The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1824-08-24


~ independence, The wreck. nf the Ielhb-
J hcanesrerH ents ri former ases, breame
heagons .f alarm io them, nd an excessive
j,aions, Of state tights immediately char
aciprlzed the must f.r,eni admirers "f FRI.
government 4 very luo.e AID di-joated
; confederation, IN which tie small states
! voted equally with the larse,ta cOnfedrfa-
5 lion totally Incompetent io the ends of
: self-preseryaton and self Improvement
was consequently the form of government
under which we lived, until lis many i'm.
r rerfrctinns led 10 The adoption of our pre-
/ sent Federal & onstituiion.-Greatw were the
apprehensious, which many of the more
ardent friends of liberty entertained, that
thr, new Constitution would lead to a con.
sUldai.d go, cfnmeni, aud II MAS then said
of It, thai il sa,ourtd strongly of aria.
tocracy, and had an aNlnl squirting nj
monarchy" Accordingly whrn it went
into operatl"e, these politicians eXcrtci
all their ability tn check and limit lis pow
crs, according To the letter OF the iuslrn-
mint, and hence arose the republican
party Another set OF politicians, who ap
pretended more danger of the dissolution
than of the consolidation ofthr Union, and
who had rxertfd thr,nsel,.s IN the Con
ycntiou 10 increase the granta "f power 10
the general government, nere.in favour of
| a more liberal construction Of the new
Constitution, aud hence originated the
federal patty. These parties must III the
! nature oftlIng9, have disldrdti:r American
pubic for some gears, even II no adyeh !
! illons circumstances had occurred To keep
| them alls,. But The unparalleled rcfoln- +
/ ton IN France soon served 30 create new
CAUSES Of dIscurd, and 10 divide the par
lies ~ In lr uplniens OF the eItfrHdL policy, !
/ rs veil IS internal administration uf our
government. Thu Republicans concci,iug I
justly, that there Mas an lnylnelble hoslli I
| IS between the prlnci les OF oor govern
| neut aud those of The I'D absolute mon
arches 81 Europe, thought II onr duty In
side with the new governments IN prefer
cuce To the old. The Frdcral-ts. on tne
! contrary, were particularly shnuhcd by [
The horrors of the French revolution, aud .
experimenting niore danger 10 our insiliu-
ions from the anatchy at Tia. new ystcln,
that from the deslotlsni of He old, hrcatne
the friends OF The anti revolutionary cause.
The overthrow of Nap"lrau, aud the
triumph oi the dicn,iiui alliance which
NOW tyiannIzrs over Europe, soon pat an
enc 10 Their scheme oil oar iorcIZn policy.
On the other hand, tie successful aud hap
ply operation of our rev constitution IN
practice, combined with the oppusiDlnn Of
Massachusetts Ia the war, by convincing
the republican party, that the centrifugal
tendency Of the members of mr. Coufcd
cracy was greater than tie centripetal -;
aud thai i was the interest of al the states.
that the will of the majority should he u
bryed, has diminished the intense jealousy.
which the republicans at first fclt of the
powels of the gcnclal goytlnncut and
led them 10 embrace such opinions, As *
pcricnee proved to be wise aud salutarg.
Slucc the extinction of the cars,i WINCH
produced and kept alive those parlles, the
parties themselves have been graInail,
d ing away, and the American pcup.c win
the exception OF Il tew lactlaas iad;, iduaa,5
ave heconr what Air. J dirsan said li,a
should be, " all fcdcraeis oad all lvpus,.,-
rdns.p
Such, however, are the dvcrsi,,ts of
human opinion on the multiplied relations
of civilized society under Il complicated
government, thai II IS perhaps imp"sslhl,
for pleasing uniformity TO pfe"ah for any
length Of time. There viii be some who /
approve, aud some who condemn every
scheme oi poliry. Hence has arisen what
nov exists H. this ..onntry. an, What is ,
plbhabiS utSNhcu III tNlHl ia IbliH as ON /
government endures, an administration
party, and an opposition purity tile In, |
aud Outs, who Will occasionally supnlanl
each other, rs the party administering the
government hopprns To be Wise aud viz
lurus, on weak and couu pt.
Under Mir. Madison administr; ton, the
Fcderaiisls lost their real ground of oppo.
-i,lon 10 the government, aud under hi,
! ,D In last Ixit
echoes oi federalism have ceased to re
| vertebrate, the marmtrs of IN anti admin |
l'Iratlon party have become audible. M
atlcnlI, e and Ct did observer of political
events can den, ll,, fact, although the
compl lmart, have not, until very rceentl,,
/ acknowledged uem clsesa party. Not
twelve months since, the existence OF an
] opposition nr radical party, naginS "war
IN Disguise" on the administration WAS
| POStlr{y denied by their own prints, but
durlug the last session of Congress, the
skeleton assumed at Washington It's flesh,
form, and complexion.
Political parties are either real or PER
SoaL Real when entertaining dun, rent prn
cples nn the form of government, or DIFF !
/ lerent Opinions of the best mode of al
miulsicrinS II aud personal, when ars
lnS from d"totlnl Ia particular individual
/ or family, or combination of men. The
prescott opposition party is composed in
part Of TIE one, aad in pat of the other
SO far as II rs formed OF that fragment of
the republican party, and called radical,
aud composed of persons unfrcudly to our
present nasaland military establishments
to the erection of fuItiications on our
coasts and tronllcrs--and 10 the niaintr-
nance ot mutarS school, sc. it is ii real
party. So taras il is composed o. the per
sonal friends of Mr.. Crawford, it is per-
sonal Ia IT, character, since IL Is only for
specific purpose that these have iden
tl6rd theinscl,rs with the former. When