Democratic standard. [volume] (Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio) 1837-1850, 1844-01-30

to feel an official, family, or pecuniar
: interest, in the stability of the State an
0 its institutions. F.....
}, AT the head of this class, as their grea
r and inlellectual leader, stood ALExAN
= DER HAMILTON, a man Of powerful mind
g high moral courage, and indefatigable en-
/. ergy His darling and lODg cherished
! object, the establishment Of a strohG
concentrated "NatioAal Government dt
! Jure, overwhelming and merging all the
State goVernments, and all the people Ol
/ the States, he pursued with steady en-
eTgy and unintermitted perseverance, thai
, would have honored a better cause. ...
With view TO the accomplishment OF
these purposes, he proposed and
advocated with zeal and energy in the
convention, plan Of National Govern.
ment, constituting President Senate,
and Judic iary, during good behavior, that
is-lor life. The President and Senate
to be chosen By electors elected BY the
people in election districts, and the Gov,
ernors Of the several States, to be -ap
pointed by the National Government
This was a plan of simple elective
monarchy
On the other side, we're those who
maintained, as they had confidence in
mans capacity for self government who
did not regard the mass Of the people as
a mob, sunk in ignorance, and swayed
by passion; fit only to be the tools Of
ambitious demsgogues, the fOotstoOl of
despOiic power, or the play things Of
King-who regarded all men as endowed
by their Creator with equal and naIa-
bic rights-which they were capable of
appreciating, and which theJ had wis.
dom and virtue 10 secure 10 themselves,
and transmit to their posterity unlmpair-
ed who regarded all government as de.
irving its authority from the consent Of
the governed, and who believed that GOV
aernment was instituted for man, and not
maa created Tor government, They,
therefore, opposed the concentration OF
overwhelming powers in rheGeneral Gov
emmett; they opposed the merging of
the State Governments in the National,
except so far as was necessary for the
establishment Of an efficient Government;
they opposed the abandonment, by the
States, Of any powers, not indespensibIy
necessary TO the stability and efficiency
Of the National Government, for the &C
cOmplishment of great national purposes.
They sought to retain all powers in the
several States, and the people thereof re
speclively, which it was not absolutely |
necessary to reIinqOish 10 tho General
Government They opposed the con
cenlral0n of power in the bands of the
few, seeking 10 leave il as mnGh as p,s.
sible, where it righlluilv belonged, with |
the many-lhe peoP Of he States; they
opposed any association Of the weIl-bOra
grants Of exclusive privileges for the pur>
pose Ofaltacbing them To the State by |
special nlerest-beleVIng the governs |
ment would he mure safe, more stable |
and more inst, when disconnected from |
any. partial interests and dependent ntsole
Iy upon The Intelligence, virtue and in
rerests Of The mass Of he people. They |
believed that, as the people were tbs on
ly legitimate source Of power in govern
ment.they had right to paramount and
ultimate control and decision in its con.
duct
This latter class prevailed in conven'
ton. as might naturally be expected, as
well from The superior liberality of their
sentiments, and the inherent justice Of
their cause, as from the fact that the
convention was constituted of dOlegltes,
or Representatives of States jealous Of
their Independence and sovereignty, and
that every vote was taken by States, and
not per capita. The constitution, which
wa. The result of their joint labors, was a
GomprOmise Of numerous, variant and
anIagOnistical interests aud principles, ,and
when submitted to the people Of the sew
eral States, aud adopted by them, il be.
came solemn aud binding compact am
Ong equally independent soverelgnd es:
aud, being such compromise and con.
pact, il is evident that its terms wust be
strictly construed, and that any exercise
of pOweIs, by the government created by
il -, not clearly conferred, ,smusl be viO-
lation Of the compromise, and breach
of the compnci. But some Of the States
were unDlling TO leave this construction
10 inference, however correct and inevi.
table; and TO prevent the probability Of
mlsconstructioR and an undue extension
Of power, they insisted upon numerous
restrictive amendments, before they
wruld consent to adopt il, and became
parties to the compact. Among these
amendments, made part Of the cOnsli
tuition, we introduce only two, as sufi-
cient 10 show that the government es.
tubIished under it, was designed to be
one restricted TO its enumerated powers.
! Article 8 Of tie amendments provides,
that, "the enumeration in the cOustiIu-
| lion Of certain rights shall not be cOn-
sIrusd to deny or disParage others re- |