The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1861-07-23

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essary that the nation should have great
er unity than they gave % Il, and lic cen.
trail government more power And they,
aided and illustrated by the course Of
events, produced general impression, cs-
peeially among leading minds, everywhere,
that there might be astrieicr national uni.
~, and stronger central government,
without absorbing or impcrilling those
State rights which were descr odly dear
TO the people Of every State. Thus twas
that this jealous love for the sovereign
rights Of the several States yielded, slow
", reluctantly, and only step by step, TO
the inevitable necessity for closer Union.
II was, at the beginning, paramount and
absolute But il yielded, not, REJOICE
that can say, until il was suppressed or
overcome, but until il stood in just equili-
brium with the prevailing sense Of the need
and the good of national existence and a
national government Then these two
sentiments, or principles, met aud co-ope-
rated and the result was the Constitution
Of The United States. And this, ! again
declare, regard not merely as the best
which could then have been made, but as,
in itself good and the best for the good Of
the whole nation which could have been
made, by any men, under any circum-
stances.
Are you TO understand me as saying
that ] consider that this Constitution came
into being in itself perfect, and in itselfa
10 go forward forever, the instrument OF a
great nations growth, prosperity and hap
piness, with no more help, with nonew in
fluences TO bear upon il and give TO IL adj
ded life, and energy, and efficiency
mean no such thing. 1t needed more,
vast deal more, before il could become
what | think it is 10 bc--a permanent in
strument Of the greatest, the highest, and
the completest political good.
The problem to be solved in the estab
lishment Of this government, or ms il may
be better said, in the formation of this ma
ton, was 10 create the best possible form
Of republican government by the perfect
reconciliation of the two elements Of CEN
tral power, and reserved rights.
/ In other words Of the same meaning,
the problem was TO create asystem of gov
1 ernment which should arm the central
power with all the force which il could
usefuly exert, and yet leave to all whom
| it gathered within its wide embrace the
utmost possible freedom for sclf-goyeln-
ment. and the strongest assurance That
/ this freedom should be guarded but not
weakened, protected but not impaired.
4 This was done by the Constitution, as
i far as written words could do it, For af-
ter all our experience, at this day no words
could mend that Constitution in this re-
spect none could make this balance Of
forces more perfect. But another thing
could be done, and remained to be done.
1t was TO fix the meaning Of the Constitu-
ton by practical construction. To iastcn
on the public mind the conviction, and fill
with it the public heart, that our Constitu
ton meant, on the one hand, preserya-
ton of State rights, and on the other in
dissouble national unity. To root this
conviction into the public life firmly, so
that no storm could shake it, so that no
devastating force could rend it away. 1t
may not be possible TO prevent these two
elements from sometimes, during the ages
that will come, rising separately into un-
due prominence. AT one time, or by one
body or class, the national unity may be
urged until it threatens consolidation, and
al another time the principle Of State
rights may again assert itself too strongly.
But their reconciliation is hereafter TO be
so established not by the written Constitu-
ton only, but by the constitution OF the
public sentiment and the public will, that
it viii stand, even as our continent stands
upon its rocky base, no more 70 be moved
from its foundation than our continent IL
moved by the two great oceans which beat
upon its shores.
And it is precisely this work which the
war that is upon us has come to do.
These two elements stood there, as ]
have said, ready to be combined by The
trainers Of the Constitution. The one,
that Of jealous regard TO State rights,
had grown with the growth Of the colonies.
The other, the desire Of nationality, had
arisen from necessity, and, generally, !
think, was accepted only as a necessity.
And at that time, these two principles
were difiused in about the same proportion
in one part Of the country MS another. IL
il well known, for example, that the Con-
stitution was adopted with as much reluct-
ance in the North as in the South. Those
who are conyersant with the history of
those days know that in our own Com
monwcalth the public sentiment was
strongly against il, and that il was finally
f carried through only by the strenuous cf-
, forts Of those who desired It's acceptance.
The Constitution was adopted, and soon
; began 10 justify itself viii not dwell
upon the prosperity of every Kind which
il gave 70 the nation From day to day,
from age to age, It went on, far more ben
. eGcial in is influence and operation than
, the most .anguinc Of those who framed II
had dared to hope. II ministered 70 our
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