The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-04-22
WHAT CONSTITUTES A STATE :

WHAT CONSTITUTES STATE VIZ
The more extension of the Union has never been
considered bv our statesmen az source of danger
or weakness. On the contrary it has been esteemed
by msny a source of increased strength and stabi-
itv, Our admirable system of local sovereignties,
invested with all the functions and powers Of local
jurisdiction combined in a confederacy. directed by
federal agency clothed with all powers of national
and general character seems to admit of very great
expannon not only without risk to its integrity hut
with absolute invieoration to the system. If two or
thirteen states Of similar institutions, laws language
origin tastes and PRINCIPLES. find political and COM
mercial advantage in confederatingthe diversity of
their industry productions and resources, only en-
HANGING the value of the union to each--their COM
bined mower of protection or aggression giving them
consideration among nations which they would not
possos individually then does Il follow that mul.
tnicat;on of States and expansion Of the confed-
eracy if the process be conducted with caution and
prudence must increase the advantages of union in
arithmeticsl proportion to the extent to which it is
carried.
The experience of our confederacy has confirmed
these views and few statesmen can now be found
who will defend or adopt the arguments that were
treaty, the annexation Of Texas, and the acquisitions
of domain which we obtained from Mexico-argu-
ments which were urged with ability and treated by
the country, when made with the gravest Difference
and consideration. r 1st ON
But the very confidence which the public feel in
the safety and advantage of this policy has superin
duced license and abuse in the practice Of II which
4. demands the severest animadyerson and the most
thorough reform. e a 3lfe
We allude of course, to the loose manner in which
new Estates" leo called are allowed to become sew
ereign constituent members Of the confederacy. A
State is longer product of time the result of ma
tured growth and existence; community of homo
geneous people; an aggregation of families a unit
a Commonwealth with consistent public opinion,
common interest, sentiment and impulse insti
buttons the growth Of time and result Of experience
The institution of the people ia the the
foundation of, our system and yet our new ideas
are of States without people for there can be no
people where there 10 no consistent community,
knit network of society, no neighborhoods dotted
with homesteads, no schools, no churches, no COM
munity as to the part nor unity as to the whole no
common veal.
AZ 10 ioe inoA0 UAPahbo VI Hno, WIN loIoSt anu
prairie, trees and grass, rivers and creeks that con-
stitutes State. Nor is "a State constituted by
putting upon this land five thousand, or seventyfve,
or hundred thousand struggling, interloping spec
uiators from every point Of the compass, who are
there to-day and elsewhere tomorrow, who have no
home there, nor local ties fixing them to the soil and
Identifying them permanently Tor better or worse
with the locality.
now can community-now can people IN the re-
puDhcan sense m the essentlai sense, DO estab-
ishod IN new unoccupied domains, except by
tne lapse Of tme why these notified States
OF our modern DAY are gotten up IN shorter time
'hsn 10 required % manure an asparagus PED. we
can na1dy imagine state witnout orchards and yet
oy ofoas0 now 0'A'os ~ 'nese uaSS IN nan the hme
tna' requires 70 es'aoisn an orchard OF young
Peaon OF apr uees' ~ serious SUBJECT but
the jest rs rrepressoie-Sfdes without orchards or
asparagus oeds What would Warrington, what
would Franklin think OF precoclty like this! M
Yet such is the license and abuse of expansion
into which our federative system is running. -Four
years ago, we established an important and valuable
principle OF policy in the kansas Nebraska act It
WAS cofo'a'y u inc oocuihes OF otate rights ana
sric' con''ruc"on WHICH are 30 dcar 10 tne hearts