Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-17
The Constitution as Ratified.

The Constitution as Ratified.
The task of putting the Constitution
into its final shape after the compro'
mise on State representation had beer
arrived at was comparatively simple
However, it required weeks of discussion
and revision. Finally, on September IT
1897 the Constitution was signed by IS
Delegates from II States, Rhode ISlanc
having steadfastly refused to have any
thing to do with the Constitutions
Convention. The Constitution, as signed
by the Delegates, was a document OF
approximately 1000 words and con-
tanned seven articles or divisions. o.
these divisions, the first three deal with
the manner of selection of the officers
of the three major departments OF the
Government and their powers and limi-
tationS. The fourth, fifth. and sixth
articles contain miscellaneous provi-
sions, including those for amending the
Constitution. The seventh declares
that the Government provided for by
the Constitution should go into effect
when ratified by nine of the States.
Nothing Is clearer than the fact that
the Delegates believed that the charac-
ter and capacity of the officers of the
Government were of the highest i'm
portance for its successful operation
John F. Mercer of Maryland summed
up the thoughts of his colleagues on
this point admirably when he said: I'll
is a great mistake to suppose that the
paper We are to propose will govern the
United States. 1t is the men whom il
will bring into the Government. and in
terest in maintaining it, who will gov
ern the Nation. The paper will only
mark out the mode and the form. Men
are the substance and must do the
business"
The same idea ran through all the
debates-"the Government will succeed
provided the right kind of men are
chosen" To secure that result, the
Delegates set up qualifications for Of
ficeholderS and for their electors. How
ever, they felt that they we're extremely
liberal in regard to the suffrage, which
was thrown open to all adult male citi-
zeIiS. There was genuine and wide
spread belief among the Delegates that
the people should be the ultimate source
OF power. There was just as widespread
and frank a belief on their part that
the people should not be allowed to act
directly and impulsively on their Gov
eminent.
This determination to sift, to check,
to refine the popular will by having it
pass through representatives of the peo-
pie, in order to select their officers, eX-
plains Tie T1SlQ regulations IN CIle IlrSl
three articles. Mathematically stated,
the people were to act directly in Sc
lecting only one-sixth of the officers of
the Government; they were to act at
second hand in selecting three -sixths of
them and only at third hand in selecting
the remaining (and perhaps the most
importantly of then1-the judges. To put
it another way, the people were to elect
only the members of one-half of one of
their three great departments. That
half, the House of Representatives, was.
perhaps, not intended to be, but &C
tually has proved to be, the least i'm
portant part of the Government. The
other half of the legislative depart
ment was to be selected by the State
Legislatures. The Executive, who was
given enormous powers, was to be
elected by electors chosen by or under
the supervision of the State Legisla-
lures. The members of the judicial de-
partment were to be appointed by the
President, subject to approval, not of
both houses, but of the Senate only.
The House of Representatives had the
single exclusive privilege of originating
revenue bills, but the Senate was ex-
pressly given power to amend those bills
and, in short, to have its hands on the
purse strings along with the members
Of the popular body.
Much has been made Of the fact that