Mr. HANSON. I did not, sir. Senator THOMAS. Mr. Hanson, what is the meaning of the Constitutional Educational League? Mr. HANSON. What is the meaning of the Constitutional Educational League? Senator THOMAS Yes; the title of Constitutional Educational League. Mr. HANSON. It is a name. The articles of incorporation give forth the purposes of the organization. Senator THOMAS. Yes; I have read those. Mr. HANSON. It is education pertaining to the Constitution, interpretation of the Constitution, and education, information pertaining to subversive movements in this country which are working against or for the destruction of the Constitution of the United States. Senator LA FOLLETTE. Just what is the Constitution of the United States, Mr. Hanson? Mr. HANSON. It is the basic law of the land. Mr. HANSON. Yes, sir. Senator THOMAS. How many articles has it? Mr. HANSON. How many articles? Senator THOMAS. How many articles? Mr. HANSON. Or amendments? Senator THOMAS. Well, how many articles and how many amendments? Mr. HANSON. There are 22 amendments. Mr. HANSON. I could not tell you. Senator LA FOLLETTE. Speak louder. Hanson. Mr. HANSON. I cannot tell you, sir. I cannot hear you, Mr. Senator THOMAS. You do not know what the Constitution consists of then? Mr. HANSON. I do not know the number of the articles. I imagine I do know what the Constitution consists of. Senator THOMAS. HOW? Mr. HANSON. I imagine I do. Senator THOMAS. All right, what does the Constitution start out by saying? Mr. HANSON. "We the people" in its preamble. Mr. HANSON. Yes. Senator THOMAS. All right. What comes next? Mr. HANSON. "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union"-pardon me. I could not recite the entire preamble. Senator THOMAS. What is in the preamble? What is the purpose of the preamble of the Constitution? Mr. HANSON. It states the purpose, the reason for the formation of the Constitution. Senator THOMAS. Is there any political philosophy in it? Mr. HANSON. Yes; there is political philosophy, "a government of, by, and for the people." Senator THOMAS. Is that in the preamble? Mr. HANSON. It is not. Senator THOMAS. Where does that come from? Mr. HANSON. From Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Mr. HANSON. It is not, sir. Senator THOMAS. What is in article I of the Constitution? Mr. HANSON. I could not tell you, sir. Senator LA FOLLETTE. Louder. I cannot hear you, Mr. Hanson. Mr. HANSON. I cannot tell you, sir. Senator THOMAS. What is in article II? Mr. HANSON. I do not know. Mr. HANSON. I do not know. Senator THOMAS. Article IV? Senator THOMAS. Five; article V? Mr. HANSON. No. Senator THOMAS. Do you know what is in any single article of the Constitution? Mr. HANSON. You mean specifically, the specific wording? Mr. HANSON. I do not; no. Senator THOMAS. You do not remember? Mr. HANSON. I do not know the specific wording; no, sir. Senator THOMAS. Now, you said there were 22 amendments. What does the first amendment deal with? Mr. HANSON. Well, the first several amendments deal with the Bill of Rights. Senator THOMAS. They deal with the Bill of Rights? Mr. HANSON. Yes. Senator THOMAS. And just what is the Bill of Rights? Mr. HANSON. Defining our rights as citizens. Senator THOMAS. Is that in the Constitution? Mr. HANSON. Yes, sir. Senator THOMAS. The Constitution mentions that the first 10 amendments of the Bill of Rights Mr. HANSON (interposing). No, it does not; no, sir. Senator THOMAS. Where did you get that term? Mr. HANSON. I do not know, sir. Senator THOMAS. Is the tenth amendment part of the Bill of Rights? Mr. HANSON. I do not know. Senator LA FOLLETTE. What is that? I cannot hear you. Mr. HANSON. I do not know. Senator THOMAS. Do you know what the tenth amendment is about? Mr. HANSON. No; I do not. Senator THOMAS. The eleventh? Mr. HANSON. I do not. Senator THOMAS. The twelfth? Mr. HANSON. No, sir. Senator THOMAS. The thirteenth? Mr. HANSON. I think so. Senator THOMAS. The fourteenth? Mr. HANSON. The same, I believe. Mr. HANSON. I do not know. Senator THOMAS. Is prohibition mentioned in the eighteenth amendment? Mr. HANSON. No, sir. Senator THOMAS. Is the eighteenth amendment a long amendment or a short one? Mr. HANSON. A very short amendment. Senator THOMAS. How many sections? Mr. HANSON. One. Senator THOMAS. Just one section? Mr. HANSON. I am not quite sure. Senator THOMAS. Could you swear to that? Mr. HANSON. I could not. Senator THOMAS. Now, if I told you there are three sections in the eighteenth amendment and if I asked you what was in section 1, could you tell me? Mr. HANSON. I could not. Senator THOMAS. Section 2? Mr. HANSON. No, sir. Senator THOMAS. Section 3? Mr. HANSON. No, sir. Senator THOMAS. How about the nineteenth amendment? Mr. HANSON. The nineteenth amendment is the suffrage amend ment. Senator THOMAS. What kind of suffrage? Mr. HANSON. Women's suffrage. Senator THOMAS. The twentieth? Mr. HANSON. The twentieth amendment is the-pardon me-lame duck amendment. Senator THOMAS. Lame duck amendment? Mr. HANSON. Yes. Senator THOMAS. And what is a lame duck? Mr. HANSON. It is-let me see now-it changes the time for the— it does away with the short session of Congress, I believe. Senator THOMAS. Well, was the short session of Congress the lame duck of the Constitution? Mr. HANSON. No; it was the session immediately prior to the new Senate, or the new Senators taking office. Senator THOMAS. The new Senators taking office. Have we ever had anything except one Senate since the beginning of our history? Mr. HANSON. One Senate? Senator THOMAS. Yes. Mr. HANSON. No; we have not. Senator THOMAS. How then could the new Senate take office? Senator THOMAS. New Senators? Mr. HANSON. Yes. Senator THOMAS. How many Senators take office and when? Mr. HANSON. There are two Senators for each State in the Union. There are 96 Senators. Senator THOMAS. Does every State have two Senators regardless of its size? Mr. HANSON. Yes, sir. Senator THOMAS. Is that democracy? Mr. HANSON. I am not going to say it. Senator THOMAS. Well, what does "lame duck" mean? Mr. HANSON. Well, I am sorry, I cannot define it for you, sir. Senator THOMAS. Did it refer to a person or did it refer to a thing? Mr. HANSON. It refers to persons, I should say, to persons. Senator THOMAS. You think that when you cannot define what "lame duck" is that it is something worthy of a constitutional amendment to abolish, do you? Mr. HANSON. I think, so; yes, sir. Senator THOMAS. What is in the twenty-first amendment? Senator THOMAS. You said there are 22. Mr. HANSON. No; there are 21. Senator THOMAS. There are 21? Mr. HANSON. Yes. Senator THOMAS. Now, how many articles are there? Mr. HANSON. I do not know. Senator THOMAS. How many do you think? Mr. HANSON. I do not know. Senator THOMAS. How many are there? Are there as many articles as amendments, do you think? Mr. HANSON. There are more. Senator THOMAS. There are more articles than amendments? Mr. HANSON. Yes, sir. Senator THOMAS. How many more, about? Mr. HANSON. I could not tell you, sir. Senator THOMAS. You mentioned that you sometimes make speeches. Do you teach the Constitution? Mr. HANSON. I do not, sir. Senator THOMAS. What do you make speeches about? Mr. HANSON. About communistic activities. Senator THOMAS. Just what is a communistic activity? Mr. HANSON. It is an activity-communism is a philosophy of government based on that teaches collective ownership and democratic management of all the means of production, distribution, and exchange. Senator THOMAS. Is our public-school system a communistic organization? Mr. HANSON. I do not think that is a fair questio Senator THOMAS. You do not think that is a fair question? Mr. HANSON. It is in a measure. It is a Government-it is a socialized institution; it is a Government-owned institution. Senator THOMAS. Are the children that go to the public school socialized? Mr. HANSON. They are not. Senator THOMAS. Are they part of the public-school system? Senator THOMAS. Yes. Mr. HANSON. They are not, sir. Senator THOMAS. Are the teachers? Mr. HANSON. They are employees of the system. Senator THOMAS. Where is there a communistic government in the world so we may know just what you are against? Mr. HANSON. The Russian Government is supposed to be a communistic government. Senator THOMAS. Who is the head of the Russian Government? Mr. HANSON. Stalin, Josef Stalin. Senator THOMAS. What does Stalin say as to the kind of government he has over there? Does he describe it as communistic? Mr. HANSON. He says it is a democratic form of government, it is a republic. Senator THOMAS. That is what he says? Mr. HANSON. That is what he says. Senator THOMAS. That it is not communistic? Mr. HANSON. He says it is, he says it is a Communist, workers' government. Senator THOMAS. He says that, does he? Does that make it one? Mr. HANSON. Not necessarily; no. Senator THOMAS. Where else is there a communistic government? Mr. HANSON. There is not any other communistic government. Senator THOMAS. Well, where has there ever been communism or a communistic organization? Mr. HANSON. You mean government? Senator THOMAS. Yes; government, or group, or anything. This thing which you talk against and which you fear, where can you give me an example of it? Mr. HANSON. Well, there have been a number of experiments in localized Socialists' or Communists' government. Senator THOMAS. Name one. Mr. HANSON. The Brooks Farm experiment. Senator THOMAS. Tell me about the Brooks Farm. Mr. HANSON. The United Community. Senator THOMAS. Who started that? Mr. HANSON. I cannot tell you. I cannot tell you the whole story. Senator THOMAS. Did you ever read of a man by the name of Mr. Owen ? Mr. HANSON. Yes, sir. Senator THOMAS. Who is he? Mr. HANSON. I cannot tell you. Senator THOMAS. Is there anything in the Brooks Farm experiment that is antagonistic to American Government principles? Mr. HANSON. No. |