The Cordova daily times., 1921-01-01

| Philadelphia, from May 25 Go Sep | tembsr iT. tTsT. were men who knew not only colonial but also world hts | tory. in tears and blood. they them
 selves. their fathers for generations | had worked out those principles of
 government which those principles of | government which were then snunci-
 ated Washington. Hamilton. Frank ! In, Madison and their associates
 were not intellectual or moral weak | linga They were informed. had the
 courage of their convictions and pro- | duced a document which, used as tho
 fundamental law of the land. has en- | abled the United States Co rise to the | front ranks of the nations of the | earth in a little more than a century
 and a quarter In spite of the various | handicaps under which she has been | forced Co labor, such as civil and po- | iitlcal wars, the assimilation of mil lions of immigrants whose traditions
 and political outlook are contrary to
 her own, etc
 During the period the constitution
 has been amended nineteen times,
 the first ten amendments being prac- tically agreed upon before the original | constitution was ratified. The other
 nine amendments have nullified mo-
 thing basic set forth in the original document. The eleventh and twelfth limit to some extent the power of fed eral courts and provide a new cleo toral law The thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth grew directly out of the changed status of the negro as re-
 suit of the Civil war. The sixteenth
 empowers congress to levy and col lect an income tax. The seventeenth changes the manner of the selection of the members of the U. s. senate.
 The eighteenth forbors the manufac- ture, importation or sale of intoXicat- ing liquors and the nineteenth re- moves suffrage restriction heretofore imposed because of sex by extending , the voting power to women.
 The demagogue and self-appointed guardian of the interests of the people have for the past few years
 been attempting to show that the constitution is a back number, that it has already been so amended and changed that the priCiples originally set forth have been practically nuui- fled, that the sO-called fundamentals are not at all fundamental because of the fact that in the light of the new day which they state is dawning our eyes are being opened to the fact that our fathers laid spurious lumber rather than solid oak in the keel of the ship of state-statements which every well-informed person knows are untrue.
 It is against this class of individ- ual that our republic must arm it. self. The first line of defense is the American public school system whose duty it is to present to boys and girls real truths regarding the constitution. This should be done particularly in upper grades of the elementary school and in the high school. AS an aid iii offering an intensive course on this subject, we are presenting herewith a number of copies of a pamphlet pre- pared by the National Security League entitled, Our Charter of Liberty" Each boy and girl in the eighth grade and high school should not only read this pamphlet from GOV CT to cover but should study and dis cUss with others the contents. Since the subject of English is studied by all pupils, we are suggesting that the books be used as text during Eng 1 fish recitation periods and that a suf- ficient number of recitations be con-
 ducted during the remainder of tue year to enable English classes to be-
 come thoroughly familiar with the constitution and it's proper interpre- ! tation.
 While the entire contents of the
 pamphlet are worthy of serious con
 sideration, your attention is especial
 ly called to "A Catechism of the Con-
 stitution of the United States" by
 Henry Litchfield West, and to the
 article entitled, "The Six Fundamen-
 tai Principles of the Constitution" ;"
 by James Beck. The first principle laid down in the latter article, name
 ly that Republican form of govern
 ment such as our constitution estab-
 lished is essentially representative form of government, cannot be over emphasized. A direct action gov ernment cannot endure as the history of nations of the world definitely shows.