The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1841-03-13

safe exercise Of the functions assigned
TO the General Government by the
Constitution. In oil other respects the
legislation of Congress should be a.
dapted TO their peculiar position and
wants and he conformable with their
deliberate opinions Of their own inter-
! est.
| have spoken Of the necessity of
keeping the respective Departments
| oil the Government, as well as all 9TH
er authorities of our country, within
their appropriate orbits. This is a
matter of difficulty in some cases, as
the powers which they respectively
claim are often not defined by very
distinct lines. Mischievious, howev-
er, in their tendencies as collisions of
ofthis kind may be, those which arise
between the respective communities,
which for certain purposes compose
one nation, are much more so; for no
such nation can long exist withoutthe
careful culture ofthose feelings of con-
fidence and affection which are the ef-
feciive bonds Of union between free
and confederated States. Strong as is
the lie of interest, it has been often
found Intellectual. Men, blinded by
their passions, have BEEN known to
adopt measures for their country in
direct opposition 10 all the suggestions
of policy. The alternative Then, is, to
destroy or keep down bad passion
by creating and fostering good one;
and this seems to be the corner stone
upon which our American political ar
chitects have reared the fabric Of our
Government. The cement which was
TO bind it, & perpe,uateits existence,
was the afectionate attachment be-
tween all its members.
To insure the continuance Of this
feeling, produced at first by commu-
nifty Of dangers, of suferiags and of
interests, the advantages of each were
made accessible 10 all, No partcipa-
ton in any good, possessed by any
"'-"'her Of an extensive confedcracy,
except IN "-.l--t;. oovernr,ent ,y.s
withheld from the clfl2zssS".-" "n,on'' ~ was
err member. BY a process a,tended
with no difficulty. no delay, no ex-
pense but tina, of removal, the citizen
of one might become the citizen of any
other, and successively Of the whole.
The lines, too. separating powers 10 be
exercised by the citizen of one State
fiom those Of another seem to be SO
distinctly drawn, as to leave no room
for misunderstanding. The citizens
of each State unite in their persons all
the privileges which that character
confers, and all that they may claim as
citizens of the United States; but in
no case can the same person at the
same time. act as the citizens of two
separate States, and he IS therefore
positively precluded from any inter
ference, ,oith the reserved poa0crS of
any State but that Of a0hich he is,
for the time being, a citizen. He
may indeed offer TO the citizen Of 9TH
er States, his advice as to their man
agement, and the form in which it is
rendered is left to his own discretion
and sense ofpropriety.
IL may UG cDseIfSCs noWGNGT, tHot
organised associations Of citizens, re-
quiring compliance with their wishes,
too much resemble the recomme0da-
tions of Athens to her alles--support-
ed by an armed aud powerful fleet. Ii
was indeed, to the ambition Of The lead
ing State of Greece to control the do
mestic concerns Of the others, that the
destruction of that celebrated eonfede-
racy, and subsequently of all its mem
bers is mainly to be attributed. And
it is owing to the absence of that spirit
that the Helvetic confederacy has for
so many years been preserved. Never
has there been seen in the institutions
of the separate members of any con-
federacy more elements of discord.
In the principles and forms of govern
ment and religion, as well as ia the
circumstances of the several cantons,
so marked discrepance was observa-
BILE as to promise any thing but harmo-
ny in their intercourse or permanency
in their alliance. And yet, for ages,
neither has been interrupted. Con-
ten, with the positive benefits which
their union prsduced, with the indie
pendence and safety from foreign ag-
| oressian which il secured. these saga