The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-11-28

thousand glad mouths, and the Watc1-
boy now clapped his hands and shouted,
Ring, ring, ring" The electrified old
patriot rang forth such joyous peal as
was never heard before, nor ceased TO
hurl it backward and forward until
every voice jOinedinits notes Of gladness
and triumph. The roar of cannon, the
illuminatiOns on every house and hilltop,
added to those demonstrations OF uni
versal rejoicing.
The declaration of Ofindependence was the
| keynote of our constitution. The result OF
the war of independence is the establish
ment of a free nationality, yet this was
only beginnings so to speak, of our civic
and political structure. 1t was soon
| found, however, that declarations without
laws to back them amounted to
very little, so Washington, Randolph,
and others, conceived the idea Of send
ing commissioners to Alexandria for the
purpose of discussing the best plan
of imposing duties on imports. The
! commissioners met In March, 1856.
After spending some time with Washing
| ton in Mt. Vernon, the result was a
recommendation for another commission,
which might establish a general tariff on
imports. The Virginia Legislature not
only agreed but invited the other states
to send deputies to meet at Annapolis.
In September, 1856, they had arrived from
five states only with tOOlimitedpOwers. A
number of able men could be found
among the representatives, however, and
it was decided to draw up an address for
all the states strongly representing the
| inefficiency of the then federal govern
Inent and earnestly urging them to send
delegates TO meet in Philadelphia in May,
1887. Congress responded TO this pro
ceeding in February by the passage OF
resolutions recommending the proposed
measure, but perhaps they did not then
contemplate all the m0mentOus results.
On May ii, 1887, the day appointed for
the meeting, only Il small number OF the
delegates had arrived in Philadelphia.
This necessitated poStpOnement of the
deliberations until May 25, with twenty
nine members representing nine states.
Soon others arrived until the number
reached fifty. Never perhaps in the
history of the world had any body of
men combined for so great purpose
to form constitution which was to
rule so numerous people and perhaps
through so many generations. The
members, consisting OF the very ablest
men in America, were not unworthy OF,
nor unequal to so high trust, Washing
ton was chosen to preside over the delib-
eratiOns Of the trainers of our cOnstitu-
tiOn. 1t must be remembered that this
body was appointed for the purpose of
revising or improving the old articles of
confederation, which still held the
original colonies precariously together
as u nation. Yet they did not deliberate
long when they determined that the ex-
listing compact, or system of govern
ment, must be swept away entirely.
Mr. Randolph, of Virginia, had fOrmu-
lated plan which seemed to meet with
favor, but it was also bitterly opposed,
and by reason of this diversity 0fOpiniOn
the convention came very near breaking
up in row. 1t was due to the calmness,
GOODNESS, and excellent judgement OF DR..
Franklin that it did not Three days Of
adjournment solved the problem. When
the convention recCnvened, the cOnstitu
ti0n was adopted and the final debate
closed on the 18th of September, 1887.
strange as it may seem, Randolph and
Mason, of Virginia, and Gearry, of
Massachusetts,, did not sign it. When
Washington, whose turn came first, was
about to sign the instrument, ordained
to be hencefOrth, if ratified by the
several states, the palladium OF his
country's national existence, and the
formation of which he had watched over
/ I, init nd l,n hiu
seat and, holding the pen in his hand
after short pause pronounced these
words, SHOULD the states reject this eX-
cellent constitution the probability is
that an opportunity will never again be
offered to cancel another in peace. The
next will be drawn in blood" DR..
Franklin, when about to affiX his sigma
ture to the great (Icame verynear saying
immOrtaD document, said, 81 have often
looked at that sun behind the president.
could not tell whether it was rising or
setting. now know it is rising SUM-"
The convention, however, was not
clothed with legislative power, so the
document had to be referred to the
several states. 1t was not until May of
1888 that the requisite number of nine
states had adopted it. Rhode Island was
the last of the thirteen original states to
adopt the constitution, which she did in
May, 1880.
The constitution was the great culmi-
mating act OF our fOrefathers, who wise
ly framed our laws. The declaration Of
independence was, as have stated, the
cornerstone Of our civic and political
structure. The constitution was the
foundation of the structure itself. Here |
mightstate, "VOxpOpuli, ,vox Del The voice
of The people is the voice of GOd)." 1t is
said in the declaration of independence
that all men are created equal, and are
endowed with certain inalienable rights
among which are life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness. In order to secure
these rights, governments have been
established among men, deriving their
just powers from the consent of the gov
erned. Governments that existed with
out the consent of the governed are built
on foundations of sand. The old idea
was that governments were made for
kings, queens, and emperOrs, whose sub
jects had no rights that crowned heads
were bound to respect. The crOwn-head-
ed rulers were supposed to possess all the
brain required to manage the complex
machinery Of government, when as a
matter Of fact the worlds history will
bear me out in saying that many tin
sci crown adorned brainless head. So
1t remained for the old colonial or more
properly speaking, American patriots, tO
change the hitherto prevailing idea Of
government. They made marked in
novatiOn, and their example has been
! followed by others. The benefit to hu.
| monitv nf Iuiea atntnaman ouch no fh1