The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-10-29
VOL. XIV. NO. 1868.

the spirit Of Independence appeared in the ws Of The
New World.
say it is mainly In these two facts that we are to dis
cover the embryo formation of the present institutions
OF the United States Elective and representative nst
tutons, which the of republican government
did not create. but brought them with US from Eng
land did the system OF laws for the regulation of p
yate rights which still subsist In substance among u.s.
and lilo at tho foundation of republican institutions in
each OF the States of republican America For
the skeleton Of the British government is single
executive head, legislative assembly of two cham
bers, and free judcature duly associated OF learned
men and men of the people; and that is the skele-
ton of the of each OF the States Of the
Union. 1t is true that in Great Britain the executive
head is hereditary, ut least not periodically elected 1t
is true moreover, that the upper legislative chamber
Is of mixed heredtarness and executive appointment
whilst each of these agents of sovereignty ID elective in
the United States. But still the change here in the
method OF designation not in the constituent parts of
constitution And this change composed half of the
revolution the other half being the consummation OF
independent government by the formal separation of
British America from British Europe say the colsua
aoa OF independent government for the establishment
of hoae independent government 10y Legislative assem-
bes seated here, almost the first public act Of
colonial forefathers And the thirteen Anglo Amer
colonies transformed may not say, transhg-
ured p into the thirteen American States.
Now, pray you to note-or it is material to what
shall have to say hereaiterthat in all this there
job work of political theorists. The Declaration of Inde
pcndence it is true, in which the United Colonies
nounced the fact of their separation from the metropolis
and the nducement OF the act did preface the exhibition
Of those inducements with relation Of the general prin
cples of self constitution and sefgovernnent apperan
ing to every State people. And its author, Thomas
Jefferson, accustomed in his contemplation of
cety to look beneath it's surface into the philosophy of
social organization and of government but he most
practical in his Objects and in practice always aimed to
conciae together the two coessenal conditions Of lib
ery and Of order He little Adams thought of
ting theoretical spccuator srepublic WAS their COM
thought to organize the existing society," not to In
\ vent new such
those days Theorists abounded, universal reformers,
wise oYermuch in their conceit always yet
times not without public estimation. Such men, as
have already observed had tried their skill in the
i New World. The saints of the English Commonwealth
did their best to sten pure theocracy upon Europe
The Quae those vionaes Of the denial of the force of
ordinances In time of peace, and of ordnance in time
of war, had fair play in lennsy Nay, the most
approved Of all British writer's and thinkers political
theory John Locke had the two Caronas placed In his
hand to experiment upon ad bm and the constitution
which he gave, the Of his wise theories, vanished
like bubble at breath of the air of America Theories
had to bend to facts facts to theories And thus
repeat the political organization of each of the Anglo
American colonies and consequently of each of the
American States, Happened IL came to be 1t was not
created by sophists and speculatos; 1t was born
and grew, as man himself grows by the fruits of
! EARTH and the sun and air of Heaven. And,
like himself also those constitutions grew up though
with individual differences yet with absolute, though
unconcerted Identity Of general composition FORM and
nature to demonstrate iy the most palpabe and
most ncontroyertibe evidence that they the COM
mon result of the same and only cansenamely, the
transportation OF the British type of government into
the wilderness Of America Nay, look there, before our
very eyes not the this day at work pro-
cucng the results-I will not say in Canada
ly but in that other New World British Australia
BY such means then 1t pass In Massachusetts,
in New York, in Pennsylvania in Maryland in Virginia,
in the Caolinas, there political organization not
the model of any theoretical Utopia of More, Har-
rngton Locke but OF that Of tho actual and visible
government of Great Britain, with substitution of cleo
tive in place of of the hereditary and selected pub
lie functionares, and with addition of written organic
law by the of constitution - but that in
every case composed for the most part of bill OF rights
and all the rest by compilation from the existing laws OF
England.
What followed The military alliance of the new
States it is clear not the realization Of any prio
political abstraction theory but the practical act of
practical swaycd by the moral compulsion of the
circumstance of the timenamely the agrancy of
uonary waged for the common object of independ-
ence Of the same common metropolis The confedera-
4 ton, we know, but continuation of the original
alliance, with imperfect endeavor to make it applicable
to peace as well as to war Then came the actual Union
Aud, to all possible doubt to the consdera-
tons In which that orignatedto prove incontestaby
that they practical not theoretical considerations
have the declaration Of the State of Virginia which
first proposed the changewhch suggested the manner
of its accomplishment wit by convention of the
Statesand which authenticated and proclaimed its in
dncement and object namely: the protection and pro.
motion OF the common conerca interests of the United
| States. . usg 81 5a5l
All honor be to the great Commonwealth of Virginia,
which proposed to substitute for the confederation the
present federal Union and to her statesmen who paci
paed in the conception the composition the adoption,
and the perfection of ito Randolph who presented the
draftto Madison whose mind runs through ito JEFF
erson the subsequent author of its chief amendments
to Washington, under whose auspices il framed and
sanctioned and put in operation, the Great Commander
the War OF Independence and the great first President
of the Union Honor, immortal honor say, to her and
to them for the consummate wisdom Of the organiza-
ton of the federal Union May their majestic work
endure to the end of time fraught with inestmable
blessings to the future to the past and present genera
tons OF the people Of the United States But herein
consisted their consummate wisdom that they prac
cl statesmen, occupied in the attanabe purpose of
adapting laws to men, instead Of the chmercal one OF
attempting to adapt men to laws If IL had been other
wse-if, like the constitutions makers Of modern Europe
and Spanish America, they had committed themselves to
the lusory task of building up theoretical republic,
they and their work would have passed away together
into some Of the haforgotcn lumber lofts of history,
and we the people fthe United States, should havo
dred down the tide of chronic revolution into the gulf
OF perdtion like Mexico or, dcsparng Of selfgovern-
ment should like France, have acclaimed an American
Caesar Napoleon to rescue by the despotism of the
sword from the despotsm of political anarchy and
social chaos. | say, therefore, more--honor,
immortal honor, to the consummate wisdom OF the
founders Of this Union! No idle theories no plau-
sibe distractions, shallow social sophstries de-
luded them. They sought the solution OF great
political problem, namely given, the thirteen
American States, with their existing republican organza
ton, FORMS and lawsto associate them together
to combine the maximum Of and efficient exter-
nal and internal common action Of the Union with the