Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1854-09-14
EBENsBURG, SEPTEMBER Il, 1854.

! the convention of 17S7-SS assembled to no.
complish this purpose. Here the same anita
gonistic elements were found at work. Tho
friends of the people, believing that the coun-
try was best governed in which the govern
ment was least felt by the people, were in IA
Vor OF retaining to the people and to the state
! governments, all power not necessarily requi-
site to the transaction of the business of the
! general government They wished to confer
! upon the generalgovernment only certain spc-
cific and enumerated powers that were abso-
Iutely necessary for such limited govern
ment or confederation Their opponents, as
| has been stated, were for clothing the general
government with almost unlimited powers,
which, if granted, must have made it a con-
solidated government, and in the end swallow
up the state governments entirely The re-
suit of that convention was to establish d go
vernmcnt for the Union, of unrivalled excel
lance. which combines the federative and the
! democratic principle, and makes it a govern
ment Of compromise, in which the powers Of
government arc limited, restricted and con
/ fined, to those expressly granted, or which
follow by direct and necessary (n0t merely
convenient) implication from those granted.
This government, when properly administer
ed, has all the powers necessary Tor It's ptr-
poses, and yet leaves to the people and to the
states ali their rights uninfringed.
The immortal Washington was, by unani-
nous consent, placed ut tic head Of the 60
vernment. He ca !s85around him the states
men and soldiers Of tie reyolution-yet in his
cabinet were found Hqfy discordant materials.
Both the antagonistical principles to which we
have before alluded were there represented,
and it required the whole weight of that emf
nent mans character to prevent their opera
ton to the prejudice Of tue country
Col Hamilton, a man undoubtedly of ta-
lents, who had been conspicuous for his ser
vices III the revolutionary army, during which
he had enjoyed much of the confidence of
Gen Washington, had been selected fer the
situation of secretary of the treasury. In the
convention of 1787-S8 he has however
shown his predictions for n strong govern
mcnt, which, if adopted, would have made Us
little better than an elective monarchy, with
a president and senate for life. He Of course
headed the party who coiucided with his views,
and distrusted, or affected to distrust, the
power of the people 70 govern themselves.
They assumed to themselves the name Of fc-
deralists, falsely alleging that they were the
exclusive friends Of the form Of the general
government then organized and in practice
The immortal Jefferson. the great apostle
of republicanisn the author of the Declara-
ton of Independence, was selected for Secre-
tary of State. He espoused the cause of the
people, and favored a strict construction OF
the constitution. He was able, to a very
Great extent. to counteract the influence of
Alexander Hamilton He was not. however,
able to succeed in all things; and Hamilton,
90 the great regret of the republicans Of that
day. succeeded in establishing the old Bank
of the United States, which very soon prosu-
tated itself to political purposes. Before the
c,ose OF Gen. WasLingt0n's administration
Mr. Jefferson withdrew from It, as he was
unable to affiliate with Col. Hamilton and
those who held his political views.
In 1896, Gen. Washington having deciin-
ed a second reelection, John Adams, then
vice president, and Dir. Jefferson became
competitors for the presidential chair. As the
law then stood, the candidate who received
the highest vote became president, and he
who received the next highest vote the vice
president On counting the electoral votes
it was decided that AIr Adams was elected
president and Mr. Jefferson vice president
Many persons however were even then strong
" impressed with the belief that this result
was unfairly produced Mr.. Adams entered
upon the presid entail duties on the 4th march
1877, and afiliating to a great extent with
the views of Col. Hamilton, selected his cabl-
net from those entertaining like views, and
disposed of the patronage of the general GO
vernment among those oflke character with
the powers of the government and the monled
influence of the bank combined, this adInlm-
stration soon began to show their disposition
for arbitrary power By the sedltlon law
thev sought to prevent the freemen Of the
country from speaking their thoughts, and
made it criminal offence punishable by line
and inprisonment, to either verbally or IN
writing comment upon or Investigate the M
proper acts Of the government; thus cttcctUal-
lv crushing the liberty of the press, the great
palladium Of the peoples rights. By the
alien law they gave the president the power
to order any foreigner out of the country at
his own discretion and in case of refusal, to
suffer imprisonment so long as the president
might think the public safety required. They
raised a large standing army, unnecessarily
expended millions in the increase ofthe navy,
imposed direct and indirect taxes upon every
thing which the citizens owned, and filled
the country with hosts OF revenue officers;
that. like the locusts of Egypt, ate up their
substance and became the plant tools of GO
vernment in being spies upon the people and
prosecuting them for alleged sedition and trea-
on. under the laws todEhich we have already
referred.
The reign of this party emphatically and
truly styled ''the reign of terror, happily
was of short duration and expired with the
term for which Mr.. Adams had been declar-
ed to be elected. Federal vituperation anC
abuse had been resorted to without stint, t
calumniate the great republican portion of oul
citizens Tho horrors of the French revolu
ton were held up as bugbears to frighten th'
! tinid and declared TO be the necessary resul