December’s issue: The 3^rd Principle of a Free People: "Finding and Electing Virtuous Leaders."

Question# 1: Why did the Founding Father’s (FF’s) treat this issue as a major "Constitutional Principle?"

Answer: They were concerned about where the new nation would find "virtuous leaders" to provide the type of leadership "a government of the people" requires. Remember the existing colleges were all established by different religious denominations, and did not teach "political science," or the art of "politics" at that time. John and Samuel Adams both encouraged the teaching of "governing as an art of divine science." The FF’s knew, as do we today, that the natural tendency of most people is to encourage others to run for office, but not to get involved themselves. They knew a government "of the people" could never enjoy strong self-government unless this attitude changed. They further wanted it to be counted a honor to be drafted into "politics," and become a responsible leader.

Also remember the FF’s were an unique group of men. Were they "endowed by God from on high," as some think, to establish America’s Constitution, or were they "rabble rousers," as others thought, making trouble for the English King and Parliament that then ruled over them. The only leaders the colonists knew were governors and judges appointed by the king, and accountable to the king only, not to "the people." The English Monarchy was an aristocracy, basically a tyrannical form of government. They were ruled by "ruler’s law," where all law originates with the ruler. The extreme opposite of "ruler’s law" is "no law," or anarchy - usually total chaos. The FF’s were looking for a "law in between these two extremes, a people’s law" created and administered by the people.

The only example they had of a "people’s law" form of government, or a government where the leaders were chosen from among the people, with the law administered "by the people," was found in the bible. The Israelites, while technically a theocracy (law from God) were governed by leaders chosen from among the people. When Moses was overwhelmed by the demands of the people, Jethro, his father-in-law, told him "The thing thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee, for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone." Then Jethro counseled Moses to "teach them ordinances and laws, and show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work they must do. Moreover thou shall provide ‘out of all the people’ able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, and rulers of tens, and let them judge the people ..." The apostle James called this form of government "the perfect law of liberty." The FF’s, impressed with this counsel, inscribed on their Liberty Bell: "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof," words they found in Leviticus 25:10.

Question # 2: Where did the FF’s look to find such men they had learned about from Jethro’s council to Moses?

A self-government "of the people" requires good people to be involved, with the best chosen to rule.