Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-09-17

September II Is called the birthday
of the Constitution of he United
States, because on that day in the
yea 1887 the Federal Convention
which drew up that great Charter Of
Human Liberty completed its work
and adjourned.
Before it's adoption, our Constitu-
ton was carefully considered and
widely debated by all Of the people.
These discussions continued for more
than a year and afforded an oppor-
tunity for the freest expression OF
opinion from every citizen and every
social group in our country. John
Fiske, the historian, records the fol-
lowing incident as typical:
LAS the weeks went by and the
issue seemed dubious, the work.
ingmen of Boston . . . held O
meeting at the Green Dragon
Tavern, and passed resolutions In
favor of the Constitution. .
When Adams had read h pa
per, he asked Paul Revere, How
many mechanics were at the
Green Dragon when these reso-
1utions were passed?' More, sir,
than the Green Dragon could
hold And where were the rest,
Mr., Revere2' In the streets, sir
And how many were in the
streets?' More, sir, than there
are stars in the sky"
Because the people had thus DELHI
erately accepted the Constitution, u
could with literal truth begin:
1--WE the people of the United
States do ordain and estab-
lish this Constitution of the
United States of America"
The Declaration of Independence
had pronounced the Thirteen AM
erican Colonies free from foreign
control, but 1t did not make them a
.,+g1- nba A rfirIae nf Characterization
created an alliance between them,
but left them thirteen different states
under separate governments. 1t was
the Constitution that made the Am
erican people one nation, with a
fundamental law and q common pur-
pose.
This purpose as set forth in he
preamble to the Constitution was,
", il, to form q more perfect
Union, establish justice, insure
domestic tranquility, provide for
the common defence, promote
the general welfare, and secure
the blessings of liberty to our
selves and our posterity Z. .
In respect to the fundamental law
the Constitution, in Article VI, says:
This Constitution and the laws
of the United States which snail
be made in pursuance thereof,
shall be the supreme law
of the land and the Judges In
every State shall be bound there
Our Constitution has won the
ighes admiration from lovers of
liberty in other lands. William D..
Gladstone, the great English states
man, declared:
THE American Constitution is,
so far as / can see, the most
wonderful work ever struck or
-l.o,. 4fnna bv fhn hr1in and
purpose of man."
The trainers of our Constitution
clearly foresaw that, to meet the
future needs of a great and growing
nation, changes would from time to
time be required. They provided.
therefore, in the Constitution ltself
an orderly method by which 1t might
be amended.
The Constitution of tho United
States as we now have 1t, consists of
a Preamble, seven Articles n eigh-
teen Amendments. These amend
ments, however, have not altered its
fundamental conception of he rela-
tionship Of government to freedom
and human happiness nor its basic
provisions for establishing that just
relation.
What. then, are the fundamental
principles Of the Constitution and
what are the vital rights hat each
of us enjoys under 1t?
The most fundamental of these
principles is the guarantee of civil
liberty by the limitation of the pow
ers of government.
Chief Justice Marshall, the first
great Interpreter of our Constitution,
says:
.sThIs is acknowl-
edged by all to be one of enum-
Grated powers. The principle
that it can exercise only the
powers granted to it . is now
universally admitted"
Again and again in our history, as
In the history of all nations, factions
for the moment in power have WISH
ed to enact laws the desire of which
grew out of the passions OF the hour.
But they have always had to a
that great principle of our Constltu-
ton which limits the powers OF gov
eminent and which they dared NOT
transgress. And so we have remain
ed a free people.
Recognizing these wise restraints
Abraham Lincoln us to
LET reverence for the law
become the political religion
of h nation"
Lest at any time those In power
should willfufly or ig~norantly retuse
to be governed by the limitations OF
authority laid down by the Constitu-
ton. a Supreme Court and lower
Federal Courts were established with
power to render ineffective all legis-
lation in conflict with the Constitu-
ton. In respect to these courts,
Alexander Hamilton. one of the au-
thors of the Constitution, says:
by a limited Constitution I
understand one which contains
certain specified exceptions to
the Legislative authority.
Limitations of this kind can be
preserved in practice in no other
way han through courts of JUS
tice, whose duty 1t must be TO
declare all acts contrary to the
manifest tenor of the Constitu-
ton void"
OF the Supreme Court, Daniel
Webster declares:
1.-THE Constitution without 1t
would be no constitution, the
government, no government"
The principles which the Constitu-
ton sought. to preserve by limiting
the powers of government are partly
rights of the States to local self-gov-
m and partly those individual
rights which are referred to by the
Declaration of Independence as Life
Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happi-
ness"
These limitations guarantee to al
States local self-government on mat
tiers not expressly set apart to thu
federal government.