Weymouth High School - Campus / Reflector Yearbook (Weymouth, MA)

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Vhen Abraham Lincoln became President in 1861, the country was facing a great crisis. The Southern states were determined to continue the practice of slavery, and declared that the states were stronger than the federal government and could secede from the Union if they so desired. In his first message to Congress Lincoln declared: The states have their status in the Union, and have no other legal status. If they break from this they can only do so against law and by revolution. The Union, and not themselves separately, procured their indejiendence and their liberty .... 7 he Union is older than any of the states, and, in fact, it created them as states. It is not possible to build an impassable wall between the sections. They must remain face to face. The Emancipation Proclamation, issued to free the slaves, was the result of the new powers given him by the people in the hope that the country might be reiniited. The War for the Union gained great moral strength when it also became a war lor liberation. Lincoln, howe er, woidd ha e preferred to sa e the Union, even in the face of the continued existence of slavery. But when it became evident that the South would make no conciliation, he seized the opportunity and saved the Union by destroying slavery. In the later part of the nineteenth century, the United States had expanded across the Pacific Ocean. With its new possessions, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, our Theodore Roosevelt tame into office. Roosevelt presented a new type of leader. Disregarding precedent, he extended the powers of the President over the territories to fit the emergency. He restored world peace by mediation, and settled labor disputes by forced arliitration. He refornudated the Monroe Doctrine and extended a irtual protectorate o er all Latin America. Roosevelt believed that the laws should be interpreted for the good of the people, and all his acts were influenced by this belief. Beloved by the common people, Teddy, as he was affectionately called, was the champion of the people, a iKiildcr of democracy and freedom for all. They were not the only men destined to fjecome the builders of this great nation. There ha e been many others whose names have not been mentioned. Moreover, the age of building still continues. The true significance of the work of men like Woodrow Wilson. Calvin Coolidge, and Franklin 1). Roosevelt will be much more apparent in the years to come. In succeeding decades their names must certainly be added to the list. Meanwhile, the pendulum of time moves surely on. Civilization with its rapid changes offers countless opportunities to whosoe er will reach out for them. For us there is this promise. Lives simply fashioned and honestly lived will make MS Builders of Destiny. 16

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Mori: than a ccnuir ago, the t rca( slatcsiiian, Hciir (;ia . )l)sci c(l, (.ov- crinneiu is a irust, and the officers of ihc g() cniiiKiU arc trustees; and both the trust and the trustees are created lor the l)enehi of the people. This statement was true when Henry Clay uttered it; it is true today. Will ii be true twenty years from now? That will dejsend on the oter. hi these troubled times, more iliaii e cr bclorc, it is not oidy a dut and a pii ilcgc, but a necessity for oin citi cns to ciioose the most ca|)al)le and honest tiustees possible; and imder the ])i() isions o l our Consiiiiii ion our people are able to do just this. The right of voting in the United Stales is gi cn to most of our ciii ens twenty- one years of age and o er. ' hat potential force lies within this privilege! Ily a mere cross on his l)allot, ilic oici can choose the man he wishes to (onirol Iiis go ernnKni; and what is also significant, he can reino e those same men Irom oliice il he is displeased with their work. The voter, therefore, is the soiuce of the officials ' power. The man whom the oler fa ors has pri ilegcs and duiies; ilu- man he rejects has none. Since we are discussing the voter, it would be well lo know exactly who the c)ter is. .As social conditions ary in the dillerent parts of the country, the Con- siiiuiion wisely leaves the sulirage problem to the stales. Each state deals with il according lo its own ])eculiar conditions. The ( lonsi inn ion im])oses only certain limitations; namely, that a state may not deny suiliage l)ecause ol race, color, previous condition ol servitude, or sex. ' ith these exceptions, the voting privilege is lelt entirely to the states. Those suffrage conditions vary, but the ai)ility to read and write English is usually rec|uired. Whoever votes for his slate legislators may also vote in lederal elections. At this point let us examine the National Legislature and its members, the choice of whom rests with the individual voter. This body, connnonly known as Congress, is composed of two houses, the house of Representatives, and the .Senate. 1 he House of RejMesentatives has a membership of 435, made up oi men from all the states of the union. Each state has a definite number of Represen- tatives or Congressmen, chosen according to. its population. Each state has at least one Congressmen, and the ratio in 1930 was one Congresmen for 280,074 persons. They serve lor terms of two years, and, at the end of that period, must be re-elected in order to remain in office. The members of the House must pass every law which Congress submits to the President, and must themselves orig- inate all bills calling lor the raising of revenue. The plan ol the Senate is somewhat different. Every state sends two Senators, so that there are ninety-six in all. They serve lor terms of six years and represent their entire state, while the Congressman merely represents the people of his own particular district. Vithout doubt, the United States Senate is the most powerful assembly of its kind in the world. It, together with the House, passes bills, which arc then sent to the President. In addition, this body has the special duly ol ratifying treaties and confirming presidential appointments. In short, the Senate must give its consent to practically every major act of the President. 18