The Arkansas banner., 1845-08-06


 ol the desert excuses for licentiousness ?- would the doctrines of freedom lead them to live m unorganized society, destitute of laws and fixed institutions:
 At time when European society was be- coming broken in pieces, scattered, disunted and resolved into its elements, a scene en- sued Tn Tennessee, than which nothing more beautifully grand is recorded in the annals of the race.
 These adventures in the wilderness longed to come together in organized society. The evershadowng genius of their time inspired tbem with good designs, and filled them with the counsels of wisdom Dwellers in the forest, ireest of 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, hv the In- Clan paths, by the blazed forest avenues, to meet ih convention among the mountains at Knoxville, and frame for themselves a con stitntion. Andrew Jackson was there. the greatest man of them all--mot!est, bold. de- termined, demanding nothing for himself, and shrinking from nothing that his heart approved.
 The convention came together on the ele- venth day of January, 1796, and finished It's work on the sixth day of Eebruarv.- How had the wisdom of the Old World vanly asked itself to frame constitutions, that could, at least, be the subject of expe- riment; the en of Tennessee. in less than twenty-five days, perfected fabric, which, Tn its essential forms, was to last foreyer.- They came together, full of faith and rever- ence, of love to humanity, of confidence in truth. In the simplicity of wisdom, they framed their constitution, acting under high CT influences than they were conscious of
 They wrought in sad sincerity,
 Themselves from God they could not free:
 They buded better than they knew;
 The conscious stones to beauty grew.
 In the instrument which they framed, they embodied their faith ill God, and in the im- mortal nature of man. They gave the right of suffrage to every freeman, they vindca- ted the sanctity of reason, by giving freedom of speech and of the press they reverenced the voice of God, as it speaks in the soul of man, by asserting the indefeasihle right of man to worship the Infinite according to his cons' fence; they established the freedom and equality of elections; and they deman- ded from every future leeislatora solemn oath 'snever to consent to any act or thing what ever that shall have even tendency tc les sen the rights Of the peoples
 These majestic lawgivers, wiser than the Solons. and Lvcurguses. and Numas of the Old World-tbese prophetic founders of q State, Who embodied in their constitution the sublimest truths of humanity, acted without reference to human praises.
 They kept no special record of their do- ings; they took no pains to vaunt their deeds; and when their work was done. knew not tha, they had finished one of the sublimesl acts ever performed among men. They Jeff no record, as to whose agency was conspic- uous, whose eloquence swaved, whose gen. erous will predominated: nor should we know, but for tradition, confirmed by whal followed among themselves.
 The men of Tennessee were now a peo- pie, and they were to send forth man to stand for them in the Congress of the United Slates-tbat avenue to glory--that home of eloquence-the citadel of popular power and, with one consent. they united in selec- ting the foremost man among their law-gv ers-ANDREw JACKSON.
 The love of the people of Tennessee fol- lowed him to the American Congress; and he had served but a single term, when the Stale of Tennessee made him one of it's rep reseniatlves in the American Senate, where lie sat under the auspices of Jefferson.
 Thus when he was scarcely more than thirty, he had guided the settlement of the wilderness; swayed the deliberation of a people in establishing it's fundamental laws :; acted as the representative of that people, and again as the representative of his organ- ized State, disciplined to knowledge of the power of the people and the power of the States, the associate of republican states men, the friend and companion of Jeller- son.
 The men who framed the constitution of the United Safes, many of them, did not know the innate life aud ell-preserving en- ergy of their work. They feared that free dom could not endure, and they planned q strong government for its protection.
 During his short career in Congress, Jack son showed his quiet. deeply-seaed, innate, intuitive faith in human freedom, and in the institutions of freedom He was ever, by his votes and opinions, found among those who had confidence in humanity and m the great division of minds, this child of the woodlands, this representative of forest llle in the west, was found modestly and firmly on the side of freedom. It did not occur to him to doubt the right of man to the free de- velopment of his powers; Il did not occur to him to place guardianship over the peo- pie; it did not occur to him to seek to give durability to popular institutions, by giving to government a strength independent ol popular will.
 From the first he was attached to the iun- damental doctrines of popular power, and oi the policy that Elvors it; and t!ough hIs reverence for Washington surpassed hs rev erence for any human being, he voted against the address from the House ei Representa- tves to Washington oa his retirement, be- cause it's language appeared to sanction the financial policy which he believed hostile to republican freedom.
 During his period of service Ill the Senate, Jackson was elected major general by the brigadiers and field officers ol the militia oi Tennesses. iiesigning his place in the oen- ate. he was made judge of the supreme court