So you see how necessary law is to the simple transactions of life, and how we are constantly relying upon the law in our daily transactions, to protect us against wrongdoers.
Then again, how do you know how much the silver dollar which you are saving for Christmas is really worth? How do you know that one dollar is as valuable as another dollar? How do you know that the paper dollar which is in circulation is as valuable as the silver dollar? Well, here again when you read the Constitution of the United States, you will find that the people, when they adopted the Constitution, gave to the Congress of the United States the power:
“To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin”.[31]
Congress, with this power, has enacted numerous laws with reference to the coinage of silver and gold money, the printing of paper money, and fixing the value of such money. How helpless the people would be without such laws.
Then how do you know that the dollar you received in change at the grocery store is a real dollar? There are many [pg 050] counterfeit dollars made by wrongdoers, by criminals who seek to profit by manufacturing money themselves, sometimes so much like the genuine, that it is almost impossible to detect the difference. There are counterfeit bills, and counterfeit coin, which I dare say could not be distinguished from the genuine by any person in this room. But there are laws enacted by Congress providing very severe punishment for any person who makes, passes, or attempts to pass, any counterfeit coin. For instance, if one shall make, or pass, or attempt to pass counterfeit gold or silver coin, he may be punished by five years imprisonment in the penitentiary.[32] Even for making, or passing, or attempting to pass a one cent, two cent, three cent, or five cent piece, a person may be imprisoned for five years. Any one who makes a die or mold designed for the coining, or making of counterfeit coins may be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary for ten years.
These are severe penalties. Liberty is dear, and yet you can see how absolutely necessary it is to have these severe penalties in order to protect you, your father and mother, and all other persons from being defrauded and wronged by the use of counterfeit money which is worthless, but which most people cannot distinguish from the genuine.
I suppose you watched for the letter carrier this morning. Perhaps you were expecting a letter from a friend or relative. The letter carrier came to your door. You did not have to walk to the post office. Perhaps your friend lives one thousand miles away. How is it possible for you to receive a letter in perhaps a couple of days from that far distant point? Did you ever stop to think about it? Of course you say, “Well it came through the post office”. Yes, but the postoffice is only a part of the great postal system of this country, which carries your letters from one end of the land to another for the small amount of two cents; and we have wonderful confidence in this postal service. We [pg 051] carelessly drop into the mail box most important letters, often most sacred, but we have no doubt that the letter will reach its destination safely.[33]
How is it all possible? Well, again, in reading the Constitution you will find that the people gave to Congress the power:
“To establish Post Offices and Post roads.”[34]
This power has been exercised by the enactment of many laws by Congress providing for post offices, letter carriers, postal clerks, railway mail service, rural routes, and many laws severely punishing any one in the postal service who willfully fails to perform his duties.