Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1936-01-09
FOR CONSTITUTION
Editor AskOv American:

TOh COlNO LII ~ 1AViN
Editor Askov American:
Like "Springfield Advance Press.
l am in favor of amendments to the
constitution of U. S.. but l am just
use it as it is. until we can have it
amended.
All officers, from the President
down the line to the lowest, after
elected. have to take official oath be-
fore they can enter upon their duties.
The Presidents official oath in the
constitution Article 2, Section 1. part
Z, reads as follows:
Il do solemnly swear Tor affirm)
that l will faithfully execute the
office of President of the United
States. and will. to the best of my
ability, preserve, protect and defend
the Constitution of the United States"
Likewise have all members of the
congress taken official oath. 1t Is
plain then, that the president and
congress are bound by the constitu-
ton, and can not pass law con-
trary to it. without thereby violat-
ing their official oath.
THE Minnesota Union-Advocate
tells us several things where we can
have our choice, believe it or not"
What struck me the hardest was that
it was stated There isn't line in
the federal constitution which grants
the supreme court of the United
States authority to set aside an en-
actment of congress-" | suppose that
it was not expected that the pres
ident and congress would pass laws
contrary to the constitution, when
they all have taken their oath to act
according to it. But here are the
lines that give the supreme court the
authority. and make 1t its duty. In
the United States Constitution, Aru-
Gle 3, Section 1. we reacc 1.-The judi
cial power of the United States shall
be vested in supreme court" In
same article, Section 2, we read:
THE judicial power shall extend to
all cases in Law and equity. arising
under the constitution and the laws
of the United States" Some people
found themselves aggrieved by some
laws which they claimeG were uncon-
stitutional, and they brought it up in
the United States Supreme court ac-
cording to their constitutional right.
The president had formed bill
so as to give him debating power;
he asked the congress to pass it.
and that was done. and he signed it,
and the result of it was the MIRA.
The duties and the power of the
president are stated in Article of
the constitution; and of the congress
power of the president is stated. and
no power given to congress to give
him any more power, then it will be
unconstitutional to give him such
debating power as the NRA con-
tanned. And there is the mortgage
plainly prohibited in Article 1, Sec
tion 9, part of the constitution
where it reads: mo ex post facto law
shall be passed" eek post facto," is
latin term.) Eek post factO law" is
in Webster's dictionary definecr "A
fore its passage"
A mortgage is a contract, willing
ly signed, so the legislatures and
congress can not pass Laws to impair
the obligations of same. When such
laws had been passed, and some peo-
Il II hxyi hnv hr~ou oh,
it up in supreme court, it was the
duty of the judges of that court to
pass decision according to the con-
stitution. Here is another claim
made by the Advocate: THE United
States supreme court will never have
nationality of law when enactment
specifically withdraws jurisdiction of
the federal courts
1t seems to me that we should have
right to expect more from one, act
ing as a leader, than try to make
people believe that the constitution
can be amended by a law passed in
congress, as the above stated would
be an amendment to Article 3, Sec
ton 2, of the constitution. Such
law can be declared unconstitutional
with Article 3. Section as founda-
ton for it.
In the long law that gave us the
NRA was a clause to save it. That
was: If something in it should be de-
clared unconstitutional, that should
have no effect on the rest of the law.
Such a trick is of no use.
ANDREW RASMUSSEN.
5000 West River Blvd, Minneapolis