relate to education, corporations, public debts, taxation, and amendments.

The constitution altogether would make about forty pages of this book. There are forty-eight States, and each State has its own constitution and no two constitutions are alike, but all the State constitutions have a strong resemblance to the one that has been described.

How the Constitution of a State is Made.-The constitution of a State is made by a body of men who are chosen to make a constitution and to do nothing else. This body is called the Constitutional Convention. This convention is composed of delegates elected by the people of the counties and cities of the State. In this constitutional convention the needs and wishes of the people of the State are discussed, and a constitution is carefully

drawn up.

After a constitution is agreed upon by the convention, it is usually submitted to the people to be voted upon. If a majority of the popular vote is cast for it, it stands as the constitution-the fixed plan of government. If it does not receive a majority of the votes, no further attention is paid to it; the work of the convention was in vain. If the people reject a proposed constitution, they must live under the old constitution until another convention is called, and a constitution is framed that will suit them. There have been some constitutional conventions that did not submit the constitution to the people to be voted upon, but instead declared it in force at once. In most of the States, however, the constitution

was voted upon and adopted by the people before it became the law.

How a Constitution is Changed. We have called the constitution the fixed, unchanging plan of government. But it would not do for a constitution to remain unchanged and unchangeable forever. It sometimes happens that a plan is good at one time and yet bad at another time; and a constitution that might have been good and wise in the year 1850, may, by the year 1950, have become foolish or harmful. If, then, there is something in a constitution that ought not to be there, or if something ought to be there that is not there, how shall a change be made? The answer is: By amendment; the constitution is mended where it is weak. This is usually done as follows: The Legislature of the State passes the amendment which it thinks ought to be inserted in the constitution, and then submits the amendment to the people to be voted upon, for or against. If it gets the requisite number of the votes of the electors, the amendment becomes a part of the constitution. Also, in a number of States, amendments may be secured through the operation of the initiative and referendum.1

When an entirely new constitution is desired, a new constitutional convention must be called. This is usually done as follows: The Legislature submits to the people the question, whether they wish a new constitutional convention or not. If the people vote yes, the Legislature provides for the election of the delegates to the con

1 The initiative and referendum are explained on page 133.

vention. The election is then held and the elected delegates meet in convention, make a new constitution, and submit it to the people to be voted upon, as has been explained. You see that a constitution is adopted directly by the votes of the people. It is not adopted by the representatives of the people: it is very nearly the work of a pure democracy.

QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

1. Get a copy of the constitution of your State, and examine it for answers to the following questions:

(a) When was the constitution adopted by the people?

(b) About how many pages of this book would it make?

(c) What are the principal rights declared?

(d) Are there any amendments to the constitution as it now stands? If so, when and why were they adopted?

(e) What provision of the constitution seems to be the most important?

(f) Do you find anything in the constitution that you would like to see changed?

(g) How would you proceed to get the constitution changed?

2. Elect a committee consisting of classmates to draw up a constitution for the government of a debating society. Provide in the constitution for election of officers, time and place of holding meetings, qualifications for membership, dues, fines, etc. The committee cannot do good work unless it takes as a model some suitable constitution already drawn up. The constitution drawn up should be submitted to the whole class for approval.

3. How many constitutions has your State had during its entire history?

4. Would it be wise for Maine and Louisiana to exchange constitutions?

5. Does the constitution described in the lesson resemble closely the constitution of your State?

XXIII. THE STATE LEGISLATURE

“While acting as the representative of the people I shall be governed by their will on all subjects upon which I have the means of knowing what their will is, and upon all others I shall do what my own judgment teaches me will best advance their interests."-Abraham Lincoln.

When and Where the State Legislature Meets.-Each State has its capital, or the city in which the business of

the State government is transacted. If you have ever been in the capital of your State, you have doubtless visited the capitol, or Statehouse. This is usually a hand

some building, containing many halls and offices. In this building is done the most important work of the State government. Here the Governor of the State and his assistants have their offices; here the highest judges of the State hold their courts; here the Legislature of the State meets to make laws.

The Two Branches of the Legislature.-Let us suppose that you are in the Statehouse on the morning a Legislature assembles for the first time. When the hour for meeting comes, the lawmakers, who have been moving busily about in the corridors, talking with one another, divide into two bodies. The smaller number meet in a room at one end of the Statehouse. The men who meet in this room are somewhat advanced in years; they move about in a quiet and dignified manner. Many of them seem to be familiar with the place and to know how to begin with the business. These men are senators, this is the Senate chamber, and this branch of the Legislature is the Senate.

The larger number of lawmakers assemble in a large hall at the opposite end of the Statehouse. This body, as we look upon it from a gallery, differs much in appearance from the Senate. The men are of all ages, from the young man of two and twenty to the gray-haired man of seventy. A few of them are self-possessed and seem to be familiar with their surroundings, but many of them act as if they were in a strange place. These men are representatives, and this is the House of Representatives.

The Legislature of a State is always divided into these