The Colorado statesman., 1924-06-28

complIshed great works, but none greater than the
Constitution.
But dry-asdust document, you say? Not so.
The Constitution is the very substance of our free
dom Between its lines are to be read all the
nance and history and aspirations of the Repub-
lie Hundreds of thousands of Americans have
fought and died to maintain its principles. The
success of representative government in the world
depends upon its maintenance in all its integrity.
Freedom hangs upon it, for its great purpose is to
safeguard the rights of the individual citizen.
The Constitution is a human document that bears
directly upon the life, liberty and pursuit of hap
plness" of every American. Various circumstances
have combined of late to bring home this truth to
In consequence there is nationwide cam
palgn to promote understanding of the Constitution
by the coming generation Twenty-elght states
have passed n law requiring definite courses
of instruction in all the public schools More than
100000 public school teachers are now required by
law to teach the Constitution to more than 3000,-
600 public school children The campaign will con-
tnue until all the shall have passed this law.
The English settlers in the American colonies
brought with them the English principles of self
government and elaborated and practiced them to
IN extent unknown In the mother country. This Is
shown by the representative chamber in Virginia
in 1919; the "Mayfower Pact" of 1920; the writ
ten constitution of the Connecticut towns in 1639
The first official draft of plan for the formation
of a central government was the Articles of Con-
federation adopted by the Second Continental Con
gress Of 1775 .By 1871 it had been ratified by all
the states The government thus established con-
sisted of a legislative department only. To remedy
this and other defects congress recommended the
Constitutional Convention which met May % to
September II, 1887, at Philadelphia. Fifty-fve
delegates attended, all the states except Rhode Is
land being represented
Washington presided. Among the leaders In the
convention Hamilton, Morris, Wilson, King.
Madison Franklin, Sherman, Pinckney, Ellsworth,
Randolph Mason, Gerry Lansing Patterson, Dick
inson and Yates Congress approved the Constitu-
ton drawn by them Eleven of the states ratified
the Constitution in 17Ss North Carolina ratified
in 1889 and Rhode Island in 100.
The original document like the Declaration OF
Independence has been in many hands and many
places At last II has found permanent and ap-
nroprIate home with the Declaration, in special
iy designed repository, recently dedicated by Presi-
dent Coolidge, in the Library of Congress
The Constitution of the United States consists
nj n Preamble and seven Articles, supplemented by
nineteen umendments-"Artic In addition to, and
amendment of, the Constitution" 1t begins:
PREAMBLE-we, the people of the United
states. in form more perfect union es
tablish justice insure domestic tranquility proVIe
Tor the common defense, promote the general wei
rore and secure blessings of liberty to ourselves
and our posterity do ordain and establish ths Con-
atitution for United States of America
This Preamble clearly shows that the Constitu-
ton is much than compact OF states IKE
the Articles of Confederation which 1t replaced
.rasa soid that the states thereby severally enter
,nto Il firm league of friendship with each other
The Constitution is plainly the establishment by
tho neople of n federal system of government
tho uniting of the states Into one nation under
one national government without extinguishing
their separate administrations legislatures ana 10