The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1854-09-27

e StSt-s rights, and to individual liberty II
? equal y of the States and the right of "a,
$ p''ll cal community Ia make for isrli its ow
: local and internal laws, was the only bass up,
which the Unicn could have been formed.
vas ais" the only means by which equal Tish
md equal privileges c"n d be- secured 10 n"
-cl'zeh and 10 every portion of our c"u"tr.
guarant, cing republican government To I'll
States. This. then, was the plan they adop,e,
ca-efuly limiting the powers OF the generi
Government, and declurlng that the powers nj
therein granted were reserved to the people
But that the tendency Of al. governments
towards an increase and concentration Of pow
er; that the sacred preservation OF the Const
tuition, and an involabIe observance Of its res
irictons necessary TO prevent usurpato
and all unlawful stretch Of authority, dangerou
to the reserved rights of the people; that Il
allow single iniractirn of lis terms is fraugb
with the greatest peril, were truh hs vel under
stood by many of our earliest patriots, an.
which ought TO be brought home to the mind 0
every citizen this day. II was the knowledy.
of these truths which caused tine Father of hi
Country to leave as leescy to his children
these words of wisdom and admontinn-"t III.
price IF liberty is eternal rigitancc. w I'd.
which if heard and remembered. will this DAY
and in all time to come, prove as rich legacy
as all the acts of long life spent in the holy
ca,s. Of his country
With an undoubting belief in these great
fundame nal truths, and fully aware Of their
InonIenteus importance, Thomas Jefferson and
all the leaders Of the old Republican party, in
the necessity of q strict construction Of the
Cons situ,ion. In the defence and advocacy Of
this principle they dedicated all the powers Of
their great minds, and sanctifrd it with all the
| affections of patriotic hearts. To establish ii
firmly in the confidence Of the people as he
palladium Of their liberties, they spent laborious
lives, and died as they had lived in increased
assurance of its wisdom
But it was no, without anxiety even in their
early day, that they watched over this great
principle, vital to all constitutional government
The old federal party, rome of whose leaders
were opposed t, the establishment of a republic,
and in favor of limited monarchy, like the
government Of England; many of whom were
in favor of powerful central government, and
all Of whom were for increasing the powers OF
the general government beyond the strict letter
and spirit of the Cons tuition, advocated the
principle of loose constructsn; some IN the
hope of eventually running the government
into limited monarchy ali in the desire Of in
creasing its powers. The contest between the
two parties l,nI and violent.
But the maxim that truth is powerful and
wilI prevail" here held good. After conflict
of several years, beaten on the issue and driven
from their first position, the Federaiisis fell
back upon lover, though not less dangerous
ground, shif ed their plan Of attack, aud seem
ed determined To wage war TO the utterinost
upon the Consti u.ion and its supporters. De-
reated in their hist great object, 10 make IT con
fnrmab,e I, their wishes, aud frustrated in the
design by their opponen's,-'he Republican
themselves in The modification Of defeat, to GO
even 10 greater lengths In their raGcor and
determined hostility against the Republican
party and its principles as lead on and represen-
ted by Jefferson, Mad son and other patriots Of
that dav, they even struck at the honor and
dearest interests OF the country. At different
DC rirds. the Alien and Sedition Jaw, their oppn-
sition to the late war with England, the pro-
ceedinls Of the Hartford Convention, the Blue
Lights sent up to give signal TO the enemy, and
other measures in which they were unsuccess-
full fully a,tes, these facts.
Utterly overihrown and dsmembered at the
election of President Monroe, the old Federal
party seemed 10 have become extinct towards
the close of his administration. But phoenix
like, il soon rose from its ashes under the form
and name Of the Whig party,-in all but form
aud name, the same. II breathed the same life,
and seemed to be animated with the same spit
it. A Monster United States Bank. an unlimit-
ed system of Internal Improvements in the
States, to be id for out of the National Treas
ury, and in its deficiency, by taxation nn the
people, or by loading the country with national
debt; high, protective tariff. and other kindred
measures, needless to mention, manifested the
same principle os loose construction of the
Constitution, the same desire to stretch the an-
thority of the government, 10 increase its pow
ers already dangerously great, and t, budd up
a favored, wealthy class of aristocracy upon the
Of the masses of the people
II was the same idea, in fact, which held con-
troll over the minds Of many of the old Federal
government, and tnat wealthy class of aris-
iocracy should be formed, into whose hands
should DE commi ted the powers Of the gov
ernment or at least that the government its-li
should be made so strong to be able 70 COLI
troll the people at will.
We do not supp"s. that these designs were
fully understood by many who gave a sincere
and patriotic support to the Wing party. We
believe that they were discountenanced by
many of the leaders who co-operated with that
party, but that they were sincerely entertained
and vigorously struggled for by others, cannot
be denied
hft'r n contest Of some thirty years, the
same period which seemed to have character
lied the existence of the o,d Federal party
beaten on all public issues and compelled to
r'linquish open contest for their cherished
principles, the Wing party like its Federal
parent seems TO have come to an end.
But although disrnembered and seemi Civ
extinct as an organization, it is seen, that true
t, The instinct Of its parent, it has resolved to
wage war by force or guile 10 the uttermost
against the Republican, or as il was first aIedc
by Jefferson, the Democratic party. And in it's
cff"rts now being made To bring about the dis
solution of that party, it is striking at the very
vitals OF the constitution ofour country. What
could not be accomplished by fair and open
contest, is now sought to be gained by covert
and insidious In this, the course of
large portion OF the Wing party Of the present
day is in strange and striking coincidence with
that of the old Fe lrral party towards the cIose