forces under the broad national defense authority cannot be questioned. Provide money for the armed forces, and regulate their size

Make rules governing the armed forces

Declare war

Aid in organizing and arming state militias (State National Guard units)

Call out the state militias in any national emergency

• Other Authority

Other specific and implied powers delegated to the Congress fall within no one group. Under the heading of Other Authority, Congress has the power to:

Establish requirements and procedures for
the naturalization of aliens
Establish a system of post offices

Establish a system of weights and measures
Pass laws governing the place in which the
seat of the United States government (Dis-
trict of Columbia) is located

• The Similar Authority of Each House

Most powers delegated by the Constitution are vested in both Houses equally. Both can introduce bills to use the delegated powers listed above, except those which relate to the raising of money. However, each House has the authority to consider and vote for or against bills which carry out such powers, including those which are concerned with the raising of money.

• Different Authority of Each House

Money bills cannot be introduced in the Senate. This very important power is given to the House of Representatives alone. Such bills must be proposed and passed first by the House of Representatives.

The Constitution also gives to each House additional powers not given to the other. The power of impeachment is given to the House of Representatives alone. Only the Senate, however, can try the official to determine whether he is guilty as accused. If the impeached official is found guilty by two-thirds of the Senate, he will be re

moved from public office and, perhaps, brought to trial before a regular court in criminal proceedings.

The Senate alone has the power to confirm the President's selection of persons to serve as members of his Cabinet, or to fill other important positions in the government.

Another power not shared with the House of Representatives is the Senate's authority to ratify a treaty between the United States and a foreign nation. Unless a treaty is ratified, it does not become effective.

Authority Denied to Both Houses

When the Constitution was written, the abuses which had caused the colonies to break away from Great Britain and declare their independence were fresh in the memories of its writers. They recalled all too clearly that the British King and Parliament had exercised lawmaking powers without the consent of the colonists. They were fearful that certain legislative powers given Congress might be used in a way that would be unfair and not in the best interests of the nation as whole. To prevent this from happening, the Founding Fathers provided in the Constitution that Congress shall not have the power to:

Tax exports (goods shipped from one state to another or to a foreign country)

Pass trade laws favoring one state over another

Spend tax money unless a law has been passed authorizing it to be spent

The law must show how the money will be spent and, from time to time, Congress must issue a report telling how public money has been spent.

Pass a law to punish a person for an offense that was not a crime when it was committed Pass a law to deprive a person in jail of the right to be taken before a judge for the purpose of determining whether there is sufficient basis under the law to keep him in jail

If the judge decides that there is no basis for holding the person in jail, he must be released.

Pass a law which convicts a person of an offense and sets forth his punishment

In effect, this provision guarantees the right of an accused person to have a hearing in court before a judge and, if he wishes it, a trial by jury.

How a Law Begins

A law begins as a proposal-a proposal to satisfy some public need or to solve a problem of the people through action by the lawmaking branch of the government. A proposal is called a bill when, in proper form, it is submitted by a legislator to Congress for consideration and action.

How a Bill Is Proposed

A bill can be submitted to the Congress only by a Senator or a Representative. However, a proposal of legislative action may come from any one of a number of different sources.

People or organizations may suggest to a Senator or Representative that there is need for a new law, or a Senator or Representative himself may decide that a new law is needed. A standing committee of either House may prepare a bill to solve a problem relating to the work of that committee.

A special committee appointed to study a particular problem may suggest that a bill be passed.

The President may recommend legislation. Committees Study All Bills

Before a Senator or Representative can vote intelligently for or against any bill, it is necessary that he understand its provisions, why the law is needed, and the effect that it will have upon the people it is expected to benefit. This requires a careful study of the bill.

Thousands of bills are introduced in each House every year. Since it is not possible for every Senator and Representative to study all of these bills, much of the work is done by the standing committees and their subcommittees. Each House has its own committees.

Every bill introduced in Congress is assigned for study to a committee of the House in which it was introduced. The name of a committee de

scribes the subject matter of the bills which are referred to it. For example, a bill introduced in the Senate and relating to labor matters would be assigned to the Labor and Public Welfare Committee of the Senate, as would a bill concerning social security.

Each standing committee has a chairman. More often than not, the committee chairman is a Senator or Representative who has served in Congress for many years. Usually he has had a great deal of experience with matters handled by the committee which he heads.

When the committee has finished its study of a bill, the bill is returned to the House from which it came, with a report of committee action. In this way, every member of each House has the benefit of the study made by its committees before he decides how to vote on a bill.

Examine the chart on the following page. It shows the steps that a bill must pass through from the time it is introduced until it is signed by the President and becomes a law.

Many bills never become laws. Some may be pigeon-holed and never acted upon by the committee. However, in the House of Representatives a majority of its members may sign a petition which will force the committee to return the bill to the whole House for debate and vote; in the Senate such a bill can be taken out of the committee when a majority of the Senators vote for such action. Other bills may be defeated by a final vote in either House of Congress. Still others may be defeated by a Presidential veto.

The President may veto a proposed law by refusing to sign it. When he vetoes a bill, the President returns it to the House which introduced it and tells why he opposes it. The bill can then be passed over the President's veto by a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress.

The President has 10 days in which to sign a bill. If he does not sign or veto it within that time, the bill becomes a law without his signature. If Congress adjourns within the 10 days allowed for the President to sign the bill, it does not become a law (unless he signs it within the 10 days). This is called a "pocket veto."

The people of the United States can participate in their government by recognizing the need for new laws and supporting Congress in its efforts to pass the necessary legislation.

Abraham Lincoln was one of the most beloved Presidents of the United States. He was President when the issues of slavery and secession were being decided. During this critical period, which saw the country involved in the Civil War, Lincoln led the fight to keep our nation together and to free the slaves.

Mr. Lincoln, our sixteenth President, was born in a tiny log cabin in Kentucky. His mother died when he was 9 years old. His stepmother encouraged "Abe," who was hungry for learning, to study and learn as much as he could. Although he attended school for a very short time, Lincoln educated himself by reading every book he could find or borrow.

Abraham Lincoln.

When he was a young man, Lincoln found a set of old law books in a barrel. His reading of these books led to the beginning of a law career. His law career led to politics, and politics led to the Presidency.

Abraham Lincoln was one of our greatest Presidents. Many of his words are written in the hearts of all Americans.

He made one of the nation's most famous speeches at the dedication of our national cemetery at the site of the battle of Gettysburg (Pennsylvania). Imagine that you are listening to this tall, thin man as he sadly begins:

"Fourscore and seven years ago our
fathers brought forth on this continent
a new nation, conceived in liberty, and
dedicated to the proposition that all
men are created equal...."

Look with him across the cold cemetery as he ends his speech with these stirring words: