The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-07-04
the benefit of the Cabinet organ at Washington,
which Of these four psrties will be supported BY
the secession wing of the Virginia democracy /?
The Fourth.

The Fourth.
Seventy nine ears ago, to day, the Decla-
ration OF Independence was adopted. Time
has verified the ssnguine prediction OF Mr.
Adams, and year by year people celebrate the
day with more enthusiasm anu show Of loyalty
10 the country. Amid all the noise and smoke
and clat.er and ri0tous behaviour, rejecting
men travel back in Imagination to the day
when Jeffsrson's excellent paper was read aud
approved, and experience sense of gratitude
to him ard his colleagues which is none the
less heartfelt because IT is silent. -
Though very few even OF Fourth Of July
orators IRE so ignorant as TO repeat the old fall
acy that the members of the old Cobgress IN
vented the doctrines Of liberty they promuigat
ed though the number Of those who
3. cribe supernatural abilities and virtues 10
he trainers Of The Declaration is lesseniug
year by year these retarns to common sense
should not and cannot diminish our respect for
the Fathers OF the Republic. True, there WAS
nothing IN the theory they put in practice
which was not 70 be found in the political
writings Of former days; but in spite Of their
obvious advantages, in spite of the clear profit
to be derived from their use, no nation had
ever put them in practice before. Rome and
Greece, Florence and Venice, Holland aud
Switzerland had all rejected the hereditary
for the democratic principle; but their
democracies were Of bastard order, and
cannot be distinguished from oligarchies and
hierarchles. In like manner the publication of
the correspondence and other memorials of our
early heroes show very plainly that they were
but men as we are, with human weaknesses and
frailties, and very often belittled by this or
that fault but how startling an instance Of the
righteousness Of Gods providence that theIe
men should have been SO combined, the quick
with the slow, the fierce democrat with the
reverencer of old forms, the Massachusetts, free
man with the Virginia gentleman, that the re-
sult Of their mixed labors could not but b.
beautiful and pbilos ophical compromise Of OPT
Mons 1t was not the work Of Jefferson alone
or Of Franklin. Adams would not have father
ed such document Livingston could not
have devised it, nor Pinckney nor Lee for
each and sll of them had peculiar idiosyncra
cies, which nothing but force could have COM
PEELED their colleagues to adopt. Had New
EDg)and held al0of, it is believed by come that
the South would have been o monarchy with
Washington as King George the First. Had
the South broken off from the alliance union
would have been very difficult to consumnate
between New England the Middle States; aud
the chances are that the former would have
been q sort of confederacy like old Switzerland
under priestiy control, while the latter might
have repeated the dramatic story Of Genoa aud
Venice. Who would have coIonized the West
in this case!
1t cannot be too often repeated, it was to the
incongruity OF opinions existing in the constitu-
ent body that this country owes the s,lidisy
Of its constitution. It was because every shade
Of opinion was eypr. ssed and the more marked
ores clearly balanced, that the net produc. Of
the debate was o frame Of government which
has secured sevensy-nine years of 1nexampled
prosperity and development TO the nation. II
the slaveowDers had been in such a majority
that they could have inserted stipulations for
the extension or perpesuation OF slavery, is
would have been impossible to prevent an out
break in the North sooner or later. II, on the
other hand, the sboltiouists had uuduly prepon-
derat, d. the Union could hardly have been con
summated, and certainly could not have surviv-
ed the century. Division of opinioo saved the
country in l776 there is no reason to suppose
it need be more fatal now.
In reading the fragments which have come
down to us of the old debates 10 convention, and
the letters and papers Of Adams, Ii milton, Ma
Olson, Jefferson, Franklin, &c nothing 50 often
strikes the attentive reader as the astonishing
similarity between the apprehensons of the men
Of that day and those which are daily express
ed in the newspapers and political speeches at
the present time Northerners and Southerners
both seemed to have but one fear and tina. was
that the slavery question would split the Union
Everyone is familiar with the gloomy prognos-
tications Of several Of the New England dele
gates in reference to the political weight allow
ed to slaves. Jeferson's CORE .pondeuce is tall
Of similar apprehensions All these great men
were 30 constantly on the qui riue to ward of
any thing which could peril the existence Of
their beloved Union that they overlooked the
possibility Of hostile opinions counterb llancing
each other and keeping each other in check,
and seemed always on the look out for an ex
plosion. Just in the same way, the old parsons
used to speak Of Professionalism and Catholicism
as If they could not possibly exist together, and
one Of the two must necessarily absorb the
other.
Not the least useful Of the discoveries of
modern times is that which teaches US that an
tagonisms Of opinion are safe, useful and likely
to be enduring. As the arch is the stronger
the more firmly the stones of which II is com
posed are pressed agains. each other. so, il
seems, nations and communities are in the mos.
healthy condition when the minds Of their
citizens are iu most constant and sharpes. con-
tact None but very mean minds dislike for
midable antagonist. Ia private life, our best