The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1861-02-08

of Confederation, that makes war tho nor.
Inal condition of society in Western Europe
and Spanish America. 1t is union that
Notwithstanding our worldwide intercourse.
makos peace the habit of the American peo.
plo
i will not descend so low as to ask whether
new Contoderaces would be able or willing
to bear tho grievous expense of maintaining
the diplomatic relations which cannot DO
dispensed with except by Withdrawing from
foreign commerce.
Our Federal Government is botter able TO
avoid giving just causes of war than several
Confcdoracics, because it eau conform the
action of all tho States 10 compacts. 1t
can have only ono construction, and only
ono trlbnnal to pronounce that construction,
of overy treaty. Local and temporary in.
tercsts and passions. or personal cupidity
and ambition, can drive small Conscdoracies
or States moro easily than great Republic,
into indiscrcot violations of treaties.
The United States being great ard
formidable power, can always secure favor
abio and satisfactory treaties. Indoed,
every treaty VIC have was voluntarily made.
Small Confoderacies or States must take
such treaties as they can get, and give what.
ever treaties are exactod. A Illuminating.
or even an unsatisfactory treaty, is chronic
cause of foreign war.
Tho chapter of wars resulting from un.
justiliablo causes would, in case of division,
ampity itself in proportion to tho number
OF new Contederacies aud thor irri liability.
Our disputes with Groat Britain about Or
egon and the boundary of Maine, the patrio,
lnsurrectiou in Canada. and the Island OF
San Juan; the border strfes between Texas
| md tHn r Il
William Walker into Mexico aud Central
America all these were cases in which war
was prevented only by tho imper,urbabiity
OF the Federal Government.
This Government not only gives fewer
causes of war, whethor just or unjust, than
smaller Confederacies would, but it ALWAYS
has a greater ability to accommodate them
by the exercise of more coolness and cour.
ngc, tho use of more various and moro lib
eral means, and the display if mood be, OF
greater iorce. Every ono knows how pa.
cabo We ourselves are in controversies with
Great Britain, France and SPAIN and yot
how exacting wo have boen in our iutor-
course with New Granada, Paraguay and
San Juan dc Nicaragua.
Mr.. President, no ore will dispute our
forcfathors' maxim. that tho common safety
of all is tho safety of each of the States
While they remain united, tho Federal Gov
ornment combines all the material aud all
the forces of the several States; organizes
thoir dotencos on one general principle (;
harmonizcs and assmilatcs them with one
system; watches for them with single eve
which It turns in all directions, and moves
all agents undor tho control of ono execu-
tive head. nation so cnpstitrtod is safe
upainst assaults or eyan l. k
War produces always SPEEDY exhaust.uS n
of money and a severe strain upon credit.
The treasures and credits of smal! Confed-
cracies would often prove inadequate
Those OF tho Union aro always ample.
! havo thus far kept out of view tho re.
lations which must arise between the Con.
fcderacies themselves. They would be
small and incOnsiderablo nations bordering
on each other, and, therefore, according to
all political philosophy, natural enemies
In addition to tho many treaties which each
must make with foreign powers, and tho
causes of war which they would give BY
violating them. each of these Confederacies
must also maintain treaties with all the
others. aud so be liable to give them frequent
offences. Thoy would necessarily havo diff
ferrnt interests resulting from thoir estah
lishment of different policies of revenue, OF
mining, manufactures and navigation, Of
immigration, and perhaps the slave trade.
Each would sipulate with foreign nations
for advantages peculiar to itsolf and inju
rious to its rivals.
If, indeed, it were necessary TINT the
Union should be broken up, it Roud bu in
tho last degree important that tho now
Confederaces to be formed shonld be as
nearly as possible equal in strength aud
power, that mutual fear and mutual respect
might inspire them with caution against
mutual offence. But such equality could
not long he maintained; one Confedoracy
would rise in the scale of political impor.
tancO. and the others would view it thence.
forward with envy and apprehension. Jeal.
ousics would bring on frequent and retalia.
tory wars, and all these wars, from the
peculiar circumstances Of the Confoderacies,
would have tho nature and character Of
civil war Dissolution, therefore, is for tho
people of this country, perpetual civil war
To mitigate il and obtain occasional rest.
what else could they accept but tho system
of ad ustiDg tho balance of power which has
obtained in Europe, in which the few strong
nations dictate the very terms on which ali
the others shall be content to live. When
this hateful system should fail at last, foreign
nations would intervene. now in favor of one
and then in aid of another. and thus our
country having expelled all Europoon pow.
ers from tho continent. would relapse into
an aggregated form of it's colonial experience,
and, like Italy. Turkey, India and China.
become the theatre of transatlantic inter.
vention and rapacity.
If, however, We grant to the new Confede.
racies an exemption from complications
among each other, and with foreign States.
still there is too much reason to believe that
not one Of them could long maintain a re-.
publican form of government. Universal
suffrage and tho absence of y standing army
arc essential to a republican system. The
world has yet to sec a single self-sustaining
State of that kind, or even any confedera-
ton of such States, except our own. Canada
leans on Great Britain not unwillingly, and
Switzerland is guaranteed by interested
monarcbical States. Our own experience
has thus far been successful, because, by tho
continual addition of nov States, tho in.
fuence OF each of tho members of the Union
is constantly restrained and reduced. No
one, of course, can fOretell tho way and
manner of travel but history indicates with
uBerring certainty, the end which the sever
al confederacios would roach. LicontiOus-
ness would ronder life intoerable and they
would sooner or later purchase tranquility
and domestic safety by tho surrender of
libertV md Weld thems elves un to thB Dro.