Delaware patriot & American watchman. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1828-1828, 1828-03-28
Communications.
FOR THE DELAWARE pATRIoT.-No. D.

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to first principles" is demonstrated by the ms.
fortunes or the ruin of many nations; It IS true
that this recurrence has sometimes led to the tenn
porary salvation and good of some lew. what IS
called the British constitution, that is the collec-
| ton of laws and customs which have secured the
trial by Jury, the IIabeas Corpus law, and the like
have been the fruit OF years OF contention and
wrought out of the crucbe of war; but the Hue.
tuation of right and wrong, is in no country SO
nconsant and variable. In the United States
there has been an unceasing struggle OF similar
kind The effects have not extended to civil war
indeed, we have had no kings nor successful
usurpers, though we have had men who sought to
establish regal and hereditary power. The fede
raj constitution was through this struggle lett III
a very imperfect state. aud the contention which
arose Oh its adoption diapayed the power Of con-
ceaed purposes in a manner that must now sur
prise even those who were concerned in It, The
force Of passion carried the imperfect constitn
tion-but when the passions cooled It was soon
perceived that the most essential OF alt the piin
ciplcs Ut free government, had no part III the in
st,ument. and that amendments were ndispensa
bly, necessary to render our written constitution
even as good as that which was unwritten in Eng.
land. The amendments are the most sacred parts
Of the federal constitutions IN the ebb of politics
which succeeded the peace, things were running
into the old regal channels and although the eff
forts made to give the constitution hereditary fea.
lures failed, the adverse party proceeded so far as
to give the constitution q negative Character
The friends Of representative government was
perfectly aware of this deficiency, as there were
only the two clauses which prohibited the suspen-
sion of the Iiaheas Corpus and that which prohi6-
tied nobility the receipt Of presents from for
egn governments was all that could be obtained,
in the constitution as published in 1857. The
friends of liberal principles looked to the poles
and under the fifth article. providing for amend.
ments. and calculated to obtain by amendments
what they could not obtain by argument or appeals to
the principles Of the Declaration OF independence.
There was indeed the fourth section of the 9TH
article which claimed plausible, but as it is too
evident, deceptious clause" The United States
guarantee to every State republican form Of
government" Here the vasueness Of the terms
amounted to negative and in the period between
1897 and 1901, the ooseness Of the phrsseology
enabled those ayerse to freedom to play upon and
rldicue the term republic by describing as sSn;-
fying any thing or nothing" And the enemies
of freedom had too much ground for their rdcule,
Tor not only were the arstocratical governments of
Holland, Venice, and Genoa, and others called re-
pub'ics, but in the common parlance of England,
so late as James l. Before the commonwealth the
terms republic and commonwealth were applied TO
British monarchy. reference to the Declaration
Of independence would give the fundamental con-
structon to the word in relation to US, but the adj
versaries Of the rights of man laughed again when
they compared the constitution of Virginia with
the principles Of the Declaration.
The constitution was however, completed by
the amendments proposed in two years afterwards
accomplished in a measure, the triumph of the
principles of the Declaration Of Independence Il
From what has been said in preceding numbers,
under this signature, and what is said now it mus.
be obvious that perpetual watchfulness is essen
tal to the duration and perfection of free govern.
ment. But it is much more evidently necessary.
it we contemplate the fluctuation of human life,
the innovations OF time, custom, prosperity, ad-
versty, war, and the augmentation of population
and civilization, it will be very evident, that indie
pendent OF the influence of selishness, and am
bition, there is constant progression of loss in
the quantity OF knowledge and experience that
calls tor exertion to supply its place; for exam
Pile, where or in whom can be found the ntecc-
tual and political experience-the recttude. i,lel-
ity, and integrity Of such men as Thomas Jehcr-
son and De Witt Clintona The requirements
and the knowledge Of human nature possessed BY
two such men are beyond estimation. Fhey are
lost by the natural course Of nature, and it re-
quires combinations of circumstances not to be
commanded or controlled, to make up the charac.
ter and consequence of such men.
NJ" uo'o ~ appear tiidt WhcH we nave lOst our
brightest iumnaries, these lights which led us to
a knowledge OF what we owe ourselves, and the
practice OF what was good for ourselves the lie
cessty is more absolute and the duty to recur to
first principles.
II we see then the practices Of melancholy
period of our national existence reyircd if the
very constitution founded on the sovereignty or
the people, perverted and thrust aside by combi-
nations and co'ruptions Of persons holding Deepen.
dant trusts, responsible to the people; if what
was attempted on former occasions without sue
cess, has been perpetrated with success more re-
Gently ;-it the sovereignty Of The people has
been thrust aside, and nower created CONTRARY