The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-11-28
FepRRALJsM-oLp AND NEW.

ia with political parties. Whenever system oil
measures, a creed OF principles, or combination OF
men has been fairly transported out OF the Pollcai
councils Of a nation-wheneyer such an organlza-
ton has completely had its day, aud has come al
LAT 10 be odious and rejected of the country It de-
yses for ITSELF first of all, name, and eamors
Justify whenever it Is designated by It's old one
You may know party in this plight by several
i,Ga,Iibe Indications In the first place, 1t IS apt,
nader such circumstances, to be very far from iss
tiJous in the choice of its friends. 1t receives every
newcomer kindly, however shabby his aspect IL IS
ahsil fellow well met" with the abolltionist, the
.n,i-renter the agrarian the native In the next
Daes. such party finds it much easier to pull down
,han to build up. IL goes for "repeai" IL prog
no,ticatss "ruin" 1t takes greatly to the idea OF
change, and it vigorously sets about eensunng what
soeyer of public import may then be IN hand Is
war on the tapiR Ten to one that this party will
call IL unjust, or at least, l-eondueed. Has tTea
~ bean made to avert a war This same party will
tsIl you that il was all piece Of trucking and
ainehing, and tina, il ingloriously sacrificed every
thins but peace. Again, party in such plight
will be sure to deal largely in professions and prom
mirably they would have swayed the sword and
balanced the scales Of goyernmeni-what eViS 'hey
would certainly have avoided, and what vast oene-
fits they would have conferred IT, IN spite OF all
these things you yet insist upon giving sueh par
~ its true name-if you call it "Federast," for
exsmpe-you will be sure to hear that there Is no
such thing as Federalism in existence. Driven to
his last straits the rogue in the case we have sup
posed will tell you, II you address him by his old
name that you must be altogether mstaken-that
he il by no means the man you take him for, be-
cause to his certain knowledge, that man died and
,ca, buried some years ago! So the Baltimore "Amer-
lean and some other journals, have labored (snee
-. be0,n TO give the modern Federasts their true
name, to show that Federalism fairly breahed It's
last in Mr. Monroe's time.
But no such shift can avail. The continued iden-
uy Of the Federal party Is so easily seen as to es-
cape no mans attentive observation. Mr.. Jefferson
and Mr.. Madison both encountered federal oPPo-
,luon. This is the federalism which has become
odous to the country; and this ia the model OF the
federal opposition of to-day.
Federalism them as now, the party Of special
and sectional privilege. Itgave adtudinarlan con-
structon to the constitution; it eolced IN the I'M
Piled powers of government; 1t advocated a strong
rule in derogution Of State rights it planned mag
nihcent schemes Of Internal Improvement, and was
willing to infer power in the general government
to carry out these schemes whenever a sufficient
number of separate localities could be made to CO.
aleace into majority vote of Congress. True to
its purpose Of giving out government funds to IA
vorite corporations and individuals, it regarded a
National Bank as a national blessing. Aiming at a
consolidated government and eager TO increase the
political influence OF the money power, it looked
with favor upon a national debt. Having, in its
earlier DAYS triumphed in the establishment
Of the Funding System, it was already almost
prepared to propose the assumption Of State
debts by the general government 1t was the
friend Of high taxes in time of peace, and
found them to be intolerable only in time of
war. Favoring any system which might increase
throughout the States the influence Of the central
government, it fast ripenng into readiness for
any scheme Of Distribution. Devoted to the inter-
of capital in opposition to those of labor, it stood
up for the doctrine of Protection Jealous always of
the spread of democratic institutions, it set its face
that the Union was virtually dissolved by it, Such, in
germ or in full development, were the characteristics
of the Federal opposition party in reference to the
domestic policy OF the country. Sometimes pecu-
liar combination Of circumstances commended tenn
porary even to portion ofihe Democracy ofthe ma
ton some quasi federal measures Thus Mr. Madison,
in the arrangement of the currency and the credit of
the country at the close Of the war, withheld at last
his djsapprobaton from the Bank Bill. Thus the
extraordinary and anomalous condition of our man
ufacturing industry at the same time produced the
tariff Of 1916. Both these measures soon became
odous, however, because they were grounded only
in temporary expsdency, and were not in harmo
ny with cardinal Democratic principles.
But the test question of this old federalism was
the question Of the war Of 1914. According to the
fsderaIist version, it was Presidential war-an I'M
Just war-a war without due cause--a war waged
under false pretences-a Of aggression and con-
quest-a war prosecuted through violations Of the
constitution-and in fne, n war originated and car
rid on for sectional and party purposes. Hence,
with Hartford Conventions, and Essex Juntos and
Connecticut Blue Lights, and all manner Of fum ina
tons from the press and the pulpit, the Federalists
went into opposition of their coun,ry's war, and
sontly advocated the interests and views Of the
public enemy
Such was Federalism from 1900 to 1920. We put
1t to the candor of any honest man--is there not
just such party now
The party Of high taxation to enrich capitalists at
the expense of the people-the party Of National
Bank-the party which advocates Distribution of
proceeds Of the Public Lands, and which coquettes
broadly with the Assumption Of State Debts-the
party which rails at any executive check scheme
ofInternal Improvements unwarranted by the con-
stution-the party which reviIes the Constitutional
Treasury because it prevents government funds
from being loaned out to bank managers and their
favorites-the party which assas the Annexation Of
Texas Just as Of old it assailed the purchase Of
Louisiana-ths party is munfcsty, and to the
PLAIN sight Of all men, the Federal party, born again
out Of due season, and into n new and more pesti-