The united American : a magazine of good citizenchip., February 01, 1926, Page 9, Image 9

February, 1926
THE UNITED AMERICAN
Page Nine
The Commonwealth of Oregon
A Brief History of the Organization and Development of One of the Forty-eight United States of America,
Submitted in a Series of Comprehensive and Interesting Letters, Written Particularly for Those Who Have
Commenced Studying and Preparing Themselves to Pass the Examination for American Citizenship.
By A. C. Strange, Oregon State Director of Americanization Schools
SOME FACTS ABOUT OREGON’S STATE GOVERNMENT
II.
'T' HE ACT of Congress admitting Oregon into the
1 Union as a state was passed in 1859. Two years
before, a Constitution had been written, the following
year it was adopted by a two to one vote of the
people, and almost immediately afterwards the new
government was organized. Hence when the admis­
sion act was passed by Congress, the state govern­
ment had already been in operation for some months.
This constitution is a very unique and interesting
document. This is very apparent in the preamble
which is one of the shortest statements of the kind
ever written. And yet it contains all that need be
said. The constitution itself is characterized by clear­
ness, definiteness and force. Its wording makes it
very evident that the makers meant that Oregon’s
citizens should never have any valid excuse for not
knowing their rights and obligations as citizens.
The words of the preamble are as follows: “We,
the people of the state of Oregon, to the end that
justice be established, order maintained, and liberty
perpetuated, do ordain this constitution.” That is all.
As the reader sees, it is concise and pointed, yet
clear. Here are the fundamental purposes of state
government, — justice, order, liberty. When a gov­
ernment does not accomplish these three ends, it has
failed and its citizens have proven themselves in­
competent as citizens in a free republic.
Let us consider briefly the Bill of Rights, — the
most important part naturally of any constitution.
To establish justice, several rights are guaranteed.
They are such as the following: there shall be no re­
ligious test in our courts for witnesses or jurors;
justice shall be administered in open courts and with­
out delay; an accused person is guaranteed the right
to jury trial and to meet all witnesses against him
face to face; bail must be allowed in all cases except
treason and murder; the right of trial by jury in
civil cases shall never be suspended; bail must never
be excessive in amount; private property shall never
be taken for public use without just compensation;
and certain other rights of small moment. These are
enough, however, to show that no citizen of Oregon
can legally be treated unjustly and arbitrarily by his
state government. That order may be maintained,
there are named also certain rights and duties. They
are such as the following: the people shall have the
right to assemble for their common good; they have
the right to petition their legislatures for the redress
of grievances; they have the right to bear arms in
defense of themselves and the state; jury service is
required of all competent citizens; the manufacture,
sale and importation of intoxicating liquors are pro­
hibited. A word of explanation about the carrying of
arms should be given. Arms carried in defense of
¡one’s person may be carried openly. The carrying of
concealed weapons is forbidden by law, the supposition
being that they are being carried for no good purpose.
To perpetuate freedom, the following rights are
stated: all men are equal in right in any social com­
pact ; free governments are founded on the authority
of the people; they shall always have the right to al­
ter, reform or abolish their government in such man­
ner as they think proper; there shall be no restricting
the right to speak, write or print freely on any sub­
ject whatever, but every person is responsible for the
abuse of this right; there is no religious test for office;
exclusive privileges cannot be granted to any citizen
or class of citizens; titles of nobility cannot be
granted; all elections are free and equal; electors are
free from arrest in going to elections in all cases ex­
cept treason, felony and breach of the peace.
In this statement of the rights of the citizens of
Oregon, there are thirty-eight clauses; in the state­
ment following which covers the rights and duties
of citizens in suffrage and elections, there are eighteen
clauses. They are clearly and forcibly stated; every
citizen, native born and foreign born, should know
them. The safety and perpetuity of our government,
both state and national, depend upon an active and
understanding citizenship. Americanism is “an un­
derstanding love for America,” a love so deep as to
lead us not only to fight for but also to vote for and
work for our country, and an understanding broad
enough to cover our many civic obligations. In like
manner, Oregonism might be said to be “an under­
standing love for Oregon.” This these pioneers had;
they have left us no excuse for lacking it.
When we learn the kind of men these pioneer
state-builders were, we shall be able to understand
why they made their statements of civic rights and
duties so strong. They were pioneers who in coming
here had crossed two thousand miles of wilderness
and desert where they were in constant danger of
savage attack, where they endured many privations.
They had come seeking greater freedom, greater op­
portunities, better homes. Hence, they were a brave,
self-sacrificing, self-reliant, self-ruling freedom-lov­
ing, independent type of men. They were the descend­
ants of those early colony-builders who in a fine spirit
of courage and hatred of oppressive government had
found their way to America over three thousand
miles of a perilous sea voyage. Back of them were
the men and women who had fought so long in Eng­
land and other countries of Europe for the liberty and
justice which, they finally built for themselves in our
country, where they learned to govern themselves, to
vote their own taxes, elect their own officers and make
their own laws, and where finally they had won their
independence of the rule of an autocratic king. These
rights, they had hardly won; hence they were deter­
mined that they should not easily be given up. That
is why, I believe, they wrote a preamble of such tre­
mendous force and a bill of rights and duties so clear,
so definite and so strong. Could we expect weak words
from so virile a people? In my next letter, I shall tell
more about our state government.