Hastings High School - Saxon Yearbook (Hastings, MI)

Page 33 text:

Commencement Parts Salutatory '' What A mtrica Hat Contributed in Government produced, so our forefathers brought English ideas to America, but they planted them in a new soil, surrounded them with a new environment, and in the free air of a new country they have grown into institutions which never could have been brought out in Europe. All during the colonial period a spirit of liberty was growing up here, which demanded the exercise of the principles of self-government. These principles developed in various ways, often conflicting with the demands of the mother country, but at the same time training the col- onies in those things which later formed the very basis of our gov- ernment. Perhaps no body of men ever faced a more serious proposition than did the members of the convention of 1787 when they assembled in Philadelphia to organize a new government. It was their duty to establish, with a very few pre-existing national institutions as a basis, a government for a people composed of thirteen separate common- wealths. The one great principle w'hich should lie at the basis of this new government was that “All men are created free and equal,” a principle never before recognized by any nation. “No man or set of men,” they declared, “are entitled to separate or exclusive privileges.” Govern- ment was instituted for the common benefit, not for a single individual or class. The object of the framers of the constitution was to protect the natural rights of the citizen against the government. “The nation,” they said, “cannot give or yield rights to the citizen, but by nature they belong to him.” Although the legislature may annul every law protect- ing the citizen, still it cannot destroy that natural inherent gift which he possesses as a man. Compare this idea with the famous “Magna Charta,” which spoke only of an inherited right, not a natural, eternal one. Americans look upon such a right with scorn and contempt. Ham- ilton has said, “The sacred rights of mankind are written as w'ith the sun- beam in the whole volume of human nature.” To protect this right was the determination of the convention. When the work of these famous men had been drafted it was ratified not by congress, but by the people. Although this instrument, which today stands as the basis of our government, provides for a legislature, still that body has no power to alter it in the smallest detail. It can be altered by the people only. Such a condition does not exist in other countries. In England, for instance, the constitution consists wholly of customs, traditions and precedents, which Parliament can change at its pleasure. Compare this with the American constitution, which stands out as a written document to test the validity of all law. This subjection 0a? thirty-ont

Page 32 text:

Commencement Parts Valedictory Potential VC ar as a Dream of Peace'' respect for each other's rights, our country should maintain forces strong enough to support her position. Like the state, the nation needs a strong coercive force; this power, vested in the army and navy, must be at hand, ready for any possible conflict, and for maintaining peace by securing the respect of other nations; finally, if our country recognizes its duty to itself as a nation, it cannot alone disarm in safety before a common understanding with other nations has been reached. This is only one of the mighty questions now confronting our country. Their solution requires the strength of an educated manhood and womanhood. To the grand, noble army of young men and women America offers splendid opportunities for service. It remains for these who hold the key to the future to unlock its doors and work out its manifold problems. Could there be a nobler valedictory, class-mates, teachers, board, and friends, than for us all here today to resolve, before God, to stand for all that is highest in Americanism? AC ELI A LEACH Salutatory W'hat America Has Contributed in Government It is my privilege, in behalf of the class of ’06, to welcome you to our commencement exercises, and for all this occasion means to us, for your presence here and your interest in our welfare, we are grateful. The pleasant conditions under which we gather today; the possibilities of the public school which have been ours for the past twelve years, and the multitude of circumstances conspiring to our happiness, find their basis in our rpublic, and in this salutatory It us consider the sentiment, “What has America contributed in Government?” More than four centuries ago a certain sea captain of Genoa, while attempting to discover a new route to India, landed upon the shore of a new country, a country destined in time to give to the world ideas of government before unknown. Where these institutions originated may be a question, but they were never developed nor even given a fair trial in Europe. And what is the worth of an unapplied principle? As a gardener, noticing a certain plant struggling for existence under adverse conditions, transplants it into a new soil, surrounds it with conditions especially adapted to its growth, and is afterwards rewarded by gathering fruits that otherwise must never have been fag thirty

Page 34 text:

Commencement Parts , Salutatory What America Has Contributed in Government'' of all governmental matters to an instrument which expresses the will of the people is deemed one of the most distinctive features of the Amer- ican system of government. Although all legislation was to be directed by congress, which is a body directly representing the people, still the framers of the constitu- tion were so desirous of keeping the power strictly within the hands of the people that they created the office of executive, which was to serve as a check upon all hasty and unwise legislation of congress. The posi- tion of the American President, from the European point of view, is a peculiar one. The King of England is a member of Parliament, and Parliament is his “Great Council,” which he can summon and dissolve at his will. But our President is not a member of either house; he stands out as an independent power upon whom the people rely to check the legislature by his disapproval of its acts. This separation of the legislative and executive departments is an idea wholly original with America. This is the only country in the world where there is self-government, where the government purely represents the wishes of the people. It is true, we have borrowed this idea of representation, but who can say that we have not improved upon it? Our system of representation is uni- form, based upon population. We have one representative for every 193,r67 people, while in England a certain portion of the country is represented by one member in the House of Commons, irrespective of population. Our Senate is composed of two representatives from each state, but the membership in the House of Lords is strictly confined to families, descending from father to son. In view of all these facts, we may state as America’s contribution to government—a spirit of equality, a people’s constitution, an uninflu- enced executive, and a just representation. On American soil those institutions which, in Europe, had scarcely passed the embryonic state, have here, under keen insight, judgment, and experience, developed into the present form of government—a government which is our pride and boast, and which is the wonder and admiration of all Europe. As we, the class of ’06, go forth to take a more or less active part in the affairs of our nation, let it ever be our aim to so cherish, protect and defend these ideas of American government that the future generation may look upon them with the same admiration and respect, as we now regard them. MYRTIE EDGER ilogo thirty-two