The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-08-15

Here we find the startling force Of Henrys
soarecrOw of consolidated nationality met
by defiant query as to what the States had
TO do with it. The people had the right to
make Government If they wished to, and
the States, which were the creatures of the
people, not their makers nor masters, had no
right to intervene. If the sovereignty which
was vested in the people gave them power to
make State Governments, II also gave them
power to make a National Government, and
Mr.. Pendleton who thought that the confede-
ration was 'no government at all, said of
the onstitution:-"Suppose the paper on
your table dropped from one of the
planets, the people found it, and sent us
here to consider whether it was proper for
their adoption, must we not obey them
Then the question must be between this
Government and the confederation" Here
was an unequivocal adoption of popular SOW
eregnty against State sovereignty, such as
must have shocked the nerves of the Confede-
rationists very much indeed; but was followed
up by the declaration of Mr.. Lee, of West
moreland, that the expression, owe, the peo-
ple," was introduced into the Constitution
with great propriety. "Ths system, " said he,
''is submitted to the people for their cOnsidera-
tion, because on them it is to operate, If
adopted" and after he had strengthened his
position by lengthened argument and illustra-
ton, Mr.. Henry renewed his attack by again
proclaiming the Government created "con-
sOlidated Government" He evidently
thought the declaration of that simple truth
enough to warn his hearers away from it
but they were not all as much afraid of
consolidation as he was and were quite
willing to accept it as the only escape from
growing and threatening evils. "The
question turns" said Henry, con that poor
little thing-the expression, We, the people,
instead of the States of America X
"Here is a revolution as radical as that which
separated us from Great Britain" The coun-
try could hardly be frightened by the revolu-
tionary agitator himself raising the cry of
revolution anew. Neither did the usual catch
penny epithet of ''radical' answer his pur-
pose. The Government was a necessity, and
all his assaults upon it were fruitless. 1t was
adopted by the people, whose Government it
is; and his delineations of its character and
powers may now be properly invoked by its
friends to carry out those measures necessary
to perfect its operations. The State sove-
reignty party gained ground after the adop-
tion of the Constitution, being helped thereto
by many adventitious circumstances. They
came into possession of the Government, and
so organized its different departments as to
emasculate it and make it powerless before the
States.
AS Alexander H. Stephens said they always
insisted upon majority Of the Supreme Court,
and having majority of Congress- and nearly
OH VIC AAesluente' Vic AVeI IPreIduous pun
upon the Constitution were made chains
wherewith to bind the arms of the nation.
They ran the Government down the inclined
plane of inimical construction for eighty years
into the pit of rebellion and civil war, thus
proving that its benefcence depended materially
upon the construction it should receive at the
hands of those who administered it.
This method having nearly ruined the
Government and the nation, it is time to
reverse the engine and run it upon the track
of true construction; that construction which
was given to it by its friends and not by its
enemies. 1t is quite sure it can no longer be
permitted to drift along dishonored as the
creature of sovereign States. Its permanency
can only be secured by its legitimate supremacy
over the States, and to enable it to exercise
the powers conferred upon it by the Constitu-
ton, law must be passed to enforce the
guarantee clause thereof