Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1850-12-04


this source have flowed all the ills which
have so thickly beset US since the adoption
of the Constitution, and this constitutes
the destruction of that equilibrium of which
the dying patriot spoke.
As a substitute for unanimity. have no
doubt the Federal Convention resorted to
the veto power and the action of two-.hirds
to overrule it. Does not every one see that If,
in the place of the inorganic action of the
majority, unanimsity had been the element
in The organic action Of our government,
there would have been no danger to the in
sti,ulion Of slavery and that an attack up
on it, thu ough Congress, would never have
been thought Of. And this in my humble
judgment was the remedy for the evils Of
our Judiciary, if they exist. The appoint
ments ought TO have been made as they
now are, except that the Senate ought to
have approved by unanlmi,y in the place of
the majority. Nor would this be impracli-
cable; for if the approval was by unanimi-
,y, there would be struggle to AGREE,
and not to DISAGREE; aud this constitutes
difference as broad as the distance between
hell and heaven. So in the action Of gov
all should agree, there would certainly be
an effort TO do so, rather than disagree,
which latter result would produce an i'm
prac.icabiity. The struggle would be to
avoid an mpractcabilily by agreeing to
agree.
The government of the majority is al
ways state of hostility. In reference to
any measure which may arise there is al
ways fight for victory and conquest, and
there must be a consequent submission on
the part of the minority or weaker interest
not the submission of forgiving spirit
but Of the smolhered feelings of animoslly
and revenge. You might as soon expect
ldown-trodden Poland TO submit with a
feeling Of con,enment and forgiveness, as
to expect a minority in government to sub
nit with the same feeling. Do not the oc-
'currences of the las. several years in our
country show this ? and does not the his
tory of the nations Of the earth show it,
where there has been one continuous fgh'
Of majority with minority? And out of this
6gh, has grown internal commo.ion, civil
strife, intestine wars and bloodshed without
cessation. This has overhrown every gov
ernment upon which the light of the sun
has shown.
Where minority in legislative strug.
gle, or in party contest, has been repeat
edly defeated and then ultimately gains
the ascendency, what is the feeling and the
course of policy? Blind, headlong, preju-
diced action to establish if possible per-
manent ascendency and a permanent tri-
umph. The defeated majority on the other
hand resorts to every expedient Of blind and
prejudiced action TO recover its lost strength,
without regard 10 truth or justice. The his,o-
ry Of parties in this country, ever since the
adoption of the Constitution, shows this
This is war, actual war, not with sword and
bay yoneI, but with legislative and party in
strumen,s; and it is as much a war as il
two armies were contendng IN the field for
victory. state of war, actual war, be-
tween nations is contest of msjorlties with
minorites, and whichever succeeds in the
struggle or wins the battle proves the ma
jorily or stronger interest; and it is only
The exercise Of this principle in government
when it is constructed according to the in
organic action of the majority. The fight
ing of battle and the achievement of a vic
tory by one party or The other is the sue.
cess of The majority.
There is one other act Of unanimity con-
necled with the history of our government
to which ! will refer. 1t was the surrender
TO the old Congress by Washington of his
military commission. Unanimity was the
prevailing sentiment. Of both parties in this
case, and it presents the only and most sub
lime spectacle Of the kind recorded in his
tory-lhat Of the military power submitting
itself peacefully to the civil authority. In
my humble judgment much of the disorder
ly and unwise conduct, which so often visits
US in our governmental action, is the fruit
of the ignorant and officious intermeddIIng
in politics of beardIess boys. Rome owed
her greatness to the wisdom and healing
counseIs of her old men. This was in her
early career; but when she suffered her poll
cy to be changed, and young men obtruded
themselves into the councils of the nation
from that moment her genius was changed
and her primitive purify and strength be-
gun to decay. Her early policy was, that
old men should conncil and young men exc
cute, and this is the true policy and young
men should wait until they are handed into
trust and preferment by old men.
Having thus far, as briefly as possible,
treated this principle politically, or rather
governmentally, will next proceed to H.
luslrste its truth lIom, first, the principles OF
the Scriptures; secondly, from the prlncl-
pies of natural science thirdly, from all
The practical pursuits of life; and fourthly,
shall show the healing and salutary results
of the prevalence of the principle; and
filthy, for the purpose of putting this ques-
ton to rest, will show what constitutes
the capacity Of man for sell-go'ernmeot, or
rather in what self-government consists, and
then | will show what constitutes the true