The age-herald., 1901-05-08
The Constitution Makers.

rise in life; it will be quick and clever"
 The Constitution Makers.
 Dear Delegate: When you take your seat in the constitutional convention you will find yourself, of course. f1anked on the one hand by that variety of mind, common to all large assemblies of men, known as the vague. On the other hand you will discover another variety Known as the exaggerated. In other words, you will look forth upon miniature Alabama, some delegates waiting innocuously where 1t has pleased an inscrutable Prov idence to deposit their bodies waiting for something to turn up; these safe" men holding life and place pro forma.
 |, Next in order of mention come the ex- aggerated. These are busy delegates and practical pagans. They cry peace on top of every question because all questions are too high for them. To them. what ever is, Is right because they have not been endowed with the faculty of analyz- ing the destiny of society or the normal duty of man. To them there Is no nettie danger. hence they are to pluck no flower
  not learn that liberty Is the hotbed of faction. that where there is no faction there is no organization of society, but in lieu thereof military rule or anarchy. If appealed to and warned to examine the exgencies which confront our times they see naught except the times that always have been here. If asked to reflect how radically society, in 1901, has changed since Alabama laid down first principles in the little convention in the little woods environed hamlet of Huntsville. In 1921. they fail to follow your wise admon- ition because they are unacquainted with the fact that a State constitution Is not born but made
 Avowedly, MT. Delegate, you are bent on assisting conditions as you find them that favor the veal of Alabama. You have a definite idea, first, that state au- tonomy is the objective. Have you, who see the men to the left of you and the other men to the right of you, as they are, taken account in your contempla- tions of your own tether? Have you measured faithfully the distance. consti- tuted of events and theories, between
 
 Alexander Hamllton's Plan.
 Tn the convention of 17S7 Alexander Hamilton rose and said these words: ''The General Government should main tain itself. The State governments might generally dwindle into nothing. The sys- tenn Ga nation), therefore, should not en- graft itself on what might possibly fail'- the state governments. Firm in the belief that one or the other, the nation or the state, had to go by the board. Hamilton offered plan of organization to save the nation. His plan to this end was O a Senate chosen by districts the Senators to hold office on good behavior; (2) na- tional Governor chosen for life or good behavior; (3) the Governor of each State to be appointed by the national authority and all State legislation to be subject to the approval of the national authority; () the national courts ito determine all matters of general concern; (5) the mi litia to be National Guard, solely under control of the national government, from whom all commissions to officers should issue.
 I aprrehend no delegate will deny that the movement of power of these times is toward the nation away from the State. Can the Alabama convention ease us down upon the movement? If so. how? Hamilton's scheme for electing life Sen ators by districts merges in this period of progress into Senate well filled by grace of the trusts and corporations. The paral- Tel goes farther, but you are familiar all ready with Its points of interest, and I need not weary you.
 The emancipation of the negro, the slaughter of our young men, the burning of our houses and the waste of our land were powerless to arrest tree government in Alabama until our currency laws. in time of liberty and security, were abol- ished and the money of the country cen tralized on Wall street by act of Con- gress. Then Hamilton triumphed and Alabama waned! What will you do for Alabama, MT. Delegate?
 Yours, D. E. McRACY.