Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1849-03-26

| penSaple safeguard III all governments, no mat.
ter what their form for if the parent principle
of them be relaxed, neglected, or misapplied
languor, decay, or dissolution will inevitably
follow.
| Most OF the governments of the world are
nothing more than the modification of the prill-
clple OF force but they posse SIS in this very Cir
cumstance, very great means OF supporting them
selves by the mere external power of orgalliza-
ton. Our Government on the contrary, in both
its subdivided and compound FORMS resting en-
trely upon the voluntary principle or consent OF
| the governed; can never maintain itself upon
the external aids of its machinery, nor otherwise
in its healthy and legitimate vigor, than upon
the supporting concurrence of the rational will
But consent i'll our case-the case of Federative
Governments the modified OF harmonized
will OF the various parties collected into one, and
is but another name for compromise ; ard so, in
fact, our Government is to all intents and pur-
poses, a government of compromise Look a.
way, sir from all that YOU know of the external
history ofthe Constitution-from all that YOU
have ever read OF the opinions, suggestions, and
statements OF Its trainers turn your eye inward
upon the instrument ITSELF run it over line by
| line count up all Its provisions, and coMpRo-
| MISE is the one outstanding and characteristic
feature that is indelibly stamped upon every
page oft. 1t was once said by French critic
OF fine literary performance Which he was re-
viewing, that after he had written the words
bene, putchre, optame, at the top of every page,
hls work OF criticism was accomplished. So it
may be said of our Constituton-Th after
writing the word compromise upon every Iart OF
it. your work of dc scriptive history is over. his
is especially true ofall those portions of it here
the relative rights of the States are concerned
Wherever these rights were involved, there all a
pr1ora hypothesis OF government, all abstract and
fheOrptc IdpaS ut nartncfipn off, han
doned, and some conventional adjustment resort
ed to instead, by which the largest practical
measure OF equality, justice union and content
ment, was expected to be established These.
indeed, We're the great and ultimate ends for
which the Constitution was intended. and no
distractions nor localities of Government, nor
any local Or sectional objects were ever allowed
to Illustrate or thwart them. The result was,
that all the external, national, and aggregate
interests OF the States We're collected into and
placed under the control of one central head.
whilst all their separate and local interests We're
lett to the home governments cut of W hich they
arose, and to which they properly belong
Pressed as these States had been to the very
earth by the heavy foot of an unnatural power,
even after they had confederated with one anoth-
er Tor mutual assistance, none better understood
from experience; than they did, that security
and strength and life itself, lay in their most
intimate and closest union with one another
that II separate and disunited, they would not
| only be less capable by far both for internal
prosperity and external defence but must soone
or later sink under the grasp of scme foreign
usuper; Or under jealousies. aggrcssions and
conflicts with one another. UNION, then, was
the wisdom OF our revolutionary day-uNIoN is
| the wisdom OF our day, and UNION will continue
to be the wisdom OF every day that is vet to
come, until the nations of the earth have no
capacities and no ambition to crafty, and this
poor heart of ours-that world Of niouity within
ltself--has no foul passions to inhame, to mis-
direct, Or defilei it.
The well advised and cordial faith with which
the trainers OF our Constitution committed them
selves to this great historic truth and the polit-
cal consequences to which it led the way-that
our highest wisdom was in closest union with
one another--is strikingly cxemplifed in the
character OF the constitutional concessions which
they devised to secure it. Look, for example
at the representation i'll the Senate. There YOU
see every actual, and almost every possible me-
quality between The associate States disreearded.
and the States themselves made politically equal
to each other. There you see Delaware, and
New York, the pigmy and COLOSSUS of the Union
sitting side by side the equal of each other in
dignity, and sharing. alike in the powers and the
counsels by which the affairs of each and Of all
are controlled. Having representation in this
House founded upon numbers, the small
States might reasonably have entertained
some apprehensions for their security, unless
supplied with the check of unit or political
representation in the Senate. They, therefore,
demanded this-persistingly and vehemently de-
manded it, declaring that they could not surren-
der it without subjecting themselves to the mere
mercy OF their constitutional associates which
they would not do This demand, so perfectly
Il
the natural love of consequence and power in
the larger States, was finally acquiesced in. Its
clear justice in a federative government, backed
and enforced by that ardent revolutionary spirit.
not then extinct, which nationalizes everything.
triumphed over every objection, and thus Sc
cured its adoption as one of the most marked
and conservative features of the whole Consti-
tuition.
But 1t is not so much to the e1tcnt of the com
promise III this particular matter to which |
would direct your attention, Mr.. Chairman, as
principle namely, of defending the meak against
the Entertainments and aggressions of the strong.
II will not have" said lsocrates, when treating
with certain Grecian States about the affairs Of
Athens-sI will not have" said he, ''any guar
antee that you can offer us but this; that YOU
shall not be able to hurt us if you would' This
is precisely the guarantee intended by our Con.
stltution the weak We're to be SO protected by
it that the strong should not hurt them if they
would. 1t was not enough to the equitable and
just and provident spirit of our Constitution
makers that the States should, in all respects, be
as safe and as well off under the Constitution
then forming as they We're before they looked
and labored for something beyond this and bet.
ter than this. Determined to place every State
I'M sounder s. safer condition han ever before
they not only left ita sovereignty sufficient for ali
local wants, but they 50 sabored as to possess it
at the same time, with a central head, which
should be perfectly capable of defending it from
all external aggression, and yet perfectly in
capable OF committing upon il any aggressions
| OF its OWL
After this brief and imperfect sketch of the
compromise character of the Constitution, l fee
myself more at liberty to insist upon the repre-
sentative duties which that character enions
and to require on behalf of the South aud as on
Of its representatives. here, that its high authori
Il ties bp ayprutad for ha brooI md ,,s&,.s..1 -