The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1935-08-24
NatiOnShOuld
Be United in
Celebration
By James T. Williams. Jr.

that the veterans Of the wars.
in every State in the Union.
should take the lead in organ.
izing the next national observ.
ance of September II as Consti.
tuition Day.
They belong to "the brother.
hood Of the brave" that has of.
fered to make the supreme sac.
rifice when the Government,
Of which the Constitution is
the cornerstone, was threatened
from without the nation. They
are an invincible army Of pro.
lection against "the foes Of our
own household" that is the
nation.
The preamble to the consti.
tuition Of the American Legion
expresses the true sentiments of
every loyal veteran, organized
or unorganized, in its opening
words:
For God and country we as
sociate ourselves together for
the following purposes:
ITO uphold and defend the
Constitution Of the United
States. ="
The time has come for every
loyal veteran under the flag to
"Suit the action to the word"
of that preamble. The place to
reinforce mere lip service with
action in defense of all that the
Flag symbolizes is every State
in the Federal Union.
CELEBRATION URGED
Every State in the Union has
a birthday of its own. For the
Is original States this is the day
on which each ratified the Con-
stitution. For the other States it
is the day on which each was
admitted to the Union.
1t is no longer enough in this
country to observe July 4 every
year as the birthday of the ma
ton. The time has come when
every State in the Union should
observe annually its own birth
day. The time has also come
when Constitution Day should
be annually observed by "the In.
destructible Union of Indestruc.
tible States"
One of the heartening signs
of the times is the initiative
shown by our defenders with the
colorS in all our wars in arous-
ing popular interest in an an
nual observance of Constitution
Day with an enthusiasm that
the rising generation will catch
and hand on to generations yet
to come.
Another heartening sign of
the times is the steps that have
just been taken to end the neg
lect, now nearly century old,
of the memory of James Madi'
son, the Father of the Constitu-
ton. Why the Congress should
have waited until almost 100
years after his death to provide
a suitable monument to his
memory in the Federal city will
be hard for public servants to
explain and impossible for any
loyal citizen to defend.
Senator Byrd, of Virginia, and
Representative Warren, of North
Carolina, have earned the thanks
of the American people by the
proposal they have made that
Congress set up commission to
provide memorial in the Fed
eral city to James Madison.
VETS URGED TO BACK PLAN
This Joint resolution deserves
the support of the veterans OF
all our wars and the great body
of Americans for whom they
speak. Every State in the Union
is the beneficiary of the in
spired craftsmanship of "the
broadest and most accurate
scholar" among the Founders
and Fathers, whose judgment
matched the genius of Jeffer-
son, as Henry Clay truly said,
"the cool, dispassionate and
practical Madison"
In Madison, Wis, the capital
of the progressive State which
was named for the Father OF
the Constitution, the veterans
doubtless will take the lead In
giving the Byrd-Warren resolu-
ton their active support.
In Princeton, N. j., where
Madison was educated, in the
university that is indiSSolubly
linked with his name and fame,
may we'll be launched support
ing movement for this resolu'
ton that will enlist every Prince
ton graduate North, East, South
and West.
At the University of Virginia,
founded by MadiSon's most lntl-
mate friend, Thomas Jefferson,
the proposal to pay homage long