Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-26

lLldlo ia tAe washington AuoiIol Iuhi
follows:
Thomas Carlyle has said, uni
versal history. the history of what
man has accomplished in this world.
is at bottom the history of the great
men who worked here" The names
of many of these men are en-
blazoned for all the ages in letters
Of living light: the names of other
men, whose deeds and influence sur
vive. lie buried in the dust of time;
but known or unknown, heralded in
song and story or long forgotten,
these world leaders are those who
guided their fellow men along the
difficult path Of human progress.
1.-THE applause of list'ning senates
to command,
The threats of pain and ruin to de-
spiSe,
To scatter plenty DER a smiling
land.
And read their history in q ma
tons eyes"
Representative Of Times.
Open the record book Of American
life. Turn the musty pages Of the
past: watch the moving finger
write the story of the present. and
we read of events and the names
of men who make events-men who
create history, not alone by the
power within themselves. but because
they are truly representative Of their
times and of their fellows. Men who
furnish us the inspiration to labor
and achieve. Destroy this inspira-
ton and the world lies soulless and
dead at our feet.
The history of this beloved coun-
try of ours, like that of every nation
in the world, is the record of her
great leaders. The greater the crisis,
the more vital the condition, the
more certain it is that the very soul
of our people will find its express
sion in her great statesmen.
The most critical period of Ameri-
can history followed the end of the
Revolutionary War. Victory had
been won and liberty secured. but
all the hopes of the War for indie
pendence were threatened with de-
struction by period Of disunion
and internal strife.
The Is Colonies, founded at vari-
Gus times and operating under DIFF
ferent forms of Colonial govern
be- rnents, were also separated by vital
social and economic differences. The
newborn national spirit, injured by
the Revolution, had swiftly changed
to a feeling of hatred and jealousy,
fostered by the absolute inability Of
the machinery of the Articles of
Confederation to establish a strong
national government.
Disregard for commercial regula-
lions, threats of rebellion, inability
to meet financial obligations and
fear of total disunion became so
threatening that even those most
F,I 1f the
danger of the impending crisis. The
whole country looked toward the
delegates to the Constitutional Con-
vention to afford the only means Of
egreSs from this disastrous situation.
Frame New Government.
During the Summer months OF
1857 the representatives of the States
met for the primary purpose OF
bringing some order out OF this
chaos. But upon assembling, they
discovered that mere amendment to
the articles would not suffice. APP
palled by the seriousness of the stu.
alton confronting them, but guided
by a power stronger than their own
wills or desires, they cast aside the
original purpose of the convention
and proceeded to frame an entirely
new government.
Did these men who had arisen
from the people, who had been
trained in the school of bitter ex-
perience and who had inherited that
old Anglo-Saxon idea OF human
rights give up the task as hopeless?
Did they betray this trust placed in
them by the people? No! Here were
stern and serious New Englanders.
gay and romantic cavaliers of Mary
VfnI fNln TOW IF MI
lawyers of Massachusetts,; farmers,
statesmen, business men and poll
ticians; Catholics and Protestants,
and future States rights men and
Federalists. Despite these differences
an underlying bond existed binding
them together in a common purpose.
This bond was dominant belief in
the eternal ideal of justice and the
rights of the individual With al
most supernatural vision of the flu
ture they saw the necessity of max
ing this bond effective in a govern
ment truly representative Of the
people and in a strong union of the
States.
Call the roll of the convention!
James Madison, Virginia lawyer,
who came to the convention with a
draft of government in his pocket:
quiet and unassuming genius. who
has been called the father of the
Constitution"
Alexander Hamilton, profound and
original thinker; then 80 years of
age and already successful New
York lawyer. who was to accept the
first Treasury portfolio and in the
brief span of two years lift the bank
rupt Colonies to a place of inter-
national credit.
Benjamin Franklin, WiSest man of
his time; ripe in age and experience;
diplomat, inventor and philosopher.
George Washington. whose name
was reVered wherever it was spoken;
the soldier and statesman; most i'm
pressive and romantic figure in
American history. in whose heart
burned that immortal genius for
leadership.
James Wilson, Gouverneur Morris,
Charles PtnCkney, John Randolph
and others who by their patriotism
and devotion constituted so i'm
portant an element of strength that
leaders in other lands, surveying this
group, declared that these ragged
and war-torn colonies had produced
the greatest number Of statesmen of
the first rank that was ever produced
in one country in one generation.
Constitution Completed.
The Constitution was completed;
and on September 7. 1887. the dele
gates were ready to submit to the
people for ratification a document
the like of which the world had
never scen--a basic national law,
unique in its construction and glori-
Gus in its strength Government
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