What may be called his private or passive citizenship is com plete. He has all the immunities and benefits which an American citizen enjoys. But the public or active side is wanting, so far as the National Government is concerned, although complete for local purposes.

The District of Columbia. The government of the District of Columbia differs to such an extent from that of the Territories as to require special mention. Congress has exclusive control of this District (Art. I., Sec. 8, Cl. 17). All laws are made by Congress and enforced by a Commission consisting of an officer of the Corps of Engineers of the Army of a higher rank than captain, and two civilians, citizens of the United States and residents of the District, appointed by the President with the consent of the Senate, for a term of three years. The Commission is authorized to make police and other municipal regulations, collect and apply taxes to the support of schools and other public purposes, and exercise all the powers usually vested in the governing body of cities, but the local taxes are fixed by Congress. The Judiciary of the District consist of a Supreme Court with a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices, which has general jurisdiction of law and equity. From this court appeals can be taken to the Court of Appeals of the District, consisting of three Judges, to which court is also taken any appeal from the decision of the Commissioner of Patents. From the Court of Appeals appeals may be taken to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Admission of States.-New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State

be formed by the junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the consent of the legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress. (Art. IV., Sec. 3, Cl. 1.)

How long a Territory shall remain such is a question to be determined by Congress alone, and its action is not affected by the population, wealth or the extent of the Territory. Political interests, as the retention of party power, and national questions, as slavery, have influenced the action of Congress to a large extent. For a long time there was no uniformity as to the population necessary for admission, and great discrimination has been shown from time to time in favor of Territories in which it was supposed the sentiment on great questions was the same as that of the dominant political party in Congress. There is now a rule which provides that no Territory will be admitted as a State until it has a population sufficient to entitle it to a representative in Congress.

Methods of Admission.-States are usually admitted in one of two ways. Either Congress passes an "enabling act," by which the people are authorized to adopt a constitution in which certain provisions may be required to be inserted, upon performance of which the Territory becomes a State; or, the people of a Territory submit a constitution to Congress, and upon its approval the Territory becomes a State.

Limitation. The limitation placed upon the power of Congress to form States was designed as a protection to the large States which feared that they might be divided, and the small States, which feared that they might be consolidated into large States, and is another example of the compromises made in the Constitutional Convention.

CHAPTER VI.

GENERAL PROVISIONS.

National Credit.-Credit gives stability in national as well as in private concerns. A nation can better lose its armies than its credit. In consequence of these truths there was inserted in the Constitution a provision that:

All debts contracted and engagements entered into, before the adoption of this Constitution, shall be valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation. (Art. VI., Cl. 1.)

And later, after the accumulation of an enormous debt through the Civil War, an additional pledge was inserted in Amendment XIV. that:

The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrections or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations, and claims shall be held illegal and void.

The Supreme Law. This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every State shall be bound thereby, anything in

the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwith standing. (Art. VI., Cl. 2.)

Every governmental act repugnant to the Constitution is null and void. So also with the federal laws and treaties, of which the Supreme Court of the United States has said:

In every case of conflict, the Act of Congress or treaty is supreme, and the law of the State, though enacted in the exercise of uncontroverted powers, must yield to it.

As between federal laws and treaties, it is the rule that the one last made is the superior.

Oath. The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States. (Art. VI., Cl. 3.)

Amendments.-The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and that no State, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate. (Art. V.)

Ratification.-The ratification of the conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the establishment of this Constitu tion between the States so ratifying the same. (Art. VII.)