Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-02-22
Editorial NiStakes--VieEvs OF Jefferson
end John q. Adams Respecting Political
Crises.
Crises From tn. Journal of Commerce.

~
From the Journal Of Commerce.
Editors of English newspapers have been reading
lectures to the American people, for the past few
months, concerning the duties of the President and
Congress of the United States on the present condi>
ton of country. In the wSy Of apology for the
mistakes which they have made In these lectures
we are ready to admit that they have not made
more bunders than would the same number of
American editors, if they should undertake to in
struGt the British nation, largely in respect to
the duties Of their rulers Their text book is king
w. ours is democratic; their code is military, ours
is cIvil their government is consolidated, ours is
partly federal To reason in strict analogy from
their institutions ours viii of course involve the
reasoner in blunders The relations of the general
government and the State governments, and the re-
ation of master and slave under these governments
those editors do not understand more exactly than
editors do the relations of the orders of nobii
ty in England, to the people at large and to the
throne.
This ignorance of our institutions seems to have
prevailed from the first, Hear what Mr.. Jefferson
says:
with respeet ia our State and FEDERAL govern
ments, do not think that their relations are cor
rectay understood by foreigners. They generally
suppose the former to be subordinate to the latter
But this Is not the They are coordinate de-
partments Of our simple and integral whole. But
you may ask, if the two departments should claim
each the same subject of power, where is the COM
mon umpire to decide between them? In cases Of
little Importance and urgency, the prudence of both
parties will keep them aloof from the questionable
ground; but if it can neither be avoided nor com
promised, ConUenon of the 2jatsS must Be called 10
dscribs the doubtful pooeT b taas department sshich they
may think best"
With these remarks of Mr.. Jefferson, the follow
ing declarations of John Quincy Adams are in har>
monY They are taken from speech of his deliv>
cred IN New York in lS39-just fifty years after the
Federal Constitution went into operation:
''DWt the indissolube link of union between the
people Of the several Safes in this Confederation IS
after ALL not in the right but in the heart If the day
should ever come-may heaven avert when tie
affections Of the people of this State shah be alien
ated from each other-when the fraternal feeling
shall give away to cold indifference, or collisions of
interest shall foster into hatred-the bonds of poll
teal association viii not long hold together parties
no longer attracted by the magnetism of cOnseerated
interests and friendly sympathies and far better ecig
% FOR the people Of the disIaed States 70 part in
friendship from each other than to be held together by
constraint. Then will be the time for reverting TO
the precedents which occurred at the formation and
adoption of the Constitution. to form again more
perfect union by dissolvihg that which could no
longer bind and to leave the separate parts TO be
united by the law of political graVtaton to the cen
trer
viii the present generation heed these lessons of
wisdom impaired to them by those patriot sages
viii the people of this country show their wisdom
by letting the seeding States part in friendship
laws of political gravitation"