Show NE tin ailo 0 R 01 1 11 P bot pw rl 4 m Z T NO 4 r 1 Z tn g k g 4 0 W I 1 y aa ennd iad reading far 53 band 4 47 K X it y 4 by JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN UK HE ambitious ambitions fourth of july orator in search of a therne theme worthy of the day other than tile the declaration of independence need necil go no farther th alluin anthe hie constitution of the united states of america but only the able and eloquent and impassioned go should attempt to do justice to this most remarkable document in ili all the ho voiad there were in the d ii s when it wis was written aliey tie nc great biks works but none greater r eater than the constitution rut but a dry di as ns dust document you jou sni not so the constitution Is the of our freedom between its lines are to be hi read re id nil all the to ro nunce and history rind aspirations of the lie 11 c hundreds Uund reds of thousands of Airier lenns have hava fought and died to indin tain its the success of representative eo government eminent in the world depends upon its in ili nil all its integrity freedom I 1 limits hangs upon it for Us its grent purpose Is to safeguard the rights of the individual citizen cI tIen the constitution Is a lint human litin document that bears directly upon tho the life liberty and pursuit or of lup hap of every amerlean various circumstances have c of late into to ahring lirla lionie this llila truth to its in there Is a nationwide nation wide 11 earn ailen ail n to pron lote undo understanding standing of the constitution by h the coming acne atlon twenty eight states nort HOW p assed n law requiring definite courses of instruction in till nil the public schools more than public school teachers tire are now no required by li la l i w to leach the lie alon to more moie than public school children the campaign will con dinue until all the states shall liao have pissed tills this law thy the brig lish settlers in the alie Ainer ienn colonies brought with thein wie uie principles of self government anti and and practiced them to an extent unknot in the moth kir country this Is slown slon b by tic the representative chamber in virgilla VIrgIn la in 1011 1010 the Min ver pact of IGO 1020 the writ tin eo of the alie connecticut towns tons in 1039 1639 the first chil tit ft of it plan for the formation of a central government was ns the articles of con nl adopted opted by h the lie second continental con gress of 1775 by 1781 it hadj jeen ratified by nil all the lie states the government BO eminent thus established con asted of if a only to remedy tills till and other defects congress conR ress recommended the convention which met may 20 to september 17 1787 nt at philadelphia fifty ne five delt delegates attended nil the states except rhode Is tariff land being represented depre anted washington presided among the lenders vi III tile the convention nvere tre IIa mllton morria wilson ning king ladison Il lackney It andolph mason flerry fierri lansing 1 patterson dickinson and yates vales connies congress approve approved appi oved the constitution drawn by them haven of the st stites ates rail if ed the constitution in 1788 north carolina in and rhode island in 1700 the original document like the declaration of independence has been lit in mins many handa and many places at last it lias has found a and up prop home with tile declaration in a specially oo signed repository recently dedicated by president pre si coolidge in the library I 1 of congress tile the constitution of the united states consists of a 11 preamble and seven articles supplemented supplement opil by nineteen amendments articles in addition to and amendment of the hie constitution it begins we tre the people of 0 tile states in order to form a more mire perfect union establish justice insure don domestic tranquility provide for the common defense promote tile hie general welfare and secure the alit blessings of liberty to ourselves our selven and our posterity do ordain und and establish tills this constitution ution for the united states of 0 america tills this preamble dearly clearly shows allows that tile the constitution Is much more than a compact of states like the at Ait liles of confederation which it replaced these said that the states hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other the constitution 1 Is the establishment by the people of n fo deral system ot 0 government the uniting of the states into one nation nalton under one national government without extinguishing their separate administrations and cul cal the constitution divides the P powers of if government into the legislative executive t and judicial departments it may be thus summarized marl zed ARTICLE I 1 deals with the legislative department or congress sect 1 divides congress into the house and senate sect 2 provides for the election of representatives bevery second year tor for the qualifications of representatives for their apportionment tion ment among the states ne according cording to population the right of the house to choose its own speaker and have the sole power of impeachment sec 8 3 provides for or the election of two senators from each state by the legislatures by the seventeenth amendment in effect slay ilay 31 1013 direct vote by tile the people Is substituted and for their qualifications the vice president presides rind lias has no vote except in case of tto tie the senate tries nil all cases of impeachment sect 4 leaves times places and manner of holding t ing elections for both houses to the state legisla tures but gives ees congress power to alter such regulations except as to the places of choosing choo slug sen makes mandatory at least one meeting ot of congress congi ench each year car sect B 5 gives give each house the power to decide on el elections returns ond and qualifications of its own members to determine its rules to punish members for disorder and by a two thirds vote to expel in a member sect 0 has men members ibers of both houses paid by the united states rind privileged from arrest except tor for ti treason eason felony or lit bi each of tile the peace and forbids tiny poison person holding office under the united states to ile be a member of congress or anny member of consi congress es to be appointed to federal office created or with it salary increased during ills his term in congress sect 7 provides that revenue bills must originate in the lower lovier house the veto of the president may ie le 01 overcome ci coine only by a vote of two thirds or more ct f ench each house ani if the ii president evident fall to return to congress con giess any bill within ten days clays it shall be law unless congress adjourn within a the ten tell lays days when it shall not be law sect 8 defines the powers granted to congress to tax but uniformly throughout the country to money to regulate commerce to make uniform laws on naturalization and on bankruptcy to coin money and to fix standards of weights and measures to establish post offices and post roads to grunt grant patents rind and copyrights to constitute the lower courts to define and to punish piracies pi and the ake to declare war to raise maint maintain nin and control army and navy to call out to organize and to arm the state militias to govern a federal district the sent of government and the elastic c clause on the interpretation of which there has been constant disagreement to make laws necessary and proper for execution of these powers and of all other powers vested in the government or in any of its departments or officers sect 0 enumerates the powers denied to the U united cited states government the prohibition of the slave trudo trade before 1808 suspension of the writ of habeas corpus COITUS except tor for public safety in rebellion or invasion the passage of any bill of attainder or ex post facto law the levying of a direct tax not based on population or of uny tiny export tax tai commercial preference for one port over another or levying duties on vessels sidling salting from one state to another 0 the hie draft of money except by legal appropriation and the grouting granting of tiny any title of nobility or permitting the receipt without consent of congress of any present or tle title from a foreign state by persona holding office under the government sect 10 enumerates the powers denied to the states some of these in the nature of a bill of rights lights eg that there be no bill of attainder or ex post facto law are repeated from the list of powers denied willa to the federal federi tl government others deny to tile what lias has been grunted granted in the prep pre ig selections to the federal government ARTICLE 11 II deals with the executive power vested in a president who with a vice president Is bletl ed for four years lears by electors chosen by the states the number of electors tor for each being equal to the total number of senators sena tois and representatives from the states the twelfth 1803 4 to the constitution ution nukes makes the choice of president rind and vice president separate provides that no elector vote for candidates for both offices from the same state and stipulates that if there Is no choice by a majority of the electors the house of representatives voting by states elates shall choose by majority a president front from lie three highest candidates tor for the office and the senate choose by majority a vice president from rom the two highest candidates sacta bw all 2 and 8 detail the powers ot of tho the prest preal dent no ile to la commender in chlof ot of tho federal i and navy and of state imbia in the service of the united SIt states ites he be grants grunts reprieves or 1 i stint except in impeach it air ases with th the and consent of two thirds of 0 tile the senate he be trent leal and appoints ambassadors and other public ministers con sills judges of the supreme court rind other officers not otherwise other provided for by the constitution or in the case of minor officials by net of con gress cress he lias has the veto power already described lie he gives congress information of the state of the union a method of initiating legislation by the ilia presidential message ho be may convene congress for extraordinary tra sessions lie he receives foreign ministers end and henakes betakes he be takes care that tile the laws be ba faithfully executed besides commissioning comm Iss loning all federal officers sect 4 provides that the tha president vice president and all civil officers not including members of congress as the tha constitution jas has been interpreted may be removed by impeachment for and conviction of treason bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors mean mea nors rs 1 ARTICLE ARTICLE III Is devoted to aft the judicial department which it provides shall be vested in ili one supreme court and in inferior courts ordained und and established by congress federal judges appointed by the president with tile the approval of the tha senate hold office during good behavior sect 2 states that in nil all cases affecting publia rn ministers InI and those in w which b ich a state shall be party tile the supreme court shall have original jurisdiction in nil other cases it shall have hare appellate jurisdiction both as to law rind tact facts with such exceptions us as congress shall make S sect e 3 proal provides des that treason against the united sta states t e cs s shall h all consist only in levying war or in adhering to its enemies giving eh ing them old aid land end comfort that no person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses or on confession in open court and that congress shall have power to declare punishment of treason but no attainder of treason shall extend beyond the life of the person at nt tainted ARTICLE IV deals with interstate and territorial relations among its provisions are those thosa for the gun guarantee rantee by the united states of a republican form of government to every state thus giving congress some gome check on the constitutions constitutional of would be states for repelling invasion of the states by federal power and tor for their protection against domestic violence upon application by the state legislature or if it be not in session fit if the state executive ARTICLE V provides ldes for the adoption of amendments to the constitution amendments are to be proposed el elthier by a two thirds vote of both houses of congress or by a conven convention hon called on the application of tile the legislatures of two thirds of the states proposed amendments must then be rati fled by the legislatures of three fourths of the states or by conventions in three fourths VI provides that the constitution and the laws and treaties made shall be the supreme law of the land AitT ICLE VII provided that the ratin catlon of the convent conventions lons of nine states shall be sufficient tor for the establishment of this constitution amendments ARTICLE I 1 declares that congress shall make no law respecting the establishment or the free exercise of 0 religion abridging the freedom of speech or the press or the right of petition anticol 11 holds that a well regulated militia being necessary to the se security cuilty of a free state the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not he be infringed ARTICLE IV the right of the people to be secure in their person and property against unreasonable ico seizure and search and that no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause arid and under anth ARTICLE V decrees that no person shall be held to answer er for or a serious crime except on indictment of a grand jury nor be twice put in jeopardy of life for the same of fence nor compelled to be a witness against himself nor be deprived of life liberty or happiness without due process of law and that private property shall not be taken tor for public use rise without just compensation VI provides provIde sAbat that in criminal prosecutions the fcc accused sed shall have a speedy public trial in the district where the alleged crime was coin committed shall be informed of the nature of the accusation cusa tion and shall have the assistance of counsel anti and of witnesses in his favor ARTICLE VIII says excessive ball shall not be required nor excessive fines imposed nor cruet cruel and unusual punishment inflicted indicted AItT ICLE X reads the powers not delegated to the united states by the constitution nor prohibited by it to the states are reserved to the states respectively or to the people from 1803 to the civil war no amendments were added three were then adopted its as part of the federal governments reconstruction policy article XIII prohibits slavery article XIV denies to the states the power to abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens or to deprive nry ncy person of life liberty or property without due process of law article XV denies to the states the power to abridge on account of race color or previous condition of servitude the right of citizens to vote in 1913 the sixteenth and seventeenth amendments were wire adopted they provide for the leay levying of an income tax and the direct election of sena senators tots the amendment providing for national prohibition became effective by ratification atlon jan 10 1010 1919 the nineteenth amendment providing tor for itoman woman suffrage became effective by ratification august 20 26 1020 many movements looking to the further amendment of the constitution are under way for ex et ample one provides for the prohibition of child labor it tina hns just been passed by congress and must now be ratified by the states A second fos by the national womans comans party would put women on nn equal footing with wen before the law A third would allow congress con gresi to override an n opinion of oc unconstitutionality by the supreme court by re passing the act in question |