The Arkansas advocate., 1830-11-03

4 government may in general exe-
 ccute Us constitutional purposes, and fo- tthe good ot aA l, may also do acts,
 within Its constitutional competency, and
 on constitutional Preteats, but for un-
 constitutional purposes. or this sort is
 the system oi roads aud canals, where the sray posre,, and the regulation of ccns-
 nae'ce, and the estodlishmento ot post roads are the prctexts, but the true motive is oonsoiidatiosl, and the aggrandizcment
 of the Federal Government, in aid of
 which project numbers arc engage d by
 bribes addressed to individual interests. The Government may also do acts
 within its constitutional competency, ard
 prmailly for constitutional usaposex.
 etit to tic great wrong and oppression
 oi aminority. or this sort IS the Ia
 riff. Constitutions are made for the
 protection of minorities. They are framed on the principle that there are some things thata mere majority ought tot to nave power 10 do, and t,Eer things that no majority should have pow- CT to do. Such are bills of ats;ail,.er. expost facto laws, Ac. A sil gle indi, yidual--a n1aaorily of one---is protected from bill of attainder against ali the rest. This Is as it should be. zss there arc cases III which 1t must De V Iti1- in the eonstitataoaal eompctcaty of tic Government to oppressalninority. They must have such power, because they cannot get along without it. But they ought 10 examine it in sound discrc~ ton, and with . due regard to the rights of minorities.
 Representative deiiberatiye bodies are apt to be regardless of the rights of iniaorities. The larger tile body, the more regardless are they of these rights. The smaller the majority, the more wik
 al th.; ii q tf ati,s is,iliii-
 far to all acquainted with the proceed iAgs of such bodies. The representa-
 tive of each portion considers himself
 as procurator for his immediate con-
 stituents, and bound to advance their local or individnal iIfcres1 riaLt -t.s.s
 wrong. The best defence fer tie rights
 of minorities is faupd IT the veto of the president, who, representing the whole.
 may feel alike for the whole.
 Hence 1t has been always urged that
 consolidation would be the first step to
 monarchy. Consolidation would place ali the rights Of occasional l1lil.ositics at the mercy of occasional maiorities---
 This would be despotisin of the worst sort, because executed by many. Hence
 all who WishedE;any security for poF-
 tion of their rights wonId desire b strengthen the only haisd form Nhich they could expect protection. Fence,
 too, they would come to wish the cxec-= utive power to rest0I herediiarx tsiIes
 or some other title thar that of tie Will 1of tyrannical majority. Such were, ] of old, the arguments of the fathers of the republican school, when resisting
 lconsressionai usuTpaticns under the el-
 der Adams.
 Here then is inc reason for tl}e veto
 of the President, and in this spirit has
 he exercised it, to prevent log.roilisp
 combinations of various Interests sf6sss= eff
 carrying into effecta systemof oYpics-.
 sion, and plunder. If the 1Jniot k |l,ru-
 served it must be by the ma.llv Esui lfdl-z
 cious exercise of this power, to , is mt portions of the Union where I. ssrf.al 1 improvements may bc yaiilaii t., F7slsa
 combining towrong those other pe ssls I where there is no room for ftxrs sd
 where manufactures are estsa i::sH iI::Ht ss 2 from plundering those where thp eah
 never flourish. ss 1 But at all events he exercised 1t Qnt4 1y, if lie thought if if right tt, exercise < :=-
 Had he done otherwise he must have l been foresxnrIl. zs s..gzz l 4 Friend to state R5,gdss. ] The Edinburgh Review, No. 6'iI. contains review of Hs r. jetfffssss 5 Z Memoirs and Corresponds e lsa character of Jeiierson's $ undersias .xa isss,
 is thus given.
 "Jefferson's understanding aifl chas-
 acter were of a plain, bold and pfacti~ cal cast, full ofactivity and streng
 but neither in his politics, science, er
 literature, do we see any sign oi genus
 or depth. His speculations are chiefly
 interesting from our curiosity 10 icarn
 the opinions of so celebrated person. There is scarce tincture visible fsola.
 first to last, among all his multifarious
 disquistions, of real philosophical saga