Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1845-07-18

At a time when European society was be-
coming broken In pieces, scattered, and resol-
we'd into It's elements, a scene ensued in Ten |
nessee, than which, nothing more beautifully
grand is recorded in the annals of the race.
These adventures in the wilderness .onged
to come together in organized society. The
overshadowIpg genius of their time inspired
them with good designs, and filled them with
the counsels of wisdom. DweIlers in the for
est Oft the free, bound in the spirit,they came up
by their representatives, on foot, on horseback,
through the forest, along the streams, by the
buffalo traces, by the Indian paths, by the
blaZed forest avenues, to meet In convention
among Inc mountains at Knoxville, and frame
for themselves a constitutions Andrew Jack
son was there, the greatest man OF them all
modest, bold, determined, demanding nothing
for himself, and shrinking from nothing that
his heart approved.
The convention came together on the ele-
venth day of January, 1896, and finished its
work on the sixth day Of February. How
had the wisdom of the Old W orld vainly task
ed itself to frame constitutions that could, at
| least, be subject of experiment; the men Of
Tennessee, In less than twenty-five days, per-
fected fabric, which. in its essential forms,
was to last forever. They came together, full
of faith and reverence of love 10 humanity, of
confidence in truth. In the simplicity of wis
dom, they framed their constitution, acting
under higher influence than they were con-
scious Of
They wrought in sad sincerity,
! Themselves from God they conld not free
They bullded better than they knew;
| The conscious stones to beauty grew.
In the instrument which they framed, they
embodied their faith in God, and in the immor-
tai nature of man. They gave the right of
suffrage to every freeman; they indicated the
sanctity ofreason, by giving freedom ofspeech
and of the press they reverenced the voice of
God, as it speaks i'll the soul Of man. by as
sertlng the indefeasible right of man to wor.
!, ship the Infinite according to his conscience !;
they established the freedom and equality of
elections; and they demanded from every fu-
ture legislator a solemn oath $ never to con-
sent to any act or thing whatever that shall
have even tendency to lessen the rights of
the people,"
These majestic lawgivers, wiser than the
: Solons, and Lycurguses, and Numas of the
Old World-these prophetic founders of q
t State, who embodied in their constitution the
subllmest truths of humanity, acted without
reference to human praises.
a they took no pains to vaunt their deeds; ant
f when their work was done, knew not tina
they ha finished one of the snblimest acts
e ever performed among men. They left no re
g cord, as to whose agency was conspicuous
whose eloquence swayed, whose generous
! will predominated; nor should we know, bu
for tradition, confirmed by what followed d
o mong themselves.
e The men Of Tennessee were now people
+ and they were to send forth man to stanc
r for them in the Congress of the United States
e that avenue to glorY-that home of clio
e quence-that citadel of popular power; and
e with one consent, they united in selecting thu
i, foremost man among their law-giyers-AN
d DREW JACKSON.
The love Of the people Of Tennessee fol
n lowed him to the American Congress and NJ
: had served bnt single term, when the State
: Of Tennessee made him one of it's representa-.
t tlves in the American Senate, where he sd
5 under the auspices Of Jefferson.
), Thus, when he was scarcely more than thr
S ty, he had guided the settlement Of the wilder
e ness, swayed the deliberation Of the people il
establishing its fundamental laws; acted a:
y the representative of his organized State, dis
! ciplned to a knowledge of the power of tn,
d people and the power of the States; the asso
companion of Jefferson.
= The men who framed the constitution o
|, the United States, many of them, did not know
r, the inmate life and sell-persevering energy O
:, their work. They feared that freedom coult
e not endure, and they planned strong govern
II ment for its protection.
: During his short career in Congress, Jack
l. son showed his quiet, deeplyseated, inpate
ntultive faith in human freedom, and in tn
IS institutions of freedom. He was ever, by hi
e votes and opinions, found among those VIII
e had confidence IN humanity; and in the grea
e division of minds, this child of the woodlands
e this representative of forest life in the ives
&c was found modestly and firmly on the side 0
IS freedom. Is did not occur to him to doubt tn
n right of man to the free development of hi
/ powers; 1t did not occur to him to place
% guardianship over the people it did not occu
J. to him to seek to give durability to popua
u institutions,b by giving to government strengt
y independent Of popular will.
h From the first, he was attached to the fun
e, damental doctrines of popular power, and {
IL the policy that favors it; and although his re
N verence for Washington surpassed his reve
lie ence for any human being, he voted again:
er the address from the House of Representative
re to Washington on his retirement, because il
language appeared to sanction the financii
a. policy which he believed hostile to repubI
IL can freedom.
of : During his period of service in the Senat
I'd Jackson was elected major general by the br
ne gaders and field officers of the militia of Tel
to nessee. Resigning his place i'll the Senat
of he was made judge of the supreme court
- law and equity; such was the confidence
his integrity of purpose, his clearness of jud
It's ment, and his vigof of will to deal justly
of mono the turbulent who crowded into the ne
st settlement of Tennessee.
'y Thus, in the short period of nine years, Al
IS drew Jackson was -signaized by as many ev
W dences of public esteem as could fall to t.
1v lot of man The noineer of the wilderness