The Colorado statesman., 1911-06-24
Defending the Constitution.

ever things drag a little. and the COM
mittees are not ready to report their
bills and there are no good stories be-
ing told in the cloakrooms, the senate
puts on one of these shows for the
benefit of the galleries. and. incident
ally, to provide reading matter to be
mailed home to help the folks pass
the evenings entertainingly.
A constitutional set-to Is greatly
enjoyed by the senate. even apart
from the satisfaction senators have in
impressing the galleries and the coun-
try with the fact that they are keep
ing vigilant guard to see that liberty
and freedom don't get away in the
press of passing appropriation bills
Senators are only human, and they
certainly do love to sit around the
stove, figuratively speaking, and whit
tie on stick. The senate isn't so all
fired different from the crossroads
store at home where senators got their
first training. Give the senate nice,
smooth, well seasoned constitutional
barrel stave to make shavings of. and
it can pass a mighty comfortable.
ing's work passing bills by the IA
tiguing method Of leaning back in
their chairs and watching the clerk
do all the work, the senate brightens
up when one of its constitutional ex-
perts rises and begins to unroll that
sacred document of the fathers. After
paying a high tribute to the wisdom
and patriotism of the trainers, he
points out that they didn't mean any
think like what the senators on the
other side think they meant when
they wrote the instrument under
which the government now exists.
Whereupon a senator on the other
side rises and. after paying high
tribute to the wisdom and patriotism
of the trainers, he points out that they
not only meant what they wrote into
the instrument under which the gov
ernment now exists. but great deal
more. The debate is then on.
The Constitution, 1t has been said.
is the most remarkable instrument
ever struck off at one time by the
hand and purpose of man, and 1t is.
in that no two senators can argue
disagreeing as TO what 1t is all about.
This is the more remarkable In view
of the fact that the Constitution is not
written In an unknown language and
has very few long words in It
The senate takes its constitutional
debates very seriously. 1t pretends
not to know that It has Itself turned
the Constitution wrong side out, let
out the seams In the back, set the
buttons over in front, sewed side pock-
cts on, and otherwise adapted 1t to
the needs Of the growing STRIPPING 1t
was first designed to clothe. But that
is just the senates sentiment, and the
senate has as much sentiment as
schoolgirl with her first volume OF
love sonnets. Down in its heart the
senate knows that II Mr. Madison, Mr.
Hamilton and the rest of them were
alive now, and tried to put anything
like the Constitution over on the coun-
try today, those patriots would get a
more exciting run for their money
than they experienced when the con-
vention sat in Philadelphia.
And the chances are the senate
would be found leading the fight
against their revolutionary proceed
ing, and pointing with melancholy
/ pride back to the good old days when
Charlie Staurt sent out his trusty gov
ernors to rule his faithful colonies un-
der the benign sway of royal char
! ter.