Chap. V.]

DUTIES OF PATRIOTISM.

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suited to qualify him for the duties of citizenship. Nor have theconstitutions and laws of the States alone manifested this earnest-ness and anxiety for universal education and the diffusion of use-ful knowledge among the great body of the people. The govern-ment of the United States has appropriated a large proportionalpart of all the public lands * * * § for the encouragement of education ;and, in the federal constitution and laws, special care is taken tofurnish the people with political information on which they canwith safety rely, and to facilitate their acquiring it in every pos-sible way. Congress is forbidden to make any law abridging thefreedom of speech or of the press, f To the same end, eachHouse is required to keep a journal of its proceedings, and, withthe exception of such parts as may in their judgment requiresecrecy, to publish the same from time to time. J The debatesin both Houses (except when confidential business is transacted)are open to the public ; and, to give all possible assurance of fullinformation being brought into debate, no member of eitherHouse of Congress can be questioned in any other place for anyspeech or debate in either House. § Moreover, it is made theconstitutional duty of the President of the United States to giveto Congress, from time to time, information of the state of theUnion. || The documents in which this information is conveyedare very numerous ; and they are not only indispensable to thewise action of Congress, but come from the highest and mostauthentic source of information on public affairs, and the nationalmind is annually instructed and enlightened by them.

The legislation of Congress has been in the best spirit of theprovisions of the constitution. The freedom of the press is sounrestrained, that men are scarcely made responsible for itsabuse ; and it may be said with truth, that the blessings which itis fitted to confer, are greatly diminished by its licentiousness.The journals of Congress and other public documents are pub-

* An entire section (a square mile, or 640 acres) in each township of six milessquare, is appropriated by law to the support of common schools in all the new

States, — besides tracts for the ample endowment of universities, colleges, acad-emies, &c. According to Mr. Clay’s Report on the Public Lands, of April 16th,1832, the aggregate of 8,460,547 acres had been appropriated to all these objects.

i See Amendment I. $ Article I. Section 5. 3.

§ Article I. Section 6. 1. || Article II. Section 3.1.