The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-09-05
From The NJ Y. Morning Post.
THE POWER OF THE FEDERAL GOV
EMINENT

EMINENT
A writer in the Euenng Post, who signs himself
Vsto--a writer, by the way, whose intelligence can
dor and manly Independence, We honor, but VINO y
generally unfortunate In his anxiety 10 DC HahA,
that he does quite much injury good To inc cause
he pleadsgives forth these paragraphs IN regard 70
the Federal Government.
"The patronage and jurisdiction n the oc"iA'
Government is PROFESSIONALLY too great Du, no o.e
ever thought that It's poleer was too great w.'un
pale Of its legitimate functions On tue oony, -,
vice Is weakness; witness the sh'it'sss "'.as ~,
of the Florida war the rickety working oil the pos,
Office; il is The feebles Government IN existence aho
nothing would be wanting 10 reduce u 10 u'ei 'npo,
tence but to place at It's head nui'ying r'es'ue"
These will sound strange doctrines IN the ears
school. We had all along supposed that the dstin-
gushing feature Of the Democratic party was It's rgd
oooosiion TO the General Government on the ground
Of its overshsdowing strength. mo one, says We
to- "eveI thought that its power was too great within
he uaIs of its legitimate functions" Now, We assert,
that every member of the Democratic party, who un-
Jer-tood the principles he pIoessed, from the origin
Of the Constitution down The present tme has be-
eved that it conferred too much power on the federal
head, and has, accordingly fought against every ex
gie-.
son the contrary" again says Veto, ''its vice Is
weakness, and nothing would be wanting to reduce IL
to utter impotence, but to place at its head nuiiy
ing President" That weakness is the vice oil The
General Government, is a sentiment so Tar from the
actual fact in such direct contradiction to the whole
history of the Government and repugnant to the
fundamental principles Of the party to which lhe
writer processes to belong that we are disposed 10
pass it over as slip Of the pen We certainly con
sent to insult our adversary much as to debate the
point in the face Of this startling TRUTH that the Cen
eral Government, from the first moment OF exis-
tence, has been gradually acquiring more and more
power, until il has come to assume the right oil es-
tabiishing national banks, of constructing internal
Improvements, Of imposing protective tariffs, oil CIV
ing away the public lands If controlling local cleo
ti0ns and Of assuming the debts Of the States; Tor
not single of which acts has it authority in the
instrument by which it was made. What weakness
that must be, which convert almost without our
perceiving ii, some twenty live independent State
soveregnties into the mere dependents and satellites
OF the great central head
Tie vice OF nearly all Governments, and the pecu-
iAr vice Of Federal Government, is its tendency
TO Capitalization Our fathers foresaw this, when
they underworld to hedge round and cramp its action
by checks and restraints. In the political organlza
ton Of the States, Also in distributing and dividing
the political power among counties and townships,
they manifested the same sagacty. DE Iocquevlle,
much the most intelligent critic OF our institutions
that foreign nations have sent hher says the Ame-
rican people indebted to this arrangement,
Tor their general intelligence and ndomltabe spirit Oh
freedom, than to any other cause. 1t is one oil the
highest duties therefore, Of the patriot as we con-
tendency to Capitalization and in all his political ACTS
to keep his eye perpetually the bearing OF mea-
sures upon the enlargement or decrease OF Federal
power. Their ultimate issues, IN this respect, are
often important than their immediate conse-
quences.
The usurpations of the General Government have
already become so huge, and have taken such broad
and deep root in its very structure that 1t is labor
Of Hercules resist them. For many years to come
there need be no fear that the Government will be
" reduced to impotence" Not even nulyyng
President, though he should out heIod Herod could
bring completely back to the simplicity, economy,
and purity of action which the Constitution original !
ly contemplated. 1t will take much time to undo |
what has been done. The poison has entered our |
whole system it cannot be expelled in day the Sc
verest remedies will hardly reach it; and it strikes
us little than silly, to talk of the danger to
be apprehended from the States. The doctrine of |
notification is considered by many very much of |
bugbear yet when we attentively consider it, we |
find that it is no great monster after all. At the
worst it is only extreme remedy for extreme |
abuse while, rightly interpreted it means only an
effective and constitutional resistance to unjust and
oppressive laws. Under good Government, i. e. |
under democratic administration of the Federal |
power, there could arise occasion for its
use and under other Influences when the spirit of
despotism has passed into all the acts of the ruling
power, who will say that they must be tamely sub |
mited to- without resort to those rights reserved to
not only by the laws of nature, but by the written
constitution of the State.