The call of the North. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1923-1924, 1923-09-14
The Constitution
How it is Regarded by Klansmen.

The constitution of the United
States is the greatest constructive
governmental document ever struck off
by pen of man. 1t brought order out
of chaos. 1t developed national CO.
hesiveness and destroyed the power
of disintegration. 1t softened state
pride and magnified love of country.
1t took thirteen weak, selfish and
quarrelling states and amalgamated
them into a national unit. It turned
poverty into wealth-discordance in
to unity-distrust into love-local
pride into patriotism. No greater
task ever came to the hands of mortal
men than the task that confronted
the members of the Constitutional Con-
vention that met in Philadelphia on a
spring day in 1857. There was really
no government. The Articles of Con-
federation had proved to be a rope
of sand that bound nobody. The Con-
tinental Congress would speak but
each sovereign state treated its de-
mands and requests with contempt.
The question was on every patriots
lips-"Would the country survive the
shock of civil discord or would the in
dependence of the states so dearly
bought be lost in the consuming self
ishness of the several states of the
newly formed country?"
The convention was called for the
purpose of amending the Articles of
Confederation, but when the states
men gathered to perform that task it
was soon discovered that what the
country needed was a document that
would create a national unit and
amalgamate the people of the several
states into an indissoluble union.
George Washington was chosen as
the president of the convention,
whose deliberations lasted from late
in April until a day in September
when the document was finally passed
and signed. So momentous were the
issues to be decided, so conflicting
were the theories Of government Of
the members of the convention, so
precarious was the condition of the
country that Benjamin Franklin, at
the conclusion of the convention, with
a voice trembling with emotion, well
said, "Mr. Chairman, at the opening
of this convention I was in a guam
Diary to know whether the engraving
upon the back of your chair was
rising or setting sun. Now at the
happy conclusion Of the deliberations
I can we'll say that it is indeed a ris-
ing sun whose rays will shine upon
generations yet unborn, for we are
now national entity"
Two paramount conflicting theories
of government were soon made mani
fest in the convention. One class Of
men seeing the danger incident to IN
limited power through a strong CEN
tralized government and having re-
Gently witnessed people disentangl-
ing themselves from arbitrary rule
were strong for the proposition of
leaving the ultimate power with the
states. These were the so-called
states rights statesmen. On the
other hand there was that class who
appreciated the weakness of the Arti-
cles of Confederation and saw the ne
cessity of developing a power that
would be paramount to the rights Of
the states. This class was known as
the Nationalist or Federalists.
Evolves Splendid System
The battle waged for months with
the result that the present splendid
system of government was conceived
by the merging and amalgamating of
the two conflicting theories.
Probably the greatest credit for the
monstruction of the present Constitu-
ton is due to James Madison and
Alexander Hamilton. They belonged
to different schools of political belief
but so great was their patriotism and
so splendid their mental equipment
that they were able to conceive the
system of government which left to
the states matters Of purely local
concern and at the same time en-
dowed the national government with
a power sufficient to develop unified
action.