Lawmakers Celebrate Constitution : But NOW Protests, Congressmen Decry Iran-Contra Actions

The spirit of compromise that made the Constitution a reality 200 years ago was celebrated by Congress today amid shouts of protesters and claims that the Reagan Administration tried to shred the system of checks and balances.

Returning to Independence Hall, where a delegation of 55 Americans wrote the nation’s basic charter in 1787, a congressional delegation of equal size commemorated the “Great Compromise” of July 16, 1787, which settled rivalries between large and small states.

The compromise resulted in the establishment of Congress, with a House of Representatives based on population and a Senate with equal representation from every state.

Equal Rights Request

Shielded by the Constitution’s free-speech protections, protest groups included about 100 supporters of the National Organization for Women pressing for an Equal Rights Amendment and chanting: “Hey, Hey, What do you say! Ratify the ERA!”

Other demonstrations were organized by the Gay and Lesbian Task Force and by groups opposed to Reagan Administration foreign and domestic policies.

Protesters demonstrated despite what they considered efforts by program planners to keep them away from the action. A federal court had ordered authorities not to interfere with peaceful, non-disruptive protests.

“They think this is a pageant and they can write the script,” said Barry Steinhardt, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union for Pennsylvania. “They don’t want anyone deviating from the lines.”

Heavy Security

Rolling into Philadelphia in a special 14-car train protected by heavy security, including Army helicopters, the congressional delegates said they agreed that the luster of the Constitution has not dimmed.

The 55-person House and Senate delegation and many of the 200 other members of Congress who came as observers said they believed the strength of the document is in its flexibility. They said compromise is still the engine that makes the American system work.

But many members said the Constitution has been placed under severe strain by actions of the Reagan Administration, disclosed by the congressional Iran- contra investigation, in implementing a covert foreign policy and lying about it to Congress.

Not King of France

“To hear some of those White House witnesses testify, you’d think they were working for King Louis XIV, who said, ‘I am the state,’ ” said Rep. Claude Pepper (D-Fla.), who at 86 is the oldest member of Congress.

“There’s no fault in the Constitution,” Pepper said during the train ride to Philadelphia. “They have not kept faith with the oath they took to support the Constitution and to make sure that the laws are faithfully executed.”

“It must be clear to all Americans who have followed recent events,” said Senate Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), “that our system of checks and balances can never be taken for granted.

“If our system of government--of checks and balances--is left unattended, we leave it open . . . to habits of power that are inherently undemocratic and unconstitutional.”

House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.) said the Constitution works because “it accommodates our imperfections. It’s flawed in the way that humanity is flawed.”