The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-04-09

cause the great object Of "many Of the lead
ing members of the Convention was to pu
the States at the mercy of the General Gov
ernment.' OF course, men of Martins de
scriptiOn were opposed to the Constitution
1t is true that Madison was one of the au
thors of the Federalist, did become one o
the leaders of the Republican party; on,
Of the main points with him being opposi
ton to the old United States Bank. Blu
was not Madison in the Convention one o
the very ..leaders'' who aimed to DESTROY
State sovereignty altogether? Did he no
90 for the strongest National Government
now advocated by anybody Let US see
Hear Madison himself:
Madison said: Il am for a National
is, in my view, the same." -.
Mr.. HamiitOn.-''I did not intend. YES.
terday. total extinguishmento Of the State
governments; but my meaning was, tha,
q National Government ought to be able
to support itself. without the aid or inter.
ference Of the State Governments, and that
therefore. 1t was necessary to have full
sovereignty"
Mr.. King.-'None of the States are now
sovereign or independent. Many o,
their essential rights are vested in Con.
gress.''
By the way, if Mr.. King was right in
this statement, and he undoubtedly was
where did the States get their sOverei0ntu
under the Constitution? That is 4 poin,
on which we have never had any lich,
from any quarter. They did not have i,
under the British Government. They did
not have it under the Confederation. How
did they suddenly emerge to sovereign
rights under the Constitution? It is a
simple historical tact-they never had anv
sovereignty, Of any sort, to lose or give
away. The whole thing is an assum ption
baselexs as the fabric OF dream.
Mr.. Wilsop.-"The Declaration of Inde-
pendence proceeded the State Constitutions,
What does this declare? In the nameof the
people OF these States, we are declared to
be free and independent. The powers OF
war, peace, alliance and trade are declared
to be vested in Congress-
Mr.. Madison.-"I apprehend the creates,
danger is from enroachment Of the States
on the National Government. This appre-
hension is justly founded on the expert
ence Of ancient confederacies, and our own
is proof of it,
We have no room in a newspaper article
to make more extended extracts. Here we
have the leading men of the Convention.
from Virginia, Massachusetts, New York
and Pennsylvania, declaring for National
government. and none stronger than Mr.:
Madison. Hamilton, King, Wilson, and
ton, were members OF the Federal party.
Mr.. Madison was almost the only excep-
ton. Mason of Virginia, Yates and Loring
of New York, and many others who OPP
posed the Constitution, went into the Re-
publican party.
3. We said, in a former article, that the
Democratic party has never adopted the
"'eS resolutions" In a fair sense this is
true, but technically it is not. The old Re-
publican (Democratic) party never adopt
ed them, but we are reminded by friend
in Indiana that since 1852. the Democratic
conventions have adopted the resolutions
Of 1898, and determined to stand by them.
We had forgotten that fact. But it is pro-
foundly suggestive. 1t suggests the fearful
poll ical degeneracy Of what called itself
the Democratic party! The Republican
Madison explained their meaning all away.
Jefferson was glad to let them pass into
oblivion. OF the nine States which acted
on them, seven sfernly rejected them. Con-
gress, in all its multitudinous debates,
scarcely ever alluded to them. The Dem
ocratic party held power in both Houses OF
Congress, and great majority of States,
fury all parties and all statesmen seemed
willing that they should pass into the recep.
ton Of lost things. What erevived them?
How came they to be the creed of the
Democratic party in 1852, and of Peace
Conventions in 1864? There is not SO dis
graceful fact, when the motive is looked
to, in our whole political history. Burke
says, somewhere. that the French Revolu.
ton was 50 complete thatit Extended even
to the constitution Of the mind Of man.
It was SO with slavery in this country; il
infected everything of public nature-i1
infected every politician-it infected the
church. There was no refuge from its evi
influences. The Press, which In all vieis
STUDIES Of time and change, has in the maiE
been the friend of freedom: here and thert
some of its writer's untrammeled, at lengtk
enough to resist the downward tide of po
litical influence. The election Of Genera
Taylor, though brought about against thu
ultra AbOlitiOniste, brought on the rea
crisis. Trylor resisted the determination
Of the South to make the territory of Cali
fornia and New Mexico slave States. In
1850 was the crisis, and the South failed in
its desperate purpose to carry slavery ovel
the continent. From henceforwxrd thu
measures for secession werc taken. Hence
forward the. Democratic party must NJ
longer hesitate. There must be no non.
cOMmittals. There must he an adoption
without .'if" or land" of the whole ger
minal principle Of secession; and it was
done when the Democratic Convention o
1867 adopted the resolutions OF l7S6, which
declared the right of State to interposs
against the acts Of the General Government
The Democratic party had held power dur
ing long series Of years, but in one fear
full leap it passed beyond the bounds of thu
the Constitution and the favor of the peo
pie.
oh! Lucifer,
Son OF the morning. how art thou fallen!
Two more Presidents were yet to be cleo.
ted, before the catastrophe which folly and
imbecili,v had brought on, should be ter.
minated in crime and blood. They were fl
Presidents for such an end. Poor Pierce il
performing the nasty part Of rebel sym.
pathizer in New Hampshire, and Buchanan
10 lingering out life, which was never
brilliant, in disgrace, which IL the worse
because it will be memorable. We CANNOT
extend this article into the striking contrast
which the reader can readily make for him
self. between the principles Of Andrew Jack
son, declared in the proclamation Of 1892
and any idea and sentiment of the "'96'
resolutions. Their antagoaism is SO great
that no human sophistry can pervert it,
We did not support Andrew jackson, bu
gladly do our tumble part in laying thi.
laurel upon his grave. Whatever else h
was. he was q hero and patriot. Had hi
stood in the place Of the Pierces and Blu
chonsue M accession would ever hav(