Evening star., 1938-09-17
Roosevelt
Continued Prom First Page.)

delegates to the original Constitution
Convention, carrying an appeal to
the faith and confidence Of the con-
vention, that turned the tide of VIC
tory in favor of ratification. He said
he didn't think 1t was necessary to
elaborate on this parable
"Once ratified, the Constitution
presented the outline Of a form of
government" the President stated.
ITO become workable instrument
OF government. its words needed men
in every succeeding generation to ad-
minister it as great as the men who
wrote it."
Text Of Speech.
The text of Mr.. Roosevelt's speech
follows:
1t is with deep personal disap-
pointment that I find the affairs
Of the world such that I cannot be
with my neighbors in Poughkeepsie
today.
That my great-great-grandfather.
Isaac Roosevelt. sat in the little old
courthouse there $50 years ago and
cast his vote with the slim majority
in favor of ratification of the Federal
Constitution is family tradition Of
which am proud.
There are two words in the English
language which in the heat of political
controversy are often forgotten or
abused-the words faith" and CON
fldence." 1t is well for us to remember
that very large minority Of the
inhabitants Of the original 13 States
were opposed to the adoption OF the
Constitution They had witnessed the
complete failure Of government under
the Articles Of Confederation-yet
they were opposed to a real union
because they believed those leaders
who viewed with alarm any effort
to think and act in national terms
instead Of State and local terms.
And, believe me, the viewers with
alarm. the patrons of ghosts and hob
COLLINS in those days had little to learn
from the professional fear -mongers of
1898.
Propaganda UNCHANGED.
I wish that all Of you might read
the dusty newspapers and pamphlets
and handbills of 1888. Feeling ran
high. Vituperation and invective were
the rule. The State of New York
would cease to exist and its people
would be squeezed to death between
the cold blooded Yankees Of New Eng
land on the one side and. the passion
ate aristocracy of the South on the
other-if you believed one type Of pub
licity. The people of the State of New
York would be ruined by interstate
tariffs and as a weak independent ns j.
ton would be reconquered by George
the III, if you read the publicity Of
the other party.
Washington, Adams, Hamilton and
Clinton were labeled traitors and die
tators.
In the midst of these diatribes, this
constitutional convention In Pough-
keepsie was faced with the problem
of saying "yes" or no" Then, as
now, there were men and women afraid
OF the future-distrustfu Of their
own ability to meet changed condi-
tions; short-sighted in their dog-in-
the-manger conception Of local and
national needs. They were afraid Of
democracy; afraid Of the trend toward
unity; afraid of 13 States becoming
one nation.
As the weeks went on and an in
sufficient number of States had ap-
proved the Constitution to put 1t into
effect, its opponents at this conven-
tion, realizing more and more that the
very existence Of that paper organiza-
ton known as the United States of
America was at stake and that public
opinion was swinging against them.
narrowed their opposition to the fact
that the Constitution contained no
bill of rights.
Bill Of Rights.
They held a slim majority against
ratification, but at that moment a
small group of delegates, in which I
am glad to say Dutchess County was
we'll represented, came forward with
an appeal to the faith and conf
dence" of the convention. They
agreed that q permanent constitution
for the United States should contain
a bill Of rights-and they proposed
ratification by the State Of New York
"in full faith and confidence" that .
bill of rights would be promptly sub
mitted to the several States by the
first Congress to meet under the Con-
stitution.
You and I know that it was this
proposal which won final adherence
by a small margin; and more than
that-that this proposal Of full faith
and confidence" was. in fact, carried
out by the Congress Of the United
States when it assembled.
I do not. know that 1t is necessary
to elaborate on this parable or text
1t Is perhaps sufficient for me to say
that when in almost every generation
between 1888 and 1888 the American
people have been faced with similar
decisions, they have in the long run
exnressed their "fIll faith and eon.