The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-05-09
ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF THE FED
ERAL GOVERNMENT.


no. v
On the llth day of June, l176,
two committees were appointed by
Congress, one to draft Declaration
of Independence, the other to pre-
pare form of confederation to be
entered into by the colonies about
becoming Independent States. The
first mentioned committee was COM
posed of John Adams, DIR. Frank
lin, Roger Sherman, Robert II. Liv-
ingston, and Thomas Jefferson.
Thomas Jefferson drew up the
Declaration of Independence, at the
request of the gentlemen assO-
ISOLATED with him on the committee.
The committee, through Mr.. Jeffer-
son, made its report on the 2Sth of
June, which was on Friday. 1t was
read and ordered TO lie on the table.
On Monday, July LIST, it was taken
up aud debated in committee of the
whole. 1t was debated for the great
er parts of the I'd, Sd, and 4Lh days
of July, and was reported to the
House by the committe with several
amendments and alterations. The
House agreed to it the same night,
and every member but one, Mr..
Dickinson, signed it. The effect of
this declaration every schoolboy
knows, but it is not so well known
that Mr.. Jefferson never forgave
those tImid, or as he calls them,
pusillanimous members, who in
sisted upon striking out some of his
most vigorous passages, yet in its
present mutillated form it is grand
piece of workmanship.
The report of the second COM
mittee, which consisted of one
member from each colony, was
made about the middle of July.
The report was debated for several
days. On the Goth day of August,
Congress, in committee of the
whole, reported a new draft of arti-
Giles of Confederation, and ordered
the same printed for the use of
members.
These articles being finally agreed
upon in Congress, letter was adj
dressed to the legislative bodies OF
the several States, asking that the
delegates representing the States in
Congress, might be authorized to
subscribe to the articles for the
States. The articles were not to
become law until ratified by all the
States. 1t was nearly five years
however, before these articles were
ratified, viz, March, 1881.
There was no design at this time
o. forming national government.
The articles were called "Articles of
Confederation and Perpetual I'm
ion between the States" Tie Sec
ond article declares that "Each
State retains its sovereignty, free
dom and independence, and every
power, Jurisdictions and right which
is not by this confederation ex-
pressly delegated to the United
States in Congress assembled" We
call the special attention of our
readers to this fact, because upon
this article confederation is lused
the entire argument for State rights
as maintained by Mr.. Calhoun and
his disciples. We shall find, how
ever, that the Federal government
did away with all this.
The third article of the confeder-
alton declared that "The said States
hereby severally enter into a firm
league of friendship with each
other, for their common defence,
the security of their liberties, and
their mutual and general welfare"
We must not lose sight of the fact
that the confederation was intended
only as a league between the States.
There was no attempt at q national
government. Provision was made
for a Congress composed of dele
gates from each State, appointed an
nually, but each State had right to
recall any or all of it's delegates at
any time within the year, and send
others in their stead. Each State
had one vote, and the delegates
were paid by the States sending
them. No State was allowed to
send less than two nor more than
seven delegates. Congress had |
power to declare war, emit bills of
credit, ETC., provided nine States
consented, aud without such consent
1t could not even oppoint a COM
mander-in-chief to its army or navy.
1t had no power to levy and collect
taxes or revenue. 1t could appor-
ton the sum needed among the
States, and each State was at liberty
to raise its proportion or not just as |
1t pleased. Among other defects of
the confederation, there was no pro-
vision made for Judiciary. Wash
ington declared that "The confeder-
alton seemed little more than a
shadow."