Randolph Central School - Hilltop Yearbook (Randolph, NY)

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.f-.V -T 7 li .fp . . . -. . we e --,4 eww. nam.: 7 The Constitut.on, - a barrier against tyranny. Are those words to better aesel-we the most important document in the history of our country? I think not, for it is truly the most solid wall ever erected between freedom and ambitious dictators. The men who built this wall used eno.- mous foresight, for in its one-hundred fiity- eight years of service it has been amended only twenty-one times. The first ten of these strengthening stones are called the Bill of Rights, and justly so, for they protect the rights of the individual-rights which are denied in a dictatorical government. For this very reason the people insisted that they be written into the Constitution-to guard against the rise of an over-powerful leader. The first amendment grants freedom of religion, speech, press, peaceable assembly, and the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. These rights are the first to be denied by a dictator. Religion is usually stamped out entirely, and, as free- dom of speech and press would be the un- doing of such a policy, the editors of offend- ing publications are either imprisoned or put to death. The second, third, and fourth amend- ments also are all-important in a democracy. They grant the right to keep and bear arms, prohibit the quartering of soldiers in private homes, and the searching of homes without a warrant. Had the citizens of HlYl6I S regime been allowed to bear arms, his government would have been plunged into the chaos of of revolution. In France, the weathier fami- ies were forced to quarter German officers, and homes were rudely broken into and searched. Perhaps the most important amendment in the Bill of Rights is the fifth. This provides that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process ot law. Again, this right is denied where tyranny reigns. No offender is given a trial, and punishment invariably consists of death or imprisonment, or, in the words of the amendment, depriving that person of life or liberty. In Denmark and Norway, German soldiers entered homes taking blankets and food. These things are property protected in our country by the fifth amendment. Amendment number eight is another im- portant stone in the barrier against tyranny. This amendment protects us from excessive bail, fines, and cruel or unusual punishment. How many millions of times would such a provision have been violated by the atrocities of the Germans and Japanese! The last amendment in the Bill is also all-important in a democracy, This block in the wall provides that all powers not delegat- ed to the central government nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states or or to the people. The American people have made good use of this power. The initiative, referendum, and recall are illustrations of this, even though they are limited, for the most part, to municipal governments. Through these channels the people may make and pass laws, veto laws already passed, and impeach gov- ernment officials. These three adaptations of the rights designated constitute a strong de- fense against the use of an over-powerful leaider. All the freedoms granted us under our form of government are not included in the Bill of Rights, however. Other privileges are contained in other amendments and in the Constitution itself. The advance toward greater democracy is exemplifiedff' 5 , , pf '- f ' .. 7 f... ,S .ff-'P ' - aiiiendrlients c.,-...-----.-g c...---.,-. c.V.,lf.if,.:, ': . . g. Q.7g vice-president, and senators. The : 5 'f f ' Q . i' for president polling the second highest lltllliil ber of votes no longer becomes vice-president. A candidate for each position is now placed on the ballot. Senators are cnoscn directly by the people, not by the state legislatures as was formerly the case. These changes, it was felt, would give the people a greater interest in choosing the representatives who comprise the federal government, and encour- age them to communicate with them regard- ing the various bills before Congress. Only in this way can the members of Congress be sure that their vote actually reflects the views of the people whom they represent. Had the Constitution been set up during the Revolution for the purpose of carrying on the war, we might have had an entirely different government from that established after peace was won. The colonies being so independent of each other, combined with the fact that they were accustomed to only one type of government from a superior power, would, very likely have established an imperialistic federal government. This how- ever, was not the case. During and after the Revolution the colonies experienced a good deal of individual freedom. The desire to keep this freedom led the members of the Constitution Convention to frame a document setting up a government designed to ac- complish this end-a government based on the assumption that all men are created equal and are, therefore, capable of govern- ing themselves. The United States offers the individual the opportunity of choosing between going into business for himself or seeking employ- ment in an established firm. The small businessman is the foundation of the American economic system. He keeps the fires of rivalry burning, and to quote a recent advertisement, Understand rivalry and you understand America. Congress was formed to protect and encourage business enterprise, not to restrict or manage it as do com- munist and socialist governments. The Con- stitution, guarantee to social and economic liberty, is founded on the faith that it is safe to permit the individual energies to be liberated and the spirit of enterprise en- couraged. In closing, I would like to quote from Philip C. VValker's essay, America for Americans. He sums up the way We all feel about our country in this story, quote, An American in a foreign land stood watch- ing as a foreigner pointed out the troops oi various nations and their flags. He said. These are the English troops and that is the flag of the king, those are the German soldiers and that is the flag of the Kaiser, those are the Japanese troops and that is the flag of the Mikadog those are the soldiers of Russia, and that is the flag of the Czar. 'Presently, as the American troops approach- ed, flying the Stars and Stripes and marching to the tune of the Star Spangled Banner the American spoke for the first time, and, turn- ing to his foreign friend said, 'And those are the American soldiers, an'd that is my flag-not the flag of any king, nor the flag Kaiser, nor the flag of any Czar, but my flag, and the flag of every man, woman, and child in my great country, the land of the free and the home of the brave'. Unquote. -N. P. '48 ,w gi. '

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President NORMAN ENGLE Entered U. S. Navy January 19, 1948. lfilkf K x Glafu Ugzww fl .ece,1a-a-ea4 xx , , in Kr- ,4 K ik ARNOLD L. FRANK College Legion Hilltop Editorg uspecsn Entrancep American Oratorical Contest 43 Editorg Broadcast Baseball 1,2,4g Stu- dent Council 1. , '-svn. .P .' ou ' I' - . 536 ' iw 'Q - Q nr f',.'1!'f o 1 ,Q Y, 3 2 1, Vlff ly?-1,1 v, ,g -. -.Q . f:,., 1 :4 A , r R ' LK Vice President CLIFFORD P. MILKS Cliff Huh College Entranceg Band 1,2, 3,45 Chorus 1,2,3,4g Orchestra 2,3,4g All-State Band 45 Star Lighters. f ,' lf 'fur Y Ml' ' J A ' 'I A lj-f Treasurer ROBERT STORY 6lB0b9Y Take it easy College Entrance: Band 1,2,3, 43 Broadcast Staff 35 Hilltop Staff 45 Baseball 4. der