Chapter I: Front Matter

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The Short Constitution

Elementary Americanism Series

Being a Consideration of the Constitution of the United States, With
Particular Reference to the Guaranties of Life, Liberty, and Property
Contained Therein, Sometimes Designated The Bill Of Rights

By

Martin J. Wade

Judge of the United States District Court

And

William F. Russell

Dean of the College of Education, University of Iowa

Annotations By

Charles H. Meyerholz

Professor of Social Science, Iowa State Teachers College

Third and Revised Edition

American Citizen Publishing Co.

Iowa City

Copyright, 1920, 1921

CONTENTS

About The Authors Preface I. The Judge’s First Talk II. Government III. Liberty IV. America—A Democracy V. America—A Republic VI. Law VII. The Constitution VIII. Making The Constitution IX. Freedom X. Military Provisions XI. Search Warrant And Indictment XII. Rights Of Accused XIII. Life, Liberty, And Property XIV. Criminal Trials XV. The Indictment XVI. Guarding Rights In Court XVII. Punishment XVIII. Equal Rights Of Citizens XIX. Writ Of Habeas Corpus XX. Other Prohibited Laws XXI. Titles, Gifts, Treason XXII. Jury, Except In Impeachment XXIII. Wrongs Under King George XXIV. Shall Any Part Be Repealed XXV. Amending The Constitution XXVI. Machinery Of The Government XXVII. State Constitutions XXVIII. The Suffrage A Word To The The Teachers And Others Declaration Of Independence Constitution Of The United States Articles In Addition To, And Amendment Of The Constitution Of The United States Of America, Proposed By Congress, And Ratified By The Legislatures Of The Several States Pursuant To The Fifth Article Of The Original Constitution Footnotes

What Has America Done For Me And For My Children?

This question may not be spoken, but it is in the hearts of millions of Americans to-day.

All those who attempt to teach Americanism to foreigners, _and to Americans_, must be prepared _to answer this question_. _It can only be answered_ by teaching the individual guaranties of the Constitution of the United States, and of the States, which protect life and liberty and property.

_It can only be answered_ by convincing the people that this is a land of justice and of opportunity for all; that if there be abuses, they are due not to our form of government, but that the people are themselves to blame, because of their ignorance of their rights, their failure to realize their power, and their neglect of those duties which citizenship imposes.

All over the land earnest men and women are endeavoring to teach the great truths of Americanism, and with substantial success; but those who understand human nature realize that the faith of our fathers can only be firmly established by lighting the fires of patriotism and loyalty in the hearts of our children. Through them the great truths of our National life can be brought into the homes of the land.

And the Nation will never be safe until the Constitution is carried into the homes, until at every fireside young and old shall feel a new sense of security in the guaranties which are found in this great charter of human liberty, and a new feeling of gratitude for the blessings which it assures to this, and to all future generations.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

For a work designed to promote education in the spirit of American citizenship it would be difficult to imagine a more competent authorship than that which has been provided for “The Short Constitution”. Either of the writers alone would have produced a book of high standing in this field; the collaboration of the two makes it a remarkable production in its adaptation to the subject for home reading, the study club, and the school curriculum. It is unique, and has justly been termed “the first real attempt to popularize Constitutional law.”

Federal Judge Martin J. Wade has had a varied contact with people in his long experience as practicing attorney, district judge, member of Congress, and Judge of the United States Court. A well known Iowa publicist, he has gained nation wide fame as a public speaker and writer on Americanization and citizenship topics, basing his themes on first-hand experiences with conditions which have produced much unrest throughout the Nation. As a member of the State Council of National Defense during the World War, and as presiding judge at the trial of many obstructionists in that period, he conceived the idea of the need for a school of Americanism, to teach what our country has done for its citizens. Clearness and eloquence mark his public addresses, and have enriched the arguments and illustrations of this first book of the “Elementary Americanism Series”.

Dean William F. Russell was the educational adviser sent with a group of experts by appointment of the President of the United States to advise disorganized Russia during the latter part of the World War; and also one of the five members of the China Educational Commission of North America, sent to China in 1921. His course of study in American citizenship, written at the request of the National Masonic Research Society for use throughout the United States, was inspired by the observation that the government in Russia, in contrast with our own, was an agency that took money for its coffers and boys for its armies and gave nothing in return. In addition to his work as Dean of the College of Education of the State University of Iowa, and his record as a widely-known lecturer on educational topics, he has found time to write school texts notable for accurate and concise statement, adapted to arousing and sustaining interest in the student mind.

The authors have done more than present the facts about the Constitution of the United States, with particular emphasis on its personal guaranties. They have vitalized a topic generally thought to be dry and technical. They have succeeded in making the Constitution seem to be what it is, a factor of first importance in the daily life of the average citizen. It is not too much to say that the seed of this book should be planted in every home in America.

The admirable work of annotation by Professor Chas. H. Meyerholz, Professor of Social Science in the Iowa State Teachers College, gives much additional material for elementary and advanced study. Professor Meyerholz is well known as an authoritative teacher, writer, and lecturer on subjects pertaining to government, and has done much valuable Americanization work.

The elementary and advanced questions at the end of each chapter will serve as a guide to all teachers and leaders of study classes. The text of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, with the original capitalization and punctuation preserved, and an abridgement of a State Constitution, printed at the end of the book, are valuable for reference.

THE PUBLISHER