Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-07-23

civil history may call it anstiOn period in that his
tory The minds of men, at least Of statesmen du-
ring this eventful time moulded in the forms of
system partly old and partly The papers contained
in the Fedrals must ever remain monument of this
fact The consancy with which its authors appeal to
history and the testimony OF experience sufficiently
proves that they least Of oil disposed to repudiae
the old and tried maxms Of civil And yetit
I: ~,, evident that the political writer's and legislators
Of our revolutionary era we're mhued with the spirit Of
new philosophy which had then for the first time begun
to permeatc the popular masses. The writings of Locke
and Sidney had proved good seed in good ground
brought forth fold transition period such
as this was eminenty proptiousf the founding of
o~ument. 1t struck upon the happy medium, tho
s.,. ne,u,. Dnnu and sayish Difference fof au
ho+ on The one hand and therash and heady spirit OF
,.n..; ~ Tho ~ ser. Could the American Constitu-
ton have been framed fifty ari oqo5e us acsuSi iV'n
tons Could it have been framed H., sser5 'gT9.a'a'
AS it was escaped both Scyllaand Charybcisthe re-
aux tide of arbitrary prescription and the gustream OF
democratic presumption
that the men who were most actively instrumental in the
formation of the Constitution and in procuring its adop
ton by the States the men called by the popular
voice inaugurae its practical working The Federasts
committed for with all their virtues they faiblo
men but nothing the provebial ingrattude of Re-
pubcs prevent posterity from regarding the party
of Washington, Of Hamilton and Of Marshall the most
bene6cent auxiliary in winning founding and conserving
the liberties which still enjoy. The Federaiists we
admit in favor of strong government, but not we
believe of one stronger than the crisis in which they
called to act demanded When the compression of ex
danger withdrawn by the advent of and
independence spirit Of disunon, and schism and dis
affection soon began to grow rife in the land, and
in danger of losing by domestic feud and dissension
all that eight years of revolutionary privation, TOLL and
sacrifice had at last ayael to conquer That did not
is mainly due to the Fedraliss and their principles
consideration which shoid go far to exempt them from
the strange and sensees reproach which party spirit in
later times has stryen fix on their name. The alena
ton between Hamilton md the elder Adams attended as
it was by the loss to tie Federal party of Hailtons
gaci0as guidance contributed greatly we believe, to the
final defeat and overthrow Of Federalism The later nea
sures to which the pry was committed by John Adams
particularly the alie and sedon laws, though not in
defensible, certainly nexpedient and beneath the
odium of them the prty fell and fell to rise more.
We do not regret is fall. 1t had acted well its part
1t had finished the wrk assigned it to perform 1t had
consolidated the elements of order strength and dura
ton which it had leen primarily instrumental in en-
Il
credit had suppressed rebellion had established foreign
relations and yet exticated from "entangling ALI
ances had created commerce. had given and
stability to entire domestic poy. there wasdanger
of its going too far in strust of the popular capacity
for sef-government II was doubtless, and
grevousy have they atond for it, The Federalsts
courtiers of the popuce Perhaps they moderated
the intelligence and Write Of their counrymen by
sufficiently allowing for thu conservative spirit which they
had themselves nfusedin tue popular mind At any rate,
we must regard the accession Of Mr.. Jefferson and the
triumph Of the Republican party necessary progress
sion, in order to give due expansion to the democratic
side Of our Constitution IIr Jefferson is not ideal
of the immaculate and impeccable statesman He com
mited great faults and nade great mistakes the
barge illustrates the former and gun-boats the latter
lie has bequeahed to the modern Democracy few sent
ments and opinions which, in the hands Of nufers and
repudators have been welded in the service of faction
and fraud. But in the main his line of governmental
policy must be admitted to have impressed happy turn
on public affairs. lie set them the F" Republican
tack :" and long the ship of State guided by
Madison Monroe, and John Quincy Adams at the helm
believe che did from the safe line of d
recon which she Rad been put IN fair weather and
in foul she held on her destined way
That the Federass should first have held the rens OF
power regard vital to the existence and stability
Federal Republic That the Republicans should have
subsequently assumed them deem to have been
a in order to give full Development to the largest
cabe liberty guaranteed by the Constitution and in this
mutual action and reaction Of Federalism Republican
ism, and then in turn Of Repubicanism federalism,
trace the evolution Of law order and rational
dom and it is such concentrations that found our
remark that the early political history of nation
tains instructive philosophy. We have not time or
space to pursue the subject further and here stop
after conducting readers to its threshold.