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MARCH, 1925
THE UNITED AMERICAN
Becoming an American
By A. C. STRANGE, Superintendent, City Schools of Astoria
TN MY THIRD LETTER I shall discuss two things—
1 first, the power behind the government in
America, and, second, the reasons why we have a
National Constitution.
To understand what the real government of our
country is and what should be our relation as citizens
to this governing force, we must go back to what we
conceive to be the beginnings of government, many
thousands of years ago.
If it were possible to look down on life in that
remote age-, we believe that we should find all rule
based on physical force alone. It is probable that we
should find in each community some one savage who,
because of his superior muscular power or fighting
skill, had been able to force his fellows to do his
bidding and had thus made of himself a petty king.
We believe that such form of government existed
during the lapse of many ages.
During this time, however, men were growing in
intelligence; and it is conceivable that later some petty
ruler, wiser than his predecessor, acquired the idea
that he could gain wider influence over his associates
by promising them a share in the booty to be gained
by ravaging the domains of some neighboring group
of savages if they would follow him.
In such act we have the development of a govern
ment based not only on physical strength but on
leadership). Still later, we shall find rulers utilizing
the superstitious fears their followers have for the
unseen forces of Nature as a means of strengthening
their rule.
So, in the exercise of these three powers, — first,
a superior physical strength and fighting ability,
second, the power to lead other men to do his will,
and third, claims of power over the unseen forces of
Nature — we have the bases of those savage govern
ments of prehistoric times..
Out of these primitive governments grew the
nations of mediaeval times with governments of courts
and kings, of palaces and castles and of claims of
divine right and blue blood. Their rulers we find
supported by standing armies, a powerful nobility and
an autocratic church. There were but two classes
of people, — the rich and the poor; the nobles and the
laborers. All power was vested in the hands of the
first class. They held themselves of superior mold,
of superior blood and of superior intellect. They
made the laws, levied the taxes, punished the criminals
and lived upon the enforced labor of the second class.
With the passage of time they came to use their
power more and more unjustly and arbitrarily and,
as a consequence, the common people began to com
plain about and revolt against their rule. Yet it took
a struggle of many centuries to overthrow them.
Finally this was done and constitutional governments
were generally established in the places of these old,
outworn monarchies.
What was put in the place of kings and their courts
with their rule of superstitious fear and military
power ?
An intangible something we call the law, which is
the real ruling force in America and in all other
nations of the same kind.
It is that something which must be respected and
obeyed by our citizens if our government is to endure
and grow in power and prestige.
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Let us suppose that there is disregard of the law
in a community on the part of a majority of its citi
zens, ours for example, Suppose there is stealing,
killing, moonshining, forgery, What are our duties
as citizens? Not to ignore these things, not to depend
wholly upon our paid officers of the law. Unaided,
they can not enforce every law, discover every breach
of the law. If we would produce a law abiding, law
respecting community, where the influences upon our
children are such as to make them good citizens, we
must help these officers by obeying the laws ourselves,
by giving witness against law breakers when called
on for the duty and by seeing that adequate punish
ment for law breaking is administered when we are
doing jury duty.
A community where law is disregarded and dis
respected, where the government of the state or the
nation must come in to enforce its laws, is not an
asset to the state or nation but rather a liability. It
is a liability because the maintenance of law and order
has become a source of cost to other communities in
asmuch as the officers from other parts of the state
must be sent there to protect its property and lives
and 'because it has ceased to be a self-reliant, self-
controlling unit of government. Furthermore, it is
a liability because its children are learning lessons in
crime which will later cause many of them to become
sources of expense to state and national governments,
and because many people are unwilling to live and
bring up their children in the community, a condition
which prevents it from growing in prosperity and
Wealth and thus becoming a means of helping the state
to a greater degree in paying the expenses of its
operations.
For these reasons the good American citizen is a
law abiding, law respecting individual who proves his
devotion to his country by upholding the hands of
those whose business it is to maintain the law.
♦
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As a second part of my letter I wish to discuss
the reasons why we have a government. These reasons
are concisely given in the Preamble to the Constitu
tion of the United States, a statement which all should
memorize.
The first reason is “to form a more perfect union.”
When the Constitution was adopted the country was
composed of thirteen colonies, widely separated, with
out means of rapid and convenient communication,
jealous of one anothers’ prestige and prosperity. As
a result there was much misunderstanding and con
tention among them. The removal of this disunion
naturally became one of the fundamental purposes of
the new government and this has continued an out
standing function of our government to this day.
Legislators are expected to enact laws for the benefit