Evening star., 1925-09-17

Today is the birthday of the United
States Constitution. On this day 1877
years ago the convention which had
been called to amend the Articles OF
Confederation, after SO days of debate,
submitted to the States for ratifica-
ton the result of its labors.
The debates had been strenuous.
often bitter, and at times threatening
| to result in failure, secession ana war
between conflicting States. Yet the
product of those debates, a century
later. drew from Lord Bryce this COM
mendation: History knows few IN
struments which in so few words lay
down so momentous rules on a vast
range of matters of the highest I'M
portance and complexity."
| Gladstones comment is often quot
ed: THE most perfect piece of work
ever struck off by the brain and pur-
pose of man at a given time"
| The entire Constitution, with all it's
amendments, could be printed In six
columns of The Evening Star, and
read in less than half an hour. James
| NJ. Beck, former Solicitor General OF
the United States, has written treat
| ise on the Constitution, in which ne
says: while it was marvelously saga
cious in what it provided, 1t was wise
to the point Of inspiration in what 1t
left unprovided."
| X X X
| The Articles of Confederation repre-
sented a compact between States. The
Constitution is the fundamental law
of our Nation. one and indivisible =
| a Nation of the people, not OF units OF
States. The States are parts of one
Union, not the Nation a mere fedora
| tion of sovereign States-a distinction
| first made clear in the Webster
HAYNES Calhoun debates in the Senate,
and ratified by the Civil War. The
preamble sets out in its OPEN
| ing phrase the important fact that
| this is an expression of Will, for and
| by the people of the whole Nation:
| 1--WE, the people of the United
States, in order to form more per.
feet Union. do ordain and
establish this Constitution for the
United States of America.
Even in our own day the question
| whether all loyal citizens are ob1i-
| gated to honor and obey the consu-
| tutional provisions is debated, and oe-
cause there are amendments not
agreeable to the ideas of individuals
| conscience is lulled into self-excuse
| while laws are fiouted. Thus the
l
as it had been once defied by states,
under the specious plea that they
had not approved Of its provisions.
! Some doctrinaires are asserting that
If laws are thus def1ed, the fault lies
\ in the Constitution, and not In the
| lawlessness of the breakers.
Mr.. Beck, in his treatise on the
Constitution, discusses the alleged
decadence of the press because news
| PAPERS give great space to crime,
prize fights, sports and crude humor.
He cites also, as signs of decadence,
"tazz music. degeneration in public
life, growing disrespect for law by
the individual man and woman, and
| their aversion to work, the subordi-
| nation Of the classroom Of our col
leges to the outdoor stadium, the tn-
| fiuence of our mechanical age with
| its automatic machinery, etc, de-
/ stroying the soul of things" ~~
X n X X
The accusation against the press
! certainly does not apply to all pa
| pers, for all are not yellow or NOR
bid. A perusal of q book recently
published by Prof. Fred E. Haynes
of the University Of Iowa may be
taken as expressing the tone Of his
Instructions to the youth Of that seat
Lei learning. Tho accusation has been