, 1840-07-25
THE MISSOURI DELEGATION TO
THEIR CONSTITUENTS.

country finds itsclf-the extraordinary cir
cumstances which have attended the trans
action of public business, during the present
session of Congress, and the impossibility Of
being at home in time to communicate
with you personally before the August cleo.
ton, render it proper that we should address
you in writing; and, as we have the satisfac-
ton to agree among ourselves in all the gues-
tons of public interest which concern you,
we have conrluded TO address you jointly,
instead Of separately, thereby giving to You
the sanction of our unanimous voice for all
the declarations of opinions or of facts which
we may make, while sparing ourselves the
labor of separate communications.
The Federal and the Democratic parties
1.-THE former aided by the Abolitionists) are
now in the filed arrayed against each otter
in open contest, and violently contending
with each other for the supremacy of their
principles. These principles were well de-
veloped in the contests of the two parties
forty years ago; but the recent publication
Of Mr.. Madison's Debates of the Federal
Convention has presented them in Il new and
authentic form, and has established the fact
OF 4 radical and irreconcileable difference
between the two parties, which ought TO be
known to every citizen, in order that every
one may range himself on the side which he
approves, after fully understanding the prin-
ciples of that side. At present., we are con.
WINGED hat there are tens of thousands, and
hundreds Of thousands of good citizens. whose
political position in the ranks of Federalism
is the effect Of accident, or mistake, or of
want of information, or of the fatal error
of believing that there is no essential DIFF
ference of principle between the two par
ties; and that a preference for men. and
a contest for office, are all that divide them.
This is a fatal error-the extent and CON-
sequ uces of which were well known to our
forefathers (who were contemporary with
the formation Of the Constitution, and which
NAV become known to their descendants, by
looking into the authentic history of the
convention Of 1897, which Mr.. Madison
has given to the world. That history con-
firms what had previously been less perfectly
known, and shows that the Federll and
Democratic parties existed at the formation
Of the Constitution, and then differed funda-
mentally and vitality in their systems of gov
eminent; the former utterly disbelieving, the
latter fully believing, in the capacity Of the
tDGOUtc It fSo IiilShbs hll SoNii "
eating the system of government, which re-
suited from these differen, opinions. en-
eral Hamilton was the great exponent OF the
Federal principle; and to his authority the
followers of the Federal party are bound TO
submit. General Hamilton was a frank.
brave, and honorable man, fully disbelieving
in the capacity of the people for self-gov-
eminent, and boldly acting up 10 his opinions
in all his public life. The history Of the
Convention of 1897 is replete with these
opinions; they were expressed without re-
straint or reserve. and upon many occasions.
MI. Madison's work repeatedly exhibits
them, and innunerable quotations might be
made; but we limit ourselves to a few Sc
~lections from the most formal and considerate
of General Hamilton's declarations - his
speech, Introductory to the presentation oil
his plan of government TO the convention
This speech is found in the 81 volume of Mr..
Madison's work from page 878 to page 892,
and is authenticated by a note, which states
that it was seen by General Hamilton, and
its correctness approved by him, except in
one or two verbal changes, which were
made as he suggested. From that speech
we make the following quotations:
I1c sdtu. III HIS pii'dtc oPiuioh, ho hau
no scruple in declaring, supported as he was
by the opinion of so many of the wise and
good, that the British Government was the
best in the world, and that he doubted much
whether any thing short of it would do IN
America. He hoped gentlemen of different
opinions would bear with him in this, and
begged them to r~ecollect the change of opin.
ion on this subject which had taken place
and was still going on. 1t was once thought
that the power Of the Congress [of the Con-
federat,on] was amply sufficient to secure
the end of their institution. The error was
now seen by every one. The members
most tenacious of Republicanism, he observ-
ed, were as loud as any in declaiming against
the vices of Democracy" =
= "Their House of Lords is a
noble institution. Having nothing to hope
for by a change, and a sufficient interest. by
means of their property, in being faithful to
the national interest, they form a permanent
barrier against every pernicious innovation
whether attempted on the part Of the crown,
or Of the commons. No temporary Senate