San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-19
CONSTITUTION WEEK

San Antonio is having its Constitution
Week. In some places they saw Con
stitutional Week; perhaps the week Is
about the only constitutional thing lett,
so far as governmental practice goes.
And governmental practice has gone a
bit too far But the Sovereign people
in nearly all parts Of the country may
still publicly speak Of the constitution
without being cast into prison. How
ever. they are being watched; no telling
when such people may try to pull
something"
Constitution Week in San Antonio is
coeval with Constitution Week-or Con-
stitutional Neutrality-suspicious. the coun-
trv. or wherever else the occasion is
being observed. It is coeval also with
one of the weeks designated by the chief
executive of the state for the conduct
here of an enterprise which some San
Antonio LAWYERS have marked as unCon-
stitutional In fact. it was ConstItu-
ton Week that inspired these attorneys
to apply to the governors ranger project
the theoretical test Of principle; and it
is reported that their study Of the mat
ter may result in conclusive actual
test before competent courts.
So. even it there should be no other
benefits from it, Constitution Week in
San Antonio would be worth while. But
additional benefits are logically to be
expected. The sheer fact that the law
yers OF this city. as Of others, are be-
ginning to agitate the question OF con-
stitutional government is not without
significance And it is to be MOTEL that
the idea OF holding Constitution Week
originated with and is being promoted
by the American Bar Association. When
government strays so far from the
bounds which define Americas form o.
government that lawyers, who make
their living out of "the law call fol
its return, then, indeed. must there b.
something wrong. What is it?
Eternal vigilance is the price of lib
crty." But too few people have beer
paying the price. Government officials
being human, are prone to take an el
when they are given an inch A tendenc,
F.. grows stronger with practice. For man
wears lHe people OF lne Cn1leQ STATE
have "revered" the countrys constitu
ton as a sort of abstraction. They hav
allowed self-seeking, fanatical and pow
cr-drunken officials to set up mango,
eminent in the place Of law government
Too many people are prone to forge
that principles constitute the basis
Americanism. Those principles may b
and have been, violated in spirit ar
effect through the enactment even
laws that are not literally unconstit
tional. In the literal sense the const
tuition is vulnerable, and it is on Il
literal side that the enemies of Amer
canism most frequently get in the
work. But sometimes they are inca
tious enough to enact laws or laun
governmental projects that are unce
stitutional even by the literal test
The ordinary layman caunot reasc
ably be expected to know whether
given law is unconstitutional by I
literal test. But if the spirit of Anne
canism is active within him, he cam
but know whether the traditional pr
ciples which are the birthright of eve
American are being put into COVE
mental practice. He knows, for I
ample, whether his community is bel
permitted to practice the principle