The Short ConstitutionWade, Martin J. (Martin Joseph)
History
The Short Constitution
Wade, Martin J. (Martin Joseph)
United States. Constitution
Then how do you know that the dollar you received in change at the grocery
store is a real dollar? There are many counterfeit dollars made by
wrongdoers, by criminals who seek to profit by manufacturing money
themselves, sometimes so much like the genuine, that it is almost
impossible to detect the difference. There are counterfeit bills, and
counterfeit coin, which I dare say could not be distinguished from the
genuine by any person in this room. But there are laws enacted by Congress
providing very severe punishment for any person who makes, passes, or
attempts to pass, any counterfeit coin. For instance, if one shall make,
or pass, or attempt to pass counterfeit gold or silver coin, he may be
punished by five years imprisonment in the penitentiary.(32) Even for
making, or passing, or attempting to pass a one cent, two cent, three
cent, or five cent piece, a person may be imprisoned for five years. Any
one who makes a die or mold designed for the coining, or making of
counterfeit coins may be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary for
ten years.
These are severe penalties. Liberty is dear, and yet you can see how
absolutely necessary it is to have these severe penalties in order to
protect you, your father and mother, and all other persons from being
defrauded and wronged by the use of counterfeit money which is worthless,
but which most people cannot distinguish from the genuine.
I suppose you watched for the letter carrier this morning. Perhaps you
were expecting a letter from a friend or relative. The letter carrier came
to your door. You did not have to walk to the post office. Perhaps your
friend lives one thousand miles away. How is it possible for you to
receive a letter in perhaps a couple of days from that far distant point?
Did you ever stop to think about it? Of course you say, “Well it came
through the post office”. Yes, but the postoffice is only a part of the
great postal system of this country, which carries your letters from one
end of the land to another for the small amount of two cents; and we have
wonderful confidence in this postal service. We carelessly drop into the
mail box most important letters, often most sacred, but we have no doubt
that the letter will reach its destination safely.(33)
How is it all possible? Well, again, in reading the Constitution you will
find that the people gave to Congress the power:
“_To establish Post Offices and Post roads._”(34)
This power has been exercised by the enactment of many laws by Congress
providing for post offices, letter carriers, postal clerks, railway mail
service, rural routes, and many laws severely punishing any one in the
postal service who willfully fails to perform his duties.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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