Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-11-12
Daily gpFfd,
ATTAIN ia, GA.


AMERICAN POLITICAL HDEAH.
Erroism, or following cut in fact or p~rsstics,
tAs -dsdueHvs conclusions Of the intellect,
slough a Distinguishing feature Of the French
character, cannot be ssid 70 be prevalent one
Of En9Bsh or American. The distinction il
lais rsesrd between French and English char
os.or is taken BY Mr.. sFEPHEEs in bis Lectures
on Funoh History, and may be accepted g. a
true enc IN reference 10 American as well. Be
Jug people Of less Independence Of theugbt, the
result sf less Esuts reasoning or dialeoiis fscul-
ties psrhsps, snd more q people Of utility and
e1pedisnsy, except upon occasion Of impulse OF
cozviction excited b. powerful metves' then
conduct and opinions are She result Of the pre-
iudrnsst ef interest, ambition, desire, rather
than that Of abstract OF uuembauassed iEtslec-
tual deduction.
In locking at the general Tec9rd Of American
poH6osl thought, VI are persuaded Of he Truth
Or The remark as spilled to Americans. With
che exception Of Mr. JEFFERSON, Mr.. Henry,
M. RABDoLPE, and Mr.. CALHoUE, in Bis late
yeaTs msTo particularly, we rsmenborfs few Hue
tious exceptions to q prevalent miscOnception
sf the nature OF chsraster Of the United States
G-svsrnneat An seemed to have the idea that
she Unissd States was an unparalleled Demoe-
rscy, OF great Democratic empire, with its vital
hssd at Washington, rather than a federation Of
sovsrsigs, Independent States, er republics,
whose general orgs2ie features might he differ
ent IS to the distribution Of their Political pow
era, and whose substantive political i1sss found
no expression in an agency whose missi5n was
era Of mere pelics in the matter Of certain inside
and outsids interests, common 10 al, oonfded to
st.
This is akin ts another idea Of popular prep
aeation thaf the American Revolution gave us
liberty. and that thst Liberty was secured tous By
forming q more perfect unian" ihrsugh the
adoption Of the Federal Constitution. Ont i5es is
IS true as the other. Tho American Revolution
gave the colonies political independence, or the
right poHaesIly to govern themselves, lesviHg
TIE question of liberty untouched, while the
adoption Of the Federal Constitution was a pre-
castiosay measure sgsiRst political interference
with The individual States by Foreign Powers,
eseh State modifying its charter not ia the mat
ear Of rights, bat in its adaptation 70 the rev
pslifcsl condition. Il is obvious 20 the least
Logical and reflective mind thai federation was
nett principle bat = logical accident Of our sys-
ten intended szly 70 give us-uFon the idea
hat thirteen ia c-snbizahon were stronger than
oHs-a e-oEvonHsHsl power CT strength to resist
danger. Is mlssioz vas negative and never
positive, aBd while it keeamo relatively positive,
chisEy a. g system Of colonization in giviBg
the pTsisstioR Of the whole to infant eomnUEi-
sizes and nascent Ststss covering the new fields
Of migration westward, il wa apparent that
there would come a tine, when By virtue Of e1-
psnsion, it weuld become impossible to harmon
izs remote o.. oEtFsms geographical interests in
a esnR0R legislature, and therefore the positive
mission would fail
Az plain and simple Is the relations ofzthe
STATE and Federal Governments seem to have
been, il seems difficult to explain the solscisn
Of their almost universal missoncspsion By meu
both intellectual and patriotic, iB every age Of
the Government. Gsa. WAsHrSsToE regards
fhs Unian Is the support of liberty, ssd Mr..
MADIs0H thinks that is preservation is Of para
m0uHt necessity to the cause Of human freedom.
Gsn. JACKSON declares that the 'Uuios must and
ahaIi be preserved" while Mr.. WEBSTER de-
elzrcs, in peadsrous rhetoric, Liberty and Uaion
noH and forever. ons and insspaTsbls." Mr..
WISE, Of Virginia, invoksB 8 union Of the Whigs
foI the sake Of the Unieni while Ar. LEaARH,
Of South Carolina, szals the Union or fodsa-
ton to The position Of q principle, and The dig
nifty sf g newly discovered political element.
Nr. CAss and Mr.. Holt, members of HT. b.
CHEEAE's Government, upon tbeir Tstan to
fheir respective States, INDUCED IN jsrsmiaas
ever the failure Of the crest American expert
ment Of frso or republican government, because
Of The exercise ef the Implied, OF Logical rights
Of tie Southern States to Withdraw from that
which, in lis best estate, Wss but 9 voluntary
sgianes, resting uPeB eIPediensy, kad which il
no wise involved any substantive question Of
civil liberty or free government, she Political
punsiples remaining to The States Is truly and
- firmly after secession as before. Even Mr..
CALHoUE, in the seliciiuds Wkich be evincsd for
the preservation ST the Union, as indicated in
his Prsia for = dual government, seemed to Is
~ LAHA 1NAA h-A-EHa = eA114 aAlAts
The logic Of late events, the logic Of facts fol-
loving the initiative Of secession, By clear
ing the uiRd Of The country Of the demorslizing
Influences Of expe5isEcy, has improved The
mental lsgie Of the country, and those now see
Clearly and unmistsks6ly the relations between
federation Aa3 government who never saw be-
before They hsvs learned that federation is q
mater Of expedieney, to bedispossd Of with the
nssesEity which gave use te it, and while a
eoudih1n Of weakness, Is The lsw Of strength TO
be enploysd against enemies sbTsad, and Rst
agsinst those, OF say Of thosc States vhieA are
fbs subjects eft. The sovereignty Of the State,
and the liberty Of the citizen, constitute the
esrnsr-stons Of sur revslUlisn, rs Of cur new Pc
H6cal association, and If anything were TaHt-
jag to satisfy Us with ToceRi political changes,
or Is satisfy az Of the error Of past political
ideas. il may be found in the fee, Of the fGllacy
o. he cryisg sloud for the Union, past SID
pressnt, il the DKstod States, where words
hsvo been sontradietod By facts. and Liberty
aid Unisn " have not been f5uR3 to be ere
snd insepanble."
mAS msB0NALB Net DEAD.
Its With uRspsaksbls pleasure that We are
enabled 10 auRourcs that the gallant Msjsr
n--- nr-n-- o. n------r-