Milford chronicle., 1931-06-05

]
they began to push across the con-
tinent to establish farms, villages
and cities beyond the hand of the
law. But the Constitution again
met the test, formed new territories,
added new States to her dominion
and made provisions for the develop
ment of their vast resources. So,
again, our people kept faith with
their government and upheld its pol
icies with patriotism most ardent
and sincere.
Immediately following the joy of
this new victory, came the fear of
| defeat, for the storm clouds of civil
strife hung like shroud over the
American nation and the Civil War,
like a shuttle, wove a scarlet thread
of blood through the gray tissue of
American society, and the COnstitu
tion was faced with the test of unity.
Up from the ranks of the lowly
came Abraham Lincoln, who was to
guide the Constitution through this
greatest trial of it's long career. Be
cause of his unwavering faith in
American democracy, the strife
ceased and the Constitution was
again recognized as the supreme
law of all the land.
"And now it comes to us today,
stained with corruption or failure.
1t has brought us from a struggling
republic of seabOard States to vast
imperial power; it
has met every test. The present test
is power. With power comes tempta-
tion. Temptation to forget the fun
damental principles of justice and
equality upon which our govern
ment was founded, and if we fail in
this period of unrest to adhere to
the fundamental low of our land,
our nation will sure decline, desola-
tion, decay; but, with the allegiance
of 12O,OO0,OOO souls, our Constitution
will triumphantly reign supreme and
our nation will be sustained on the
pinnacle of world leadership.
1.-THE ink on the parchment where
the Constitution has been en-
crossed for years is faded, but if it
has been written in letters of living
light, this country will march on
through the ages, with the sun over
it's head and the pure blood of an
enlightened citizenship surging high |
through its veins.
"Shall our government crumble |
fall, our Constitution fall and the |
sun forever set on American de- |
mocracy? This answer is yours!
Democracy has distributed her
bounties. May we be willing to pay
the price! Let us mobilize our
forces to uphold, protect and pre-
serve the power that has been given
us, and let us raise this document
to the peak of esteem where it will
live on forever as the immortal Con-
Topics for EXXtempOraneOuS Talks
Rayburn's extemporaneou topic
was Conflict Between Jefferson and
Hamilton" He and the other ora
tors were told their extemporaneous
topics only after delivering their
speeches, so each orator
had only about thirty minutes in
which to arrange his facts and
choose the manner in which he
would present them. Miss Conner
got the topic of "The Prescribed
Methods of Amending the Constitu-
ton" and Codd drew the topic of
Lincoln and the Supreme Court"
Emmett got the relatively un-
known subject of "The Annapolis
Trade Convention" and though his
explanation of it was not sufficient
20 win the prize, he delivered a con-
Use description of the first internal {
rade convention entered into by the !
United States. {
In his eXtemporaneous speech (
3ayburn said: t' /
"In the efforts of a small body of !
nen gather together in Philadel-
)hia 154 years ago was the crystal {
ization of the dreams of centuries. I
n these men were vested the hopes, a
he prayers and the ambitions of the a
turdy colonists. Their ideas were t
,rought together and were clothed a
n elective language.
But those ideas had come from S
he mills of human experience. At i
er the trainers had originated the /
document, and had passed it on to /
he States for ratification, their t
york was not over For upon these
reat statesmen and others who had a
lot been present at the COnstitu- S
ional Convention rested the respon- h
ibility of launching the new ship L
f state. t
1.-TWO of these pioneer statesmen, n
of eternal liberty, 8
,ere Jefferson and Hamilton. Both v
f them had been bitterly opposed C
} many of the measures adopted in 5
he Constitution. But when this a
ocumnet was accepted by the great
they plunged into the c.
ask of securing it's ratification. For a
ley were both true patriots.
Thomas Jeerson had not been I
resent at the Constitutional Con-
ention; and the common people ac-
awaited his return from
aris to see if their great leader o
ould favor the ratification of the b
For Jefferson was the 81
hampton of the masses. His faith r
/ the common people is said to y,
ave equaled almost that of the II
reat Abraham Lincoln. 81
"On the other hand, Alexander
hamilton was an aristocrat. He a
istrusted and feared the people. 81
was his belief that the govern IL
ent should be in the hands of a lie
w-the trained and wealthy. IL
"These differences, however, re- F
aimed dormant during the period W
ratification and both statesmen in
l., l..