Show mj Spy Inquiry Should Not Ask Re Rejection on of the C Constitution By BAUKHAGE News Analyst and Commentator WASHINGTON When When a man has a strong constitution he doesn't have to think much about it It works about the same with a nation Especially when both are young oung and vigorous But Birt as ns they get more mature they may discover a few organs here and there which have to be mended or a few articles that have to be amended just because of a changing chancing environment idea I In any ease case it Isn't a n good i to lock your constitution up andI and It off and andee I never take It out and dust II see ee If It Is still there This is the month when what Benr Ben r Franklin referred to as the uthe grand Federal Constitution Constitution tion was born In InI I 5 after Philadelphia f 1 more than four I 1 months d debate bate by bythe bythe f l I the constitutional convention It was signed Monday September 17 t 1787 George Geon e Washington presided presided pre pre- sided over the convention and I presided as well V as he had as ashead ashead ashead J head of the ragged rag ged Continentals e When the document document docu ment was engrossed engrossed en en- grossed d it was signed by all but Gov Edmund Randolph and Col Cal George Mason of Virginia and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts The business being thus closed as Washington wrote in his diary the uthe members adjourned adJourned ad ad- to the City Tavern dined together and took a cordial leave of each other Many people at the time thought the Constitution was pretty good as asIt asIt asit It was and yet vet the part wl which ch Is probably most familiar to the present present pres pres- ent generation is the part which our founding fath fathers rs recognized as the first thing lacking in the original inal draft the draft the first amendment Congress shall make no law lau respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise exercise ex ex- thereof or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and nd to petition the government for a redress of grievances This amendment and the nine which followed making up the Bill of Rights were all introduced in inthe inthe I Ithe the first congress as the Beards In their Basic History of the United United Unit Unit- ed States put It in uin response to toa toa a popular demand but involving no uno alteration in the form of gov gov- Congress passed the Bill of Rights on to to the states which in convention ratified them by 1791 Establishment of 01 these fundamental fundamental funda funda- mental rights says Carl Car Van Doren Doren Doren Dor- Dor en in la The Great Rehearsal may maybe maybe maybe be regarded as the contribution of 01 the people to the Constitution They represent the crystallization of those desires for human dignity in the souls souis of civilized men men men-de- de desires sires lires which reveal his innate possession pos paz session of a spirituality that differentiates dif dU dif dif- him from the beasts The maintenance of those rights as opposed to the attainment attainment attain attain- ment and safeguarding of purely material possessions has brought about the clash of Ideologies which threatens a crisis in the thern world today Spy Probe Presses Point During the spy-ring spy investigations by the house un-American un activities committee there was much talk about the violation of the Bill of Rights Bights The President himself when asked a categorical question on that subject said he believed that this committee had in the course of ot its hearings Infringed these rights He did not specify which of the rights had bad been infringed but from his previous pre pre- I rIOUs expressions it would seem he be was referring to the fifth filth amendment amendment amend amend- ment which says in part No person shall be held to answer an an- awer for tor a l capital o or otherwise infamous in In- famous l crime unless on a presentment present present- ment or Indictment of ot a grand Jury The President said some of ot the testimony made public had done irreparable harm to certain persons per per- sons had slandered a lot of people who didn't deserve it He explained that all the evidence of alleged guilt concerning these persons had already been presented to the grand jury and that the grand jury had not considered it sufficient grounds for indictment The jury protecting the rights of at atthe the Individual had had- hadnot not made the names public But the un Amen can activities committee present- present 4 1 t 6 3 u j 5 me un une nau made the names public and in so doin doing had ac according to the implication of the President infringed the Bill of ol Rights From the mail 1 I get and the telephone telephone telephone tele tele- phone calls I receive I know that many people disagree with the criticisms of ot the committee fully tully approving of Its actions These I am sure do not believe in the Infringement of anyone's constitutional rights They believe belleve In the American legal principle that a person verson Is Innocent until he be is proved guilty But t they app appear ar to have i coni con con- the accused In their own minds feel fed they are arc guilty and also have the feeling that an anyone one who objects to what the committee com corn has done is guilty of oC taking tak Ink trig ing sides with a traitorous person person per per- son and therefore is himself indirectly indirectly indirectly in in- directly guilty of treason Before me I have a letter It Is written in good English emotional It Is true but obviously from an Intelligent and educated person It says in part Why not be fair In your our broadcasts broadcasts broadcasts broad broad- casts It Is scandalous and near criminal to murder a mans man's reputation tation on OD mere suspicion as is bein being done by certain committees committees committees commit commit- tees investigating communism So far so good With that start I expected a strong defense of the Bill of Rights to follow But no indeed indeed in- in deed Listen to this but You Vou know perfectly well the necessity of the publicity against communism because there is no other way to arouse the electo electo- rate Yon You know there arc are Benedict Benedict Bene Bene- dict diet Arnolds by the score in the administrations administration's set up Wait a minute 1 Is it necessary to violate the Constitution to arouse the electorate If It you ou believe that you believe in revolution Its It's revo- revo lution if you do not use legal means in exercising your right to change the Constitution But do you want to change the Constitution so the Bill of Rights is infringed Not if 11 you really mean what you ou say in the tho first paragraph of your letter Who's Selling U. U S. S Down the River As to whether there are Benedict Benediet Bene dict diet Arnolds in the government I have no doubt there may be foreign foreign for for- eign spies in the government and andI I would be in favor of ot dealing with them much more drastically than pr present sent laws permit I hope stronger strong strong- er cr laws will be drafted So does congress The department of justice justice jus jus- tice has been working on such a law for some time But to say the government is full of traitors is I either utter nonsense or else the FBI is a lot of morons Now lets let's read further from my listeners listener's letter Canada has officials in their government who are loyal to the country and ant cleared out the rats on their own O initiative We have men who are selling us down the river night and day Well as to Canada no one was publicly accused until the court had decided there was legal proof of his guilt The names of those who had bad been accused and declared innocent Innocent innocent In in- never were revealed As to men selling us down the river night and day I will take the word of General Eisenhower if in a political year the Presidents President's word cant can't be taken The general said This country keeps its major secrets pretty well Now the writer of this letter is obviously sincere believes according according accord accord- ing lag to his own word in the fifth amendment on both legal and I moral grounds Yet on the same page speaking with natural but il illogical jJ ii- logical indignation he asks that the Bill of Rights be abrogated I understand this psychologically I have found myself privately convicting convicting con con- at least one of the persons who was accused by a witness before before before be be- fore the un-American un activities committee although I know that Investigation in investigation tn In- by the FBI Fth and hearings by the grand jury failed to find this person guilty Perhaps more evidence will be introduced with which the accused can be convicted under the law but as long as we pretend to be loyal Americans we have to hold our tempers and withhold withhold withhold with with- hold our judgments Perhaps before belore forming opinIons Ions on this subject certainly before before be be- fore expressing them instead of Just counting 10 it might be well to count the 10 amendments composing com corn posing the the Bill of 01 Rights and while counting read them over carefully And maybe as a birthday present present present pres pres- ent to the Constitution which has given us the best government we know about read the rest of the document over too If enough people peo peo- pIe did that there might be a happier happier hap hap- I pier birthday all around S S SA I A corn borer in I an ear of ot corn com cant can't bore any more than the corn you can hear every day with your own ear S S SAlter After Alter the recent Olympic games which were held helel in England BritIsh British Brit Brit- ish Prime Minister Attlee had to go goto goto goto to the hospital with athletes athlete's foot I S S S I When Christopher Columbus discovered discovered dis dis- dis covered America he found no cows This was not strange because there was none here It was probably just as well however since there were no bulls here either |