The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-02-25

the surface of events, thus dverting the pnb
lie mind from things essential, and educating
the people to the tricks of manal lDment and
to submission to those tricks, instead of in.
| spring any profound respect and wide intell
| gence concerning the nature of the govern.
ment. Free suffrage is based on the assump
tion that the citizen is able TO form an enlight.
/ ened judgment concerning the affairs of the
State, and that he will exercise that judgmen,
for the public good. 1t is in the very nature
of party spirit to divert the intelligence of the
citizen from the essential to the accidental
from the fundamental aud perpetual to the
faettious and temporary. In the language OF
that constitutes us one people," That is the
keystone of the arch. But that principle
the life OF the Republic, has been hawked as a
thing for sale by partizans. And we have be.
come familiar with threats to destroy the uni-
ty oil the government OH condition of this OF
that policy, making the principle secondary
and the accident primary. Who doubts that
If we OF the free States had always been as
decided, as true and outspoken for the unity
OF the government, as we were after the fall
of Sumter, that the forty thousand citizens OF
Maine now In the field or on the sea, would
be at home plying the quiet industries OF
peace? Party spirit trifed with the unity of
the government, played fast and loose with
threats to destroy il, and degraded it to the
ranks OF accidental things and temporary pol
icies; hence this nemesis of fire and blood. II
the government had been administered for the
last thirty years on the principle of the unity
Of the government as rigidly as Andrew Jack
son administered IL, who does not believe that
this scorpion of secession would have been
crushed in the shell? l repeat, the govern
ment has been administered on shifting expe-
dents, and not on its inherent spirit and prin-
cipes. Issues have been created. schemes
have been got up, policies have been projected.
foreign to and outside of the idea of the gov
ernment, that parties might have some ground
to stand on, which the true theory of the gov
ernment would not allow.
This departure from the ground plan of the
Constitution, this adoption of expedients in
the place of principles, that party might get
room for leverage, is manifest in the fact that.
we have so few fixed stars in our political hea-
vens; so few landmarks of great final, decisive
acts in our history. We are as people. from
the days when the fathers fell asleep, almost
without traditions; there it no steady, unbro-
ken flow Of acts judicial, legislative, popular,
which keeps its historic identity and reveals a
uniform tendency and momentum of govern
mental life We are without precedents, and
what we do settles nothing. 1t is true we are
young people, and seventy five years is not
past grey eld and venerable. Yet il is
enough to develop some of the characteristic
tendencies Of a nations principles and life.
At any rate, never WIRE people so intent on
making finalities, and having things settled
forever. How many finishing strokes, and
grand conclusive policies, sealed unto the
judgment day, have been projected In the life
time of the present generation OF men! Yet
we are people without great acknowledged
landmarks. 1t may be said safely, with those
qualifications which common sense puts to
general expressions, that the great final poll
cies. adjustments, decisions, which their res
pective advocates claimed were eternal SETTLE
ment, settled nothing. The purchase of the
French territory of Louisiana of doubtful
constitutionality justified by that last argu-
ment, imperious necessity might have been
esteemed great decisive act concerning an
nexation, warning the country off that ground
forever but IL decided nothing What did
the Missouri Compromise decide? Nothing
Ghost Of Henry Clay, ddst thou know that
thy name was written in sand when thou
didst stamp the seal of compact upon the con-
tinent? What did the compromises of Aug
ust 1850, settle? Nothing. What did the re-
peal OF the Missouri Compromise settle?
Nothing. What did the decision of the Su-
preme Court concerning Dred Scott settle ?
Nothing. None OF these furnish precedents
which are pledges of the future. This devious,
uncertain, contradictory, and temporary char
acter OF public policies could not be- If the ad-
ministration of the government was the legit-
innate flow Of its principles II can be only
on condition that the administration of the
government Is the policy of a party. We
should have settled principles If we had acted
on principles. But we have acted on schemes
expedients, contrivances, instead-and these
are the only things on which party spirit can
act
The same thing also appears in our popular
elections. 1t frequently happens that popu-
lar election is no indication of public senti-
ment, simply showing an extemporized sent-
ment manufactured for an hour.
1t Is for these things that the shade of Wash
ington reproves us, and repeats its warning
to-day. The essential principle of the govern
ment the unity that makes US one people, has
been violated, and the government has been
administered on the accidental and tempora-
ry devices Of an hour, and not on the essen
tial principles which are the foundation of the
Republic. This has brought death and all our
woe. Who doubts to-day that If Washington's
admonition could be received by this people,
If his spirit and temper and view OF the gov
ernment could inform the mind and heart of
the people. that the country would be saved?
that her glory would go forth as the morning.
and her strength as the noon-day, Let YOU
and me- Fellow Citizens, accept that adlnoni-
tion, and benignant reproof
/ have never esteemed slavery as the To-
gical cause of the civil war. 1t PLAYS. how
ever, so important a part, it enters SO largely
into the plans of the rebellion, even TO be the
corner stone of the new temple, that we de-
sire to-day to correct our minds by counsels
OF the mighty dead. As early as l774, Wash
ington presided at the Fairfax meeting. the
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