had never occurred to me.  And I could not conceive that multitudes of human beings would ever willingly live without it."

Rose had lived with the people and discovered the importance of being a free American.

She studied the elements that made America great, and individually outstanding among the world nations.  Her studies led her to write a book entitled, "The Discovery of Freedom".  Here are some quotes from that book:

"American Government is not an Authority; it has no control over individuals and no responsibility for their affairs.  American Government is a permission which free individuals grant to certain men to use force in certain necessary and strictly limited ways; a permissioin which Americans can always withdraw from American Government. The American Constitutions are statements of the permissions which Americans in the past have granted to men in public office.  And every Constitution contains a statement of the usses of force which Americans prohibit to this Government."

"The Constitution grants and limits the power of men in Government.  The convention of delegates is the tool that Americans use to change their Constitution.  Americans can always peacefully and legally diminish or withdraw any power that Americans in the past have granted to politicians."

"But responsibility for whatever the men in American Government do, is the individual citizen's responsibility. The men who began the Revolution created and bequeathed to every future American the tools for progressively reducing the use of force in human affairs.  Every American inherits these unique tools: the Constitution that checks the acts of men in public office, and the convention of delegates which is the peaceful means of changing the Constitution.  The American who leaves Government to the politicians, permitting or urging the men of his party, when they are in office, to increase their power and use it upon other Americans for his benefit, and howling when men of the other party are in office increasing their power and squeezing him for the benefit of other Americans, is trying to evade his responsibility."

"If men believe that Government is responsible for their welfare, the increasing poverty increases their demand that men in public office control the individual's affairs.  This demand increases the use of force against productive energy.  This use of force must progressively destroy all the protections of an American citizen's natural human rights, and eventually--if at last he protests--his life.  The men in public offfice can no more prevent this result of their assuming, or accepting, responsibility for the citizen's welfare, than they can prevent water from seeking its own level.  Responsibility-evading citizens in this Republic, if they become numerous enough, can wreck the Republic, the Revolution, and the whole modern world."

"Law is nothing but words on paper.  Its only power is in the free will of individuals--of the public officials who swear to obey it, and of the citizens who insist that they obey it.  What holds the public official to his oath?  Nothing but his conscience, and the vigilance of citizens."

"Consider the actual situation of an American politician elected to office.  The Constitution limits the time that he holds the office, and fixes his salary.  He will get that much money, whether he earns it or not; he will get no more, though he earn twice over.  He has sworn to obey the Constitution that limits his power.  His honor and -- if he is intelligent -- his patriotism, hold him to that oath.  All the other incentives that human beings feel, impel him to break it.  If he wants to do good (as he sees good) to the citizens, he needs more power.  If he wants to be re-elected, he needs more power to use for his party.  If he wants money, he needs more power, he can always sell it to some eager buyer.  If he wants publicity, flattery, more self-importance, he needs more power, to satisfy clamoring reformers who can give him flattering publicity.  And what prevents him from using more power? Constitutional law, words on paper.  Its only force is moral.  One thing protects a busy American's exercise of his human rights, his life, from such tryrannical violence as Governments have always used, and as Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Franco, the Mikado, are using upon their subjects now -- and that is the American politician's conscience."

And I might add, "Lord help us!"  I wonder if any of them have a conscience these days!

Well, as you can see, Rose was quite adamant about the responsibilities of the individual American citizen.  And, more importantly, their vigilance in making sure that those who hold public office actually are kept accountable to the people.  Because of her stance she would have been considered an activist.  I dare speculate that if she were alive today, she would be a leader in the "Tea Party" movement.  She might have even been the original organizer of it!  And I wouldn't be surprised to see her as a candidate for President! But she would not have agreed with the "Occupy" movement, distributing weath.  She would argue that we each have the responsibility to go out and earn a paycheck, not take it from someone else who had earned it.  And she would speak out, showing how this is nothing but Socialism or Communism.  She would be saddened to see how America has become so close to being a "Welfare State"; where the people look to the Government to meet their needs and wants.

If more people would read Rose's works they might learn some important, all-but-forgotten truths about our government, our society, and the American way of life.

If, as she suggested, the future of our nation lies in the hands of the freedoms and liberties of the people, then we should consider it our duty to work to continue to uphold our Constitution and exercise our rights.  We should never allow anything resembling a tyrant in any public office.  And it is, most assuredly, our duty to vote for those we feel best serve those same ideals.

Rose definitely believed that a large government was an oppressive government; and that powers should be kept in the hands of the citizens.  She would be quite upset to see the way things are going in our government these days!  She would be upset to see the state of the economy and all the governmental regulations stifling our economic growth.  And she would blame "We the People" for allowing the politicians so much power to get our nation into such a mess.  And she would really be upset to see how the division of government powers granted by our Constitution have so eroded that we now have laws being written by the courts!

Rose came in on the ground floor of a movement which decried the oppressive government heads who ruled throughout the Great Depression.  She became a spokesperson for the newly formed Libertarian Pary.  Now, I'm not suggesting that theirs is the party of the people, or that we should blindly follow any candidate from that or any other party. But I am suggesting that we each take a long, hard look at our options before we mark our next ballot.  Our very future as a free nation may depend upon it!  And we should never refuse to give up our liberty of voting.  Rose saw, first hand, what the outcome of that was all about!

Rose was quite a unique person.  She not only wrote about these things, she also wrote some fictional novels, some biographies, and a book about crocheting.  She was just about as interesting a person as her mother; and about as opinionated as her as well!  She would have to be included as a pioneer too.  All her life's experiences made her who she was.  Her contributions are well respected.  Her writing is straight forward.  And whether you agree with her or not; I can't figure anyone to not wish her a happy birthday!

I hope you'll seek out more of Rose's writings. You should be able to find them at your local library or online.

"In June the wild roses bloomed. They were a low growing bush and, when in bloom, the blossoms made masses of wonderful color; all shades of pink, all over the prairie.  And the sweetest roses that ever bloomed."  Laura Ingalls Wilder