Civics for young Americans; or

Front matter

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Preface

In preparing this book the author has had primarily before him the fact that just such a book was wanted to throw light upon a common subject not generally or sufficiently treated in school courses of instruction. Besides there has been a paramount desire to present the subject in a form so simple and entertaining that the young reader may readily understand, and through this understanding, be led to further thought. A basis of interesting knowledge being established, further thought cannot fail to inculcate a love of our country and its laws.

The subject of Civil Government involves much that requires for its comprehension mature and extended thought. In view of this fact the author has kept in mind the capabilities of young intellects, and has endeavored to treat that subject so simply, in both the choice of words and the arrangement of thought, as to insure its easy comprehension by the youngest reader. Nevertheless, it is hoped that it will prove interesting to older thinkers who may find time to read it.

6 PREFACE.

As an especial feature of this little book, the need of government and law is made apparent in a narrative that is calculated to arrest attention and provoke thought. Following this tale suggesting the need of government, the simple forms naturally arising in the framing of laws are presented and developed in a manner which will appeal naturally to a young reader's reason.

While no exhaustive or detailed explanation of foreign governments has been given, comparative conditions have been stated and suggestive differences have been noted, and the reasons for certain laws have been told, in a manner intended to show a relation between cause and effect.

In the subsequent chapters, the Constitution of the United States has been presented with sufficient explanation, it is thought, to make the various clauses significant in meaning to the reader.

With the hope that the book may perform its intended mission in teaching a knowledge of the principles of government, and through this, a higher regard for our country, the writer puts it into the hands of

the future citizens of the United States.

W. M. G.

Newark, N. J. '

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. A Story 9

II. The Story Continued 14

Chapter I. A Story

"We once read a story of a young man by the name of Philip Brusque. It was written by Peter Parley. We wish that every one of our young American friends could read the story for himself. In this chapter we shall give a brief outline of a part of it, which will be the next best thing to the story itself.

Young Brusque was a Frenchman, who lived in France about the year 1789, or at the time of the French Revolution. If our young friends desire to have a very good idea of this Revolution, they should read the " Tale of Two Cities " by Charles Dickens.

At the time of the Revolution, France was a monarchy. Those of our readers who have studied geography will understand what kind of a government this is.

In 1789 the common people of France determined to overthrow the government. Thousands of persons were executed by them. One of the most active of the people was young Brusque, who, with many others, thought that if the government could only be overthrown, he would be very happy. He thought that then he could do as he liked, without being restrained by any law, except the moral sense of man. He thought that laws were unfair, and that no man should be subject to them. In fact, Philip took such an active part that he soon found it unsafe for him to stay in Paris, and hence, with many others, he set sail for a foreign land. But alas ! when but a few days out, a great storm arose and all on board were drowned, save Philip, who was washed ashore on a lone island, and what seemed to please him most of all was, that the island was without a single human inhabitant except himself.

Peter Parley says, that when Philip found himself alone on the island, he was delighted, and exclaimed : " Now I shall be happy. Here I can enjoy perfect liberty. Here is no prison like the Bastile ; here is no king to make slaves of his fellow-men ; here is no Robespierre to plot the murder of his fellow-citizens. Liberty, how have I worshipped thee ! and here on this lone island I have found thee. Here I can labor or rest, eat or drink, wake or sleep, as I please. Here is no one to control my actions or my thoughts. In my native country all the land belongs to a few persons ; but here I can take as much land as I please. I can freely pick the

A STORY. 11

fruit from the trees, according to my choice or my wants. How different is my situation from what it was in France ! There, everything belongs to somebody, and I was restrained from taking anything, unless I paid for it. Here, all is free, all is mine. Here, I can enjoy perfect liberty. In France, I was under the check and control of a thousand laws ; here, there is no law but my own will. Here, I have indeed found perfect freedom."

Philip, you see, was quite happy. Thus he continued for about a year, when he began to feel very lonely. How he longed to see a human being once more ! Each day found him on the top of a high hill looking wishfully out at sea for a sail. " One day while he was thus watching," says Peter Parley, " he began to talk as follows : '■ Liberty is, indeed, a dear and beautiful thing ; but still I want something beside liberty. I want to hear a human voice. I want to look into a human face. I want some one to speak to. I feel as if my very heart would wither for the want of a friend. I feel a thirst within, and I have no means of satisfying it. I feel within a voice speaking, and there is no answer. This beautiful island is becoming a desert to me, without even an echo. dear France ! dear, dear home ! How gladly would I give up this hollow and useless liberty for the pleasure of friendship and society ! I would be willing to be restrained by the thousand meshes of the law, if I might once more enjo}^ the pleasure of living in the midst of my fellow-men.' "

12 CIYICS FOR YOUNG AMERICANS.

Ah, my young friends, what a change had come over Philip in one short year ! Short to us, but alas! how long, how very long, it had been to him. One day, on going to the top of the hill, Philip thought he saw something moving. It was about a mile from where he was standing, and looking sharply, he found that it was a human being. 0, how his heart jumped for joy ! He set off like a wild deer toward the stranger. When near enough, he saw it was a man. He ran right up to him with open arms. The man's name was Jacques Piquet. He was a fisherman from Mauritius. He had been out fishing, and the wind had blown him so far out to sea, that he could not get back to land. When he was about to give up all hopes, his small boat was dashed to pieces, and Jacques, being a good swimmer, saved his life by swimming to the island, which happened to be the one on which Philip was living. How happy Philip was ! He put his arms around the fisherman and kissed him again and again. He took the stranger and led him to his cave. Next he gathered some fresh pineapples and other fruit, and when he saw the fisherman eating them he clapped his hands in joy. Philip also ran to get Jacques some fresh water to drink. This was all very strange for Philip to do, as he was a proud fellow, and had he been compelled to serve the fisherman he would have hated and resisted the work ; but because he was doing it of his own free will and accord he found pleasure in it. Philip continued to wait

A STORY. 13

on the fisherman for some little time. At last, however, there came a new order of things, and the fisherman began to order Philip to do this and that for him. This made Brusque very angry, and he told the fisherman he might wait on himself.

This, in turn, made Jacques angry, and soon from words they came to blows. Brusque, being the stronger of the two, dealt Jacques a blow on the head which felled him to the ground, where he lay without motion, seeming actually to be dead.

Chapter II. The Story Continued

No sooner did Philip see the condition of the fisherman, than he thought to himself : " What a strange creature I am ! A few weeks since I was mad with joy at the arrival of this man ; soon he became the tyrant of my life. I then wished him dead. I forgot that he had rights as well as myself. In taking his life I did a great wrong to justice, to liberty, and to myself."

While Brusque was thinking these thoughts, the fisherman moved and showed signs of returning life. Philip was again full of joy, and, fetching some water, sprinkled it over the man's face. He soon recovered, and Philip led him to the cave, where, lying down, he went to sleep. Again Philip fell to thinking.

" Jacques is alive again, and I am relieved of a load. When I was alone I was perfectly free, but I soon found that freedom without society was a sad condition of things. I therefore yearned for society, and I had it. But it soon became a torment to me. What, then, is the difficulty ? I believe it is the want of some rules, by which we may regulate our conduct. Though there are

THE STORY CONTINUED. 15

but two of us, still we find it necessary to enter into a compact. We must form a government ; we must submit to laws, rules, and regulations. We must each submit to the abridgment of some portion of our liberty — some portion of our privileges — in order to secure the rest."

Philip now returned to the cave, where he found the fisherman much better. Philip spoke to him of the necessity of laying down certain rules, by which the essential rights of each should be preserved and a state of harmony insured. To this Jacques agreed, and the following code of laws being drawn up by Philip, they were passed unanimously : —

" Be it ordained by Philip Brusque, late of France, and Jacques Piquet, of Mauritius, to insure harmony, establish justice, and promote the good of all parties : —

" 1. This island shall be called Fredonia.

" 2. Liberty being a great good in itself, and the right of every human being, it shall only be abridged so far as the good of society may require. But as all laws restrain liberty, we, the people of Fredonia, submit to the following : —

" 3. The cave, called the Castaway's Home, lately occupied by Philip Brusque, shall be alternately occupied for a day and night by said Philip Brusque and Jacques Piquet, the former beginning this day, and the latter taking it the next day, and so forth.

" 4. Each person shall have a right to build himself a house, and shall have exclusive possession of the same.

"5. If two persons wish the same fruit at the same time, they shall draw lots for the first choice, if they cannot agree otherwise as to the division.

"6. If any difference arises between the two parties, Philip Brusque and Jacques Piquet, they shall decide such questions by lot.

"7. This code of laws shall be changed, or modified, or added to, only by the consent of the parties, Philip Brusque and Jacques Piquet.

"All which is done this 27th day of June, a.d. 18 — ."

This was neatly cut with a penknife on a board which had come ashore from the wreck of Philip's vessel, and it became the statute law of the island of Fredonia.

From this story of Philip we learn that absolute liberty cannot be enjoyed except by an individual in solitude, where he has no intercourse with his fellow-men. From it we also learn that even supposing there are but two persons living together, some rules, or laws, by which they may regulate their conduct, become necessary. The truth is, my young friends, people cannot live together in society without government. As shown to us in this story by Peter Parley, even two persons on an island find that, to prevent quarrelling, they must define their mutual rights and privileges ; or, in short, they must

THE STORY CONTINUED. 17

enact laws, and, as a matter of course, these laws are restraints upon natural or absolute liberty.

Thus it is that we are to-day living in a country governed by laws. And the best of all is, that our laws, like those of Philip and the fisherman, are our own ; that is, they are made by us, and the purpose of this little book is to show you why in this respect, our country is one of the grandest, if not the very best, in the world.

Many years ago our forefathers lived in a country very much like the one from which Philip came. It differed in some things. We shall have more to say of this, however, in another chapter.

Chapter III. Some Facts Feom History

You have read the history of our country from its discovery by Cokimbus to the present time. Is it not surprising how much the lives of our forefathers resembled that of Philip Brusque ? They lived in England, under rulers who were haughty and arbitrary men, just as Philip had in France.

They also, like Philip, longed for liberty and a better home ; though, unlike Philip, they were true to their country, and instead of trying to overthrow the government, they simply asked to be allowed to go from it and live by themselves. This they did, and, as you know, they came to the New World. How they suffered !

You remember the Starving Time in Virginia, the Indian War, and Bacon's Rebellion. You remember King Philip's War in Massachusetts, and Clay horn's Rebellion in Maryland.

You remember the Pequod War in Connecticut, the trouble with the Spaniards in Georgia, and the wars of King William, Queen Anne, and King George ; and finally, the greatest of them all, the French and Indian War.

SOME FACTS FROM HISTORY. 19

When the French and Indian War began, none were as ready to help the English king as those who were living in the New World, many of whom had left England because they had been so badly treated there. All through the nine long years of the war they fought bravely and well. At the close of the war, although " England reaped ^11 the glory, and the colonies had borne the brunt of the conflict, none were more ready and willing than they to help pay the debts which the war had contracted."

How were the colonies repaid for all this loyalty ? You remember that before the French and Indian War some of the colonies had been assailed in their personal liberty and political rights. Dishonest governors had been sent over here by the king and had plundered them, while tyrannical governors had, time after time, grossly abused and oppressed them.

All this might have been forgotten after the French and Indian War, had it not been for the money-loving king, who acted as if the colonies existed only for the purpose of helping him and the people in England to make money. When, however, the king saw how nicely the colonies were prospering, he, instead of giving them a helping hand, did everything he could to injure them.

You remember the Navigation Act, the Acts of Trade, the Restricting Laws, the Writs of Assistance, the Stamp Act, the Mutiny Act, the Boston Massacre, and

20 CIVICS FOE YOUNG AMEKICANS.

the Tax on Tea. These alone were enough to make the colonies feel anything but friendly toward England.

But King George III. was guilty of many more unjust acts. For example, he would not allow a man to cut down a tree on his own land without first asking permission. He would appoint a man a judge, and then, if he did not decide all cases in favor of the king, the king would not pay him his salary. He appointed a multitude of officers who were not at all necessary, and then obliged the colonies to pay them large salaries. He kept a large number of soldiers here in times of peace when there was no good reason for it. The soldiers had to be paid by the colonies. These soldiers oftentimes were guilty of murders for which they went unpunished. Innocent men were arrested for pretended offences, because they stood in the king's way. They were taken to foreign countries to be tried for the pretended offences. The king, in fact, " plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people."

This was a very bad return for what the colonies had done for him. And, notwithstanding it all, the colonies were still loyal to him. They in fact, petitioned for redress in the most humble terms. The petitions were answered only by repeated injury.

There was only one thing left to do, which was to

SOME FACTS FROM HISTORY. 21

declare themselves free and independent of England and her king, and this was done on the fourth day of July, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-six ; but not till seven years after this did England acknowledge the independence of the colonies.

Chapter IV. The Kinds Of Goyeenment

As soon as our forefathers had declared themselves independent of Great Britain, they knew they must form a government ; for, being wise men, they knew they could not long exist without a government of some kind. At that time, as well as at the present, there were three distinct kinds of government. These were monarchies, aristocracies, and republics.

Let us now learn something of these different kinds of governments, that we may have a better idea of them. We are sure all of our readers will be glad they live in the United States when they know more of its government and the governments of some other countries of which we shall learn.

A MoNAECHY is a government by a single person. This person has different titles in different countries. If the country is an empire, the ruler is called an Emperor, Czar, or Sultan. If it is a kingdom, he or she is called a King or Queen. If it is a principality, he is called a Prince. If it is a duchy, he is called a Duke.

THE KINDS OF GOVERNMENT. 23

There are two kinds of monarchies. Tliey are absolute and limited.

An Absolute Monarchy is one in which all the power is in the hands of one man. This is very good if that man is one to be truste'd. But if he is not a good man, and hence cannot be trusted, then it is terrible.

When reading history, we learn of many different absolute monarchies. One, for instance, is Russia, which is one of the most powerful monarchies in the world. One of the Russian emperors, or Czars, was named Ivan IV., who was the Czar of Russia for about fifty years. You will learn what kind of a man Ivan was from tlie following : —

A number of noblemen were one day talking, when one of them said: "The grand prince" (meaning Ivan) " decides all questions alone, shut up in his chamber." Ivan, hearing he had said this, ordered that he be taken to prison, there to have his head cut off. Ivan had a very quick temper, and all of his subjects approached him in fear. One day he became angry at one of his courtiers, and without any pity, he ordered that the courtier be torn to death by savage dogs. But then he could do as he liked, for he was an absolute monarch, and hence went unpunished for his acts. Nor did he stop here. In fact, he did so many terrible deeds that he was called Ivan the Terrible. He one time went to a city where there were many people who disliked his cruel ways, and who were not afraid to say so, and had sixty thousand men, besides many women and children, killed.

Just think, my young friends, of being obliged to live in a country that had a form of government which allowed such a wretch to be its ruler.

When reading history we also learn of good monarchs who tried to do what was right ; still they were all apt to look out for themselves rather than for others, which does not agree with Sir Walter Scott's idea of a true man, for he says, " The man whom I call deserving the name is one whose thoughts and exertions are for others rather than himself." Another well-known writer has said: ^^The absolute monarch is generally a tyrant. Men are too imperfeat to be trusted with absolute power."

A Limited Monarchy is one in which the power of the monarch is limited by the constitution and the laws of the country, which say that the ruler must share his power with a class of nobles, or a body of men who are elected for that purpose.

One of the most powerful limited monarchies is England. England at one time was an absolute monarchy, and we can form something of an idea of its early kings when we read of one of them, who was known as King John, and it is said, threw into prison a wealthy Jew because he refused to give the king an enormous sum of money. While the Jew was in prison, the king ordered one of his teeth pulled out each day, until he paid

THE KINDS OF GOVERNMENT. 25

the required amount of money. King John's treatment of the poor old Jew, however, was one of the least of his wicked acts. When John became king, there was another who had the best claim to the throne. This was John's pretty little nephew, Arthur ; but John seized the treasure, and the little prince was locked up in a large castle. AVliile the prince was here, the king sent two ruffians to burn the little fellow's eyes out with red-hot irons. The warden of the castle, Hubert de Bourg, to his praise be it remembered, sent the savages away. This made the king very angry, and after this he sent another ruffian to kill the poor little prince. Hubert sent back word to the king that he would do it for him. John knew he would not do so, and had Arthur taken to another castle. One dark night the little prince was aroused from his sleep and told to follow his jailer down stairs. When at the foot of the stairs, he was drawn into a boat, w^here he saw his uncle. King John, and another man. The little fellow knelt to them and begged them not to murder him. To this they paid no attention, but stabbed him, and sunk his body in the river with heavy stones.

England still has a queen ; but there are also two bodies of men, or two houses, as they are called, with which she shares her power. These houses are called the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

Lone; after EuQ-land claimed to have a limited monarchy, however, the kings had, or at least assumed, great power. We read that during the reign of King Henry VIII. (Bkiff King Hal) many people were executed because they would not bow to the king's will. It was during his reign that an old man, Wolsey by name, who had been a lifelong friend of Henry VIII., received a death sentence because he would not do a dishonest act for the king. It is said his last words were to one Cromwell, and were as follows : " Had I but served God as diligently as I have served the king, he v^^ould not have given me over in my gray hairs. Howbeit, this is my just reward for my pains and diligence, not regarding my service to God, but only my duty to my prince." He was not executed, as he died broken-hearted on his way to prison. Do you not think Wolsey was treated by Henry VIII. very much as our forefathers were treated by George III. ? Henry VIII. had six wives. One of them he became tired of, and, on some slight excuse, he had her executed, and the very next day he married another woman. Hence you see that the king of this limited monarchy was not much, if any, better than Ivan, the absolute monarch.

After Henry VIII. came Edward VI., and after him came Queen Mary. Mary tried to change many of the laws which King Henry VIII. had made, and in trying to force them upon the people she had three hundred persons burned to death, because they did not like her new laws.

THE KINDS OF GOVERNMENT. 27

After Mary came Elizabeth. During the reign of " Good Queen Bess," as she was sometimes called, England improved very much, for Elizabeth was a queen of great power and merit. She re-organized a church, and said there must be no other kind ; and if any one was found attending any other church, he was executed. So you see, though she was called a good queen, she had some very bad faults. If you would like to learn more of the kings and queens of England, read Charles Dickens' Child's History of England. Some of them have been noble men and women, one of the best being Queen Victoria, who is now (1888) queen, and is much beloved at home and abroad.

An Aristocracy is a government in which the power is placed in the hands of the nobles or aristocrats. All historians agree that an aristocracy is the poorest form of government a country can have.

A Republic is that form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people, or delegated to representatives elected by the people.

A republic binds men together by strong ties of fellowship, as in a bond of affection and brotherly love. It is the grandest of all forms of government.

Some three hundred years ago the colony of Plymouth was a republic, and at that time the people all met to make the laws. There were so few people then that they could do this. Now, however, there is no building, nor city for that matter, which is large enough to hold all the jDeople ; so the people send men to act for them, who are called representatives, because they represent the people. These representatives, as you know, meet in the city of Washington to make the laws. We will learn more of them.

Chapter V. The Articles Of Confederation"

On the same day (June 11, 1776) that the committee was appointed to prepare the Declaration of Independence, there was another committee appointed to prepare some rules or laws for the colonies which were about to become independent. This committee met and drew up a set of laws which they called '^Articles of Confederation and Ferpetual Union hetiveen the States,'' meaning the thirteen original states of our country of which you have learned in your histories.

During the Revolution the Articles answered very well, as the attention of all the states was directed toward the defeat of the English soldiers. At the close of the war, however, it was found that the country had no real government. As a well-known writer has said, " There were thirteen separate and independent states, each free to do as it pleased. Each state claimed for itself the right to coin money, lay duties on foreign goods, to levy taxes, and to raise and equip its own army. There was a loose kind of union between them, which did not amount to a good general government, because it had few of the

^DOwers belonging to a government. Congress could not enforce tax laws, nor coin money, nor do anything except advise the states j and the states could take the advice or neglect it, just as they pleased.

" The weak states were afraid of the strong ones, and the strong ones were jealous of each other. Each state made laws for itself, and these laws sometimes stood in the way of trade between different parts of the country. The states were in a fair way to quarrel among themselves, and even to get into wars with one another, which would have been worse for them than any foreign war could have been." ^ In fact, the states were very much in the same condition as the seven sons of an old gentleman, who were always quarrelling. They left their studies and work to quarrel among themselves. Some bad men were looking forward to the death of the old gentleman, who was very wealthy, to cheat the sons out of their property by making them quarrel about it. The good old man one day called his sons around him. He laid before them seven sticks which were bound together. He said, *• I will pay one hundred dollars to the one who can break this bundle." Each one strained every nerve to break it. After a long but vain trial they all said that it could not be done. " And yet, my boys," said the father, " nothing is easier to do." He then untied the bundle and broke the sticks, one by one, with perfect ease.