Hamilton High School - Hamiltonian Yearbook (South Hamilton, MA)

Page 17 text:

PKIZJ5 WINiTIl.:G ESbsJ. advai: ' T;.ge£ of a DEroCriACY For the past one hundred, and fi.fty years, the people of the v orld have turned to the denocratic .form of government. Many of the attempts h ave failed oecause a democratic government is not established simply by tahing the naj.a3. Democracy is a priceless heritage; but it demands, as ell as it bestows. It requires both a knov ledge and a sense of responsibility, a respect for human ri ' ; hts, and a personal Interest in the affairs of govern- ment. It means a unified people, ready, able, and v;il].ing to assume the burden as v ell as the privilege of ■ ' overmnent . To define democracy wo must go back to the era of the America.n Revolution, to the man vino molded the opinion of the colonists and prepared them for the Declaration of Independence. Shortly after Washington took office, in the year 1790, Ihoraas Paine said; ’ ' Liberty consists in the right to do whatever is not contro.ry to the rights of others. Th±s must also be our definition of demo- cracy v hich is simply a political system based on the ideal of Liberty. To find, then, the adm’ ' an tapes of a democracy, we must turn to the Constitution of the United States, the charter of our liberties, and the first written instrument of Democratic govern- ment in the history of the govornmients of the v orld. ’’We, the People of the United. States, in order to form a more perfect Union, do ordain and establish this Constitu- tion for the United States of America. These v ords of the pre- amble of the Constitution tell us that all the pov ers of our govern- ment come from the people. This is the first great advantage coming to us from a democracy; all bhe people have a share in the govern- ment as their birthright, Reading along through this document, v e find only one restriction of any importance in it, namely, that our President must bo a natural-born citizen of the United States; all othei’ offices and. honors are open to all the people. Only recently • we have seen a foreign-born citizen ascend to the highest tribunal of law in the land, lilihero, out in a d.emocracy, cou].d such a thing happen? As we continue reading along in the Constitution, we find many startling things. There js no centralization of power in the hands of a fev; privileged members of our society. All la.v s are made by the duly- elec ted repres er. t.ativcs of all the people; and, furthermore, there is only one body of law applying to all the people. There is no unwritten law as there was in ancient RoiOe which only the patricians knew and which they interpreted for their own benefit. There is no evasion of the civil law as thoro was by the clerk’ ' of the Middle Ages. Thoi’o rs one law for everyone, aiding no class, nor interpreted for the advants.ge of any special group. We, also, can look with pi ' ide at o tr laws of taxation. Here vjo find ho system whereby the necessities of life are taxed for the enrichment of c. ruler ' s private purse. There is no monopoly on salt, or butter, or matches granted to the friend or relatives of

Page 16 text:

•X” .■?- .Iv ' i Ol ' fr V - . • T- J- ’ X i ' ■ ' j ■ ‘X ' l ' UX -i. . . . ■ ■ .•A ' V- ; .! .•t ‘A M ' -■■ ' v ' . ' x;- ' ■ V ■•.. .• ' I ' . ' I . T . • ' v :j T.v. , 1-: - ■ ■ r f ' A • j. ' - • f-f ■ t , , )i 7- .r.: ‘ . ; • ;...■ ' i r. . ' ll ■j’-r • ' ' • ‘ ■ ' ' i -•■ I V. ■; . ■ itv • i ' ” • •• , i ■ ' . - ; ■ ■ ■■• ■ . . . ' v-’- ' t ; ■■■• ?4 ' - ' ■A. ■ : • ;:-V .. .... . ■• ■ .» ■ . ■ ' • -i r;;lj •, ■ ' i •. V :hm • . - . ■ •• Ax vv ' )r ■ ■• ' ■ ' • ' 5 .7-- ' ' 7r ' 7 ' V; ' V , ..,.X ;TX ' : OoViJ. • 1 ’ . , I : .,- . j!.J ... ' ., ' .i li. ' • • ; ■.I • V . X.J .V. ;; ' ‘;f: Xu : L ' 7 ‘‘ ' : ' i. .;■, X ' X ' [. .•., .... .j ■ ■ ■■ ' • I I ..J. b. ...( ■; ■ . . . ' ■ ■: ■ , • k’- ■ ' . • : i’:;. ■ LTi.r 7; ■•■ ; ' .;. ■ ' ■ ■ . ■ 7 . ,,v: ■•: ? ;:X;-f .X - ...- ' a-, ■ ■ ' ..X ' : . r .. ' O ' lor: ! 50 ,:;v pfvI ' Xifl ' .x nor-i ' o::n i : ■ .x ; xi. V ■. -T, : r..X ' v. ix;:; ■■ 7:; ... . ' .■ ' •■ , y, ' , -■ i r;- X . . , y, ■ ■■ ' X ;j I ■•! ■ ; [ ; r ' - . r.-.x ■ ■ ' Vrf ' i ' iJ , . ; 7 ' i ) - .r .r v - ; X ' ry-A ' y, ' =. v v ' X. 7 ' , 1 ii- ' yf ' ' ' X ;■} X 7 . . ' ’i ■ 1 ) ‘ •’ .X. : ■ ' ■r ' ■ - M xr.T; ■ i , i t: : ..... r .. ..-..-r. . .. ' .X • ' ■• ' • ■■.‘K7 7.V. ■- ■ . 3 ' 7 X. 1 . ■ r ' X . ' .X X ; ' 1 ■) f ' ’■ •iX ' ’ ' X. XOD- ' x‘ - : j ' . t. ■ ■X ,.• •. 1 ' y , ' ‘- . : ' .AX ..,x ... AyiSb J A } • ■■;: ■ j’ ’ ;x--- - ' f .. j •

Page 18 text:

3.r(: ' lo” t ■ ' bX r x; ■ ' ■■■• V. - ' •-■;?‘7 r • ' ■ ■ ' -■ •■ ' -• ■ ■- ' ’ -i •■■: ; aoittur : : ' ■7: ' -..: . ,:i • 1 ; r • ' . ■ 7 ,• . -.--a -V ' -i ' . ' )V’ ' . ' ■ •■•■J , • ;. c.rcv :• ? -. ' •• ■ i.. :. : ' „rv ■ ' ■■ J- . . ' ! j; ■ : 7. •■■ .■■ ■; ‘ V- Ir ; . I ■ ojt:j ' ' -... -••■ ' ■ ■, .yje’iD « ■ v 7 V- v ' ; • V iJ . ' ' V •• •. ;. . • tziJi • ■ i -’i. ;■ L ' ' ri : ■■ ' ; ' ' - ;.A ' ji ' ■ ■ ' . :1. • ' 7 , - -7 1 ,. ..,o ij:, ■ ' ■ •i ' 1 . c :• ■rf...: ■. Tf- ' ■77;: “i ‘ v.r rn r X