Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-03-20

easea ''om Tue 'eta's OF local legislaio.
AMI occupied only with great gener,,
terests, may extend its care and its no,. ~
over wider surface, with compars,iy.'.
little risk ofneglecting the national vsI,
BY the multiplication of states, the s,.;
relations OF the Union do not become ~,
complicated, and their very nunbe, NV.
hereafter dispose them to cherish The ..
neral government as the only umn;,.
their differences. and their only refuge from
the oppression Of states disposed to d,,r,
the general tranquility. Nor is i, n ~
feared, we think. that the increase NJ ~
number Of representatives will rend., AZ
national Legislature too unweiIdy Tr VIZ
House of Representatives now dies ~,
consist of one third Of the British Houss "
Commons. which as yet suffers no jO,or
veniehce from its mere numbers-,,d a.
Senate of the United States, is perhap, fl.
least numerous of all similar bodie, knows
10 the Legislation Of any large state in F.
rope. In calculating, too, the expan.v.
power OF our system, it should, never l..
forgotten that every improvement of the IN
ternal communication, by rendering dis,,D,
objects more accessible, coun,e-,cts Il.
lnsonveniencies Of government eno,.
from its objects. What was once a i'm,
ney Of some days, is now a ride or ,,a
OF a few hours. In fact, for all the pur,o.
ses OF government-for all the objects &c
reciprocal interest, which bind commrD;.
ties together-Boston and New Orleans
and Charleston and PAtsburg, are MANY
hundred miles nearer to each other tb,n
they were at the adoption of tie presen,
government.
These views are infinitely consoling "a
all who are attached to this admir-. bic form
OF government, and who regard the rerre.
sentative system IS the only true basis and
the only sure protection for rational free.
dom.
That we are not yet sensible Of inconve.
nIence IRON our extended territory, NAV
we think, he safely asserted. Thus farm.
deed the progress of the government, Ia,
disprlled the Illusions of those, who hoped
or feared that free institutions were mol,
and could not be adapted To great emrires.
Yet it is pleasing to look hack on the aueu.
ries OF evil which vert announced by ma.
ny statesmen at the commencement of our
political career. Among these, we recol.
lect none whose predictions have heer 50
wonderfully falsifed by events, a, DaIrym.
pie. In bis work written as late as the
year 1888, he strenunusIy opposes the plan
Of having chief magistrate elected in the
United States, as was then proposed. He
kinks that the Union would inevitably be
dissolved by such an arrangement. for yby
says ne, except in cases Of extreme neces.
'ity, such as the invasion of Xerxes, or Of
Lewis the XIV, or the Stamp Act, "Why
should deputies from Georgia, leave their
antilles and sail through great ocean, 10
90 to New-York. in order to lay taxes on
their own state, to carry on the affairs Of
lwe've other states, in which they have no
immediate interest"
These gloomy anticipations have proved
% be totally groundIess. The, deou,ie,
rom Georgia have met those from the Dir.
riot of Maine, and from the Illinois. for The
purposes of ordinary legisIatioa-tbey have
rlt dn immediate interest" in each other,
Welfare, and We trust will long continue
o meet and to Iegislate for each other. On
ne whole, we regard with great anxiety,
'ut still with confidence, the enlargement
IT the empire, and our judgement as we'll
IS our warmest wishes, prompt u, TO be.
ieve that government which has thus lar
'ealIzed the best hopes of the lovers Of
reedom, may gather strength in its progress
al 1t imparts its blessings to the utmos,
'erge ofour frontiers. Frank. Gaz.
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