honor and obedience.

It is the duty of every voter to study the interests of the country,
and to vote for persons and measures that, in his opinion, will best
"promote the general welfare." In this country, government is
intrusted to the whole people, and they can govern only by expressing
their will in elections. Therefore the majority must rule. The
majority will sometimes make mistakes, but these will be corrected
after a time. In order that good government may ensue, good citizens
must take part in elections. The privilege of suffrage is conferred
upon an implied contract that it will be used for the public good. He
who fails to vote when he can, fails to perform his part of the
contract, fails to fulfill his promise, and fails to respect the
government that protects him.

CONSTITUTION.

The constitution is often called the supreme law of the State. In
other words, it is the supreme act of the people, for the purpose of
organizing themselves as a body politic, of formulating their
government, and of fixing the limits of its power. It is a contract
between the whole society as a political body, and each of its members.
Each binds himself to the whole body, and the whole body binds itself
to each, in order that all may be governed by the same laws for the
common good. The constitution of each State is a written instrument,
modeled after the Constitution of the United States, with which it must
not conflict.

The constitutions of England and most other countries of Europe are
unwritten. They consist of the common usages and maxims that have
become fixed by long experience. In those countries, when a new
political custom grows into common practice it thereby becomes a part
of the national constitution.

FORMATION AND ADOPTION.--As the whole people can not assemble in one
place to frame and adopt a constitution, they elect delegates to a
constitutional convention. The convention usually meets at the
capital, deliberates, frames articles for a proposed constitution, and
in nearly all cases submits them to the people. The people make known
their will in a general election, and if a majority vote in favor of
adopting the proposed constitution, it becomes the constitution of the
State. If the proposed constitution is rejected, another convention
must be called to propose other articles to be voted upon by the people.

PURPOSES.--The purposes of the constitution are to guard the rights of
the people