The Washington times., 1935-09-25
NUSSOL|N MAKES BID FOR MANDATE OVER ETHIOPIA
YOUR CONSTITUTION
"A Series of Short, Clear and Illuminating Articles
On the Constitution of the United States
Bv JOHN FRANCIS NEYLAN
ARTICLE

The Constitution of the United States consists of
tho preamble and original seven articles and ten
amendments adopted and ratified in the first years
of the nation and the ten unrepeaed amendments out
of the eleven adopted in the last IA years.
The preamble of the Constitution reads follows:
"We the people of the United States, in order to
form more perfect union establish JUSTICE insure
domestic tranquility, provide for the defense,
promote the general welfare, and the blessings
of liberty to ourselves and posterity, do ordain
and establish this Constitution for the United States
of America
1t must be remembered that the men who drew the
Constitution of the United States had risked their
lives repeatedly on the field of battle in the civil
administration of communities fighting for freedom
from the oppressive yoke of foreg gn monarch.
THEY WERE DONE WITH MONARCHICAL,
IMPERIAL, OR DICTATORIAL GOVERNMENT OF
ANY CHARACTER.
THEY HAD PROCLAIMED TO THE WORLD,
AND FOUGHT FOR, THE IDEAL OF EQUALITY
OF HUMAN BEINGS AND OF THE ENJOYMENT
OF LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAP
PINESS
THEY WE'RE DETERMINED THAT THEIR SAC
RIFICES ON BEHALF OF THEMSELVES AND
THEIR POSTERITY SHOULD NOT BE IN VAIN.
The private papers of Washington and his CORE
spondence in the years 1856 and 1887 with Madison,
John Jay and Henry Knox, show that, in preparation
for the work of the Constitutional Convention these
men had made painstaking examination OF the re-
spective elements of strength and weakness in all
forms of government known to recorded history. They
sat down to their task armed with knowledge and
matured conclusions, based on the experience of
kind.
In the very preamble of the instrument, they
phaszed that it was the people Of the United States
who ordained and promul gated the Constitution to
establish justice to provide for internal and external
Defense and to secure the blessings of liberty to them
selves and their posterity.
They then proceeded, in the first three articles to
provide the form of government, consisting of three
coordinate branches-the legislative the executive,
and the judicial. After deliberation and by design,
the egslatve-deemed the closest to the people-was
created in the first article which specified the method
of eectng Senators and congressman and enumerated
the powers which the Congress would have and the
subjects on which it might legislate.
It is very interesting to note that one of the earliest
references to the ultimate division Of powers was in
letter to Washington from John Jay, dated January
Z 1787 four months before the convention in which,
among other things, he said: Let Congress egislate,
let others execute, let others judge''
The sole power to originate taxing or revenue egs-
lation in the House of Representatives.
1t is altogether probable that the trainers of the
Constitution were familiar with the first volume of
"the decline and fall Of the Roman Empire published
IN 1776 by Edward Glbbon, the learned British his
torian.
In chapter three Gbbon set forth some observations
which throw light the actions of the Constitutional
Convention, and are Of peculiar interest today He
wrote:
"THE OBVIOUS DEFINITION OF A MONARCHY
SEEMS TO BE THAT OF A STATE IN WHICH A
SINGLE PERSON. BY WHATSOEVER NAME HE
MAY BE DISTINGUISHED, is ENTRUSTED WITH
THE EXECUTION OF THE LAWS, THE MANAGE
MENT OF THE REVENUE, AND THE COMMAND
OF THE ARMY.
"BUT UNLESS PUBLIC LIBERTY IS PRO-
TECTED BY INTREPID AND VIGILANT GUAR
DIANS, THE AUTHORITY OF so FORMIDABLE A
MAGISTRATE WILL SOON DEGENERATE INTO
DESPOTISM."
The founders provided for the executive department
of the Government in the second article of the Con-
stitution and prescribed the powers of the President
which included execution of the laws and command of
the Army.
No person of sound judgment can reach the conclu-