Evening star., 1932-05-22


tional Oratorical Contest, as de-
livered last night by Lucylle
Goldsmith of Los Angeles, fol-
lows:
Scientists say that coal Is the sun
shine that was stored up millions OF
years ago. To-Day people use this same
coal to keep the warmth of life in them.
Our Constitution is the stored-up sun
shine of centuries Of struggle for the
prerogative of liberty in all its forms.
and that work is today the life itself
of the Nation of the United States Of
America.
"Our Constitution was not the product
of 1877, nor the immediate creation OF
those who gave it form and substance
at the constitutional convention. The
Constitution was never the result Oh a
single stroke of genius, 1t had It's roots
far back in the past. The trainers OF
this document were much too wise 10
draw on their Imagination. or to base
the government of a nation on theory.
Had these men attempted to create a
chimerical structure, their work would
have been valueless. Its guarantees
bear the brand of centuries for their
justification and existence. The bril-
lance of its trainers was shown chiefly
in the fact that they disturbed as little
as possible the existing institutions.
which were the growth of the ages and
which were part of their race inheri-
tance. The colonists fought to retain,
not to destroy. their rights under the
British constitution. The Americans OF
1776 were British, and in framing their
governmental plar they simply used
the law and charter that had always
been their own.
There are buildings that soar to the
skies, others remain close to the ground
But none can mount high unless its
foundations are entrenched deeply
firmly, into the ground. They can
ascend just so far as their foundations
allow. Those founders OF our governC
ment knew that. and, mighty bulders
that they were, when they erected tnat
invincible, that ever-groWing bundlng,
the United States of America. they
made a foundation for it that was
enduring. fundamental; that would last
as long as the edifice for which 1t was
its base. would suffice no matter now
the building expanded, how high 1t rose.
"For this foundation, its builders
cleaned. facts from all history, from the
motherland and from the State con-
stitutions. The State constitutions, IN
turn. had been derived from the early
trading charters, such as that OF the
East India Co.
"Our idea of Senate we got from
the Romans, from the Hebrew SAN
hedrin of Biblical times. That was one
of the first bricks in its foundation.
From England these craftsmen Dor
rowed more material. Using the les
sons taught by, and the ideals OF the
Magma Charta, the petition OF right,
the habeas corpus. the bill OF rights,
and many others, they glued the stones
comprising the foundation yet more
strongly together, entrenched 1t even
more deeply into the soil OF personal
liberty. The idea of a law so funda-
mental as to limit even the power OF
the ruler runs far back into the story
of early England.
Bricks and mortar Of more recent
origin were furnished from the original
State constitutions. From Maryland
was brought the idea of small Senate,
with a long term of service, and the
idea of the electoral college. From the
constitution of New York comes the
periodic readjustment of the repre-
sentation after the census, and the
Vice Presidents duty to preside over
the Senate, and to vote only in case
of a tie The constitution OF Massa-
sets contributed the duties OF the two
houses with respect 10 HnpedCIlHicI1
and the power of the Executive veto.
Some provisions, important in the COM
position of this puissant foundation,
such as the judiciary system. the short
term of the Lower House, and the single
executive, we're common to nearly all
the States.
The first of the materials that made
UP the foundation Of the United States
Of America that was nodded from
American soil and dried under the sun
that shines on America was the May
flower compact in 1919, when hand
full of men and women banded together
in a heroic and fruitful attempt to al
lay themselves against the unknown.
That small band established themselves
as firmly, as peaceabiy as possible in
this new land, but a quarter OF CEN
tury later they were forced to form the
New England confederation, uniting
against the brutal savagery and war
fare of King Philip and his red war
riors. In the year 1854 Benjamin
Franklin authored the Albany plan,
which was the first time in the history
that all of the English Colonists worked
together in an organized union against
its common foe Little more than
decade later occurred the stamp act, |
oOo3yef an act en- tvrannicaI and uniifSt