The North-Carolina standard., 1838-09-05

the American people in the aggregate, to pro.
mote the interest of the majority, instead OF
the several States composing it.
When the Government was put III opera
ton under the new Constitution, each party
adopted rules of construction calculated to
secure their peculiar objects, and advance i
their cherished principles III its practical opera
ton.
Unfortunately, the execution of certain vital /
parts of the system was lntrllsted to men who
had no faith in its stability, without essential
changes, removing it further from the in
luence of the people and the States; and
they Immediately, set themselves to work to
accomplish, by a broad construction, that
which was, in their opinion, essential to the
continued existence of the Government, but
was unattainable through direct appeal to
the States and people for amendments to the
Constitution. Out of this design grew the
funding system of the first Secretary of the
Treasury and other measures intended to
create an improper action of the Govern
ment.
The other party maintaining their faith IN
the Constitution as it is, insisted that the Con-
stitution should be construed strictly, accord
ing to its honest meaning as adopted by the
States and that changes in the SYSTEM when
found necessary, should be sought through
applications for amendments, rather than
through new, vague & latitudinous construc-'
tons which, in effect, would accumulate un-
| limited powers in Government VIGOROUSLY
limited by those who had created 1t. The
rapid and resolute encroachments OF a few
years greatly alarmed and reused to energetic
action the friends of limited, pure Govern
ment, controlled by the public will. They Or
ganized themselves for constitutional resls-
| & nf
actual and threatened usurpations, and threw
out, from the ablest pens of that day, lumln-
Gus expositions of the real origin, true cha
racter, and ultimate objects of our Constitu-
ton After fearful struggle, success crown
ed their efforts the Government was wrest-
ed from the hands of those whose principles
were -rnonarchical and aristocratical; the let
ter of the Constitution, and the honest mean
inc of those who adopted it, became the prac-
teal rule reconstruction and public opinion
expressed bv the unbiased representatives OF
the people and the States, through the different
branches of the Government, was recognised
as the only Legitimate governing power,
We adhere to the constitutional doctrines OF
the Republican party of 1889; we adopt the
rule of strict construction they maintained, as
the only true and safe one, applicable to our
Constitution we reject the assumption that
; and virtue to choose competent managers OF
public affairs, and direct them when neces-
sary.
Those are the principles upon which we
would have our Government administered,
and reference to our views upon the great
and agitating topics of the day will, we trust,
show that we are disposed to carry these
principles into practice by our public acts:
The leading question which now divides
$ the two parties of the country is, the re-esta-
blishment ola Bank of the United States
+ The first bank was measure of that party
which deemed it necessary to devise other
means than public opinion and the suttrages
of the people to secure a stable Government.
5 1t was condemned by the people, and was re-
: quired to wind up, after living out its char
tered existence. Far different were the con-
siderations which led to the establishment OF
r a second bank. 1t was thought to be neces-
sarv, perhaps from conclusions too hastily
: drawn, as an instrument to compel the State
/. banks to resume specie payments; and as q
a fiscal agent, to keep and transfer the funds o
/ the United States This bank was also con
/ demned by the people, & its charter suffered
k to expire without renewal. The question IS
O. shall we have a third bank, after two have
f been established by the public authorities, ano
r condemned by the people2 There are many
e of us who have always believed Bank O
the u. States to be unconstitutional. They
5. look upon the power to create corporations
q except in and for the District of Columbia, a!
e substantive power reserved wholly to thu
n States They find that the convention which
e formed the Constitution, refused to inser
: clauses deIegating to Congress the genera
n power to create corporations. In the discus
J. sions of the friends and foes of the Constitu
,e ton, through the press of the country, and il
e the State conventions prior to its adoption
G, they do not find it alleged on either side, tha
it conferred such power on Congress-
10 They think that the absence of any grant Q
s, power in the Constitution ought, ITSELF to b
IS conclusive; but when, in addition to this,
has been proved by the developments OF lat
ut years that the proposition was actually vote
s, down in convention, and that both partie
h were thenceforward silent on the subject;
as seems to them impossible to doubt that tn
r. power was not granted, but was purposeI
IL withheld. >.r
ne Thew believe that Congress has no cor