Impairing the Obligation of a Contract.

Every citizen has a right to assume that when he makes a contract with another citizen, with a municipality, or with a state, the contract, if not unlawful, shall continue in force according to its terms, undisturbed by any power whatever except the parties to the contract. The sacredness of a contract has been recognized by the national Constitution, which provides that no state shall pass any law "impairing the obligation of contracts." The courts have had frequent occasion to enforce this prohibition.

Quartering Troops.

The 3d Amendment provides that "no soldier shall in time of peace be quartered in any house without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law."

Religious Freedom.

This is guaranteed by the 1st Amendment, which provides that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The Constitutions of the states contain similar provisions intended to secure to the citizen entire freedom of conscience, and to guarantee to him the free exercise of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference; but this freedom does not justify acts of licentiousness or practices inconsistent with the peace and safety of the State.

Rights of Accused.

The personal liberty of the citizen is further guarded by the 6th Amendment, which provides that “in all criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury of the state

and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law; and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor; and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense." The same rights are guaranteed by state Constitutions and Bills of Rights.

Trial by Jury.

This right is secured to the citizen by the original national Constitution and by the 7th Amendment, and also by the Constitutions and laws of the states.

Twice in Jeopardy.

This is a most important element of personal liberty, and is expressed in the provision in the 5th Amendment that no person shall be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb. States seek to guard the liberty of the individual by the same prohibition. The rule is based on the principle that if a person has been tried for an alleged offense, and acquitted, he should not be subjected to another accusation for the same offense; also, if he has been convicted he should not be tried again unless a new trial is granted according to law.

Witness against Himself.

No citizen can be compelled to convict himself of an offense; the burden of proving him guilty must always rest on the government which makes the accusation. This principle is declared in the 5th Amendment, and also in the state Constitutions and Bills of Rights, in the provision that no person "shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself."

DUTIES OF CITIZENS.

The relations of the citizen to the state and nation are not all on one side. The Constitutions and laws guarantee to the citizen numerous rights, privileges, and immunities which are necessary for his protection and to insure his personal liberty. He has privileges as a member of the nation, other privileges as a member of the state, and still other privileges as a member of the community where he lives. These are all secured to him, either by the national or the state Constitutions, or by local laws. He also enjoys numerous defined immunities which protect him from the exercise of unrestrained authority by those who may from time to time be chosen to represent the people in official positions. These immunities have been of slow growth, and have come to their present condition after many centuries of struggle against arbitrary power. These privileges and immunities, taken together, afford every citizen ample opportunity for the exercise of his individual aspirations, and are a tangible expression of his right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," as proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence.

The citizen who enjoys all these privileges and immunities also owes corresponding duties to the nation, the state, the county, the town, the city, the village, or the school district of which he is a resident and where he exercises the ordinary functions of a citizen. His duties differ in degree according to circumstances, but in general they may be embraced under the following heads:

Voting.

The citizen who has the right to vote is a member of the governing body of the state and nation, differing in

this respect from those citizens who cannot vote, but who enjoy the same privileges and immunities. Voters constitute a separate body in the community, and at different periods have been divided into several classes. The classes now most generally recognized are: First, those voters who possess the general right to vote in the election of all officers and upon any questions which may be submitted to the people; second, those who, possessing the general right to vote, cannot vote on particular questions, especially those involving taxation, unless they are also taxpayers; and in this class of taxpaying voters are also placed, in some states, women, who may not be qualified to vote for officers, but who may as taxpayers vote on questions involving taxation. This limited right to vote on tax questions is based on the idea that those who may be required to pay the taxes ought to be permitted to decide questions which may result in taxation, and it therefore often happens that the number of actual voters on a tax question is quite small as compared with the whole number of citizens who may vote for officers.

The privilege of voting is a trust conferred on a limited number of citizens, varying in different states and in different communities according to specified qualifications; but whatever the qualifications, the citizens who possess this privilege are especially charged with the duty of carrying on the government by the election of officers and the establishment of policies deemed most conducive to the general welfare. About one fourth of the citizens possess the general right of suffrage; therefore those composing this one fourth must not only provide a government for themselves, but they are also responsible for the government which may be provided for the other three fourths who cannot vote, and are bound to furnish for them such laws and methods of administration as may be best calculated to promote their interests and conduce to the well-being of society.

The trust conferred upon a voter is similar to that conferred upon an officer, differing in the number who may be responsible for its execution, and sometimes in the manner of executing it. Thus, in some municipalities some expenditures involving taxation may be authorized by the local governing body, such as the common council, board of aldermen, board of trustees, or by other officers; while on other questions expenditures can only be authorized by the taxpaying voters. The character of the trust is practically the same in both cases; for whether the power is vested in the governing board or in the body of taxpayers, each in its way becomes responsible for the proper administration of the matter submitted to it. It is the duty of every citizen to try to execute the trust with which he may be charged; manifestly, therefore, it is the duty of every citizen to vote, and in this manner assist in the election of proper officers to represent him in the administration of public affairs, or aid in determining questions of taxation, or other questions of administration which are sometimes submitted to the whole body of voters.

Several attempts have been made to exclude from the right of suffrage persons who habitually, or for a specified time, refuse to vote. It is urged that they ought not to possess the privilege of voting if they are unwilling to use it. This movement shows how some persons regard the continued neglect to exercise the right to vote. It is claimed that no person who has the right to vote should be indifferent to his duty and his opportunity. The duty of voting is one of the imperative duties resting upon every citizen who appreciates the position he occupies under a republican form of government.

Military Service.

Every able-bodied man is a possible soldier. This na