Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-04-05

son, respecting the proposed amendments to
the Constitution, said: ssVarious and namer-
Gus as they appear, they certainly omit many
of the true grounds of opposition. The arii-~
cles relating to reotiss. to paper money, and to
contracts. make more enemies than all the err
rors of the system, positive and negative, put
together"
The Constitution provides that ''the Presi-
dent shall have power, by and with the advice
and consent of the Senate. TO make treaties,
provided two-thirds Of the Senator'S present
shall concur''-that "the judicial power shall
extend to all cases in law and equity arising
under this Constitution, the laws of the Uni
ted States, and the tredtces mad, or which
shall be made, under their authofitys-that
'all treaties made, or which shall be made IN
der the authority of the United States, shall
be the supreme law of the land and that
'no State shall enter into any treaty." &c.
The Constitution further provides, that no
State shall ''coin money, emit bills of credit,
make anything but gold and silver tender
| in payment of debts; pass any bill of attain
der, er post facto law, or law impairing the
| obligation of contracts"
These provisions of the Constitution, says
Mr.. Madison, authorizing the President, two
thirds of the Senate cOncurring, to make
treaties, which should constitute part of the
supreme law of the land, and prohibiting the
States from issuing bills Of credit, from max
| ing anything a legal tender in payment of
| debts except gold and silver, and from pass
L., Ill
tracts, s-these provisions. says Mr.. Madison,
constituted the chief grounds of opposition
| to the new Constitution on the part of its OPP
ponents or anti-Federalists, and made more
enemies to our present system of government
than all othcr causes put together.
A modification of these Federal and anti
Federal parties took place during the first
term of Gen. WAsHINGToNis administration.
The Federalists, from being mere supporters
of the Federal Constitution, became supporters
of the particular scheme of policy recon-
mended by the Secretary of the Treasury,
ALEXANDER HAMILTON, and carried into effect
by the first Congress. They retained, how
ever. their former name of EdTdlias. The
anti-F ederalists, on the other hand, dropping
their objections to the Constitution, subsidized
for the most part into opponents OF HAMILTON
and his financial policy, under the title OF
Republicans.
Thus the bulk of the anti-Federalists, or orr
ginal opponents of the Federal Constitution,
became in a few years the nucleus of the Re
publican party, while the Federalisis or origin
al supporters of the Constitution became the
Federq! party. We speak of the great body
of each party. There were exceptions, OF
course-some who had been FederaIists in the
original sense of the term, having become
Republicans, while others, who had been
strong anti-Federalists, opponents, that is, of
the Constitution, subsequently became Fcder-
alists in the modified sense of that term,
and supporters of the administration of JOHN
ADAMS. Two of the most notable of these
exceptions occurred in Virginia. where the
anti-F ederalists led 10y PATRICK HENRY. who
exercised predominant influence in the first
Legislature which assembled after the rati;i-
cation of the Federal Constitution, would by
no means allow Mr. MADISON to be elected to
the Senate of the United States, expressly on
account of his support of the Constitution,
but sent TO that body two anti-Federalists,
RICHARD HENRY LEE and WILLIAM GRAYsoN.
Mr.. MADISON, however, in "a few years be-
came the leader of the Republican party in
the House of Representatives, while the
views of PATRICK HENRY became gradually
so modified that he thought well of the adj
mnistratiOn of JOHN ADAMS, and was believed
to be ready to give it an active support at
the time of bis death.
Thus much for the truth of history-in view
of the errors into which the habilual abuse
| by party politicians of the terms Federal"
"Federalism' and '.Federalists." may lead
the youthful mind of the rising generation.