National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-03-04
AN OLD RELIC.
LETTER OF JOHN QUINCY ADAMS
Never Before Published rs His Production - The
Reoson Why His Name Was Kept from the
Public In Connection With It
Interesting Reading.

Below will be found copy of letter
and preface written by John Quincy Adams
| but never before known as his production. The
letter to Mr. Adams was written before the election
| of Andrew Jackson, but the compilation of the
| work mentioned was not printed until after that
event When Jacksen's proclamation appeared II
| was added to the work The publisher, Mr.. Long
worth, did not append the name of Mr. Adams
lest party preiudices should affect the sale
| WASHINGTON, 10 December, 1892
| DR.. JOSEPH sEAyy, 122 Edridge Street, Ne.e ForE:
| SIR: now enclose a preface for the publication
| which has been recommended by you and is con-
templated by Mr.. Longworth have endeayored
to make 1t conformable to your views, and adapted
TO the purposes Of the publisher, which appear to
me to be correct and highly laudable. Whether I
have succeeded in this desire or not 1t is for him
and you to judge. If 1t should meet your and his
appreciation. it is at his service. If net, will
| thank you to return the manuscript to me. Your
observations respecting the importance of furnish
ing to the people the means of being intimately
acquainted with the Constitution and fInda-
! mental laws by which they are governed and
| protected are equally judicious and patriotic
Your proposal for the formation of associations in
the several States for the of the Union
and of the Constitution is deserving of great con-
sideration. But, before attempting it upon an ex-
| tensiye scale, 1t would perhaps be advisable to
| settle some principles upon which the associates
| should be agreed. and some concerted mode of
action between the different societies for the pro-
| motion of the common object. 1t might be neees-
sary to use much pTecaution in forming such so
cieties to keep them within the precise limits for
which they would be instituted. lam, with much
| respect, sir, your servant and fellow citizen.
10. ADAMS.
PREFACE.
The compilation here presented to the public
consists of the three following documents:
l. The Declaration of Independence issued by
Congress on the 4th of July, I776.
q The Constitution of the United States, first
organized OH the 18th of March, 1889.
g. The farewell address of George Washington,
first President of the United States to the people of
the United States, dated 18th September, 1896
Although these three papers are in some respects
OF character distinct and separate from each
other, yet between them there is close and init
mate connection upon which it is believed that
the citizens Of the Union cannot too earnestly
mediate
The Declaration of Independence was is
sued " IN the name end By The authority of
the good people" of thirteen of the colonies of
Great Britain then existing ON the con-
tinent of North America. 1t was promulgated
by Congress of delegates not from the colonial
governments, but from the people of each of those
colonies, in hostile and revolutionary opposition
TO these governments. The delegates of this
whole united people declared the thirteen colonies
to be free and independent States. 1t was not a
separate declaration by the people of each
colony Of its own independence, but an united
and unanimous declaration in the name of the
whole people that the thirteen colonies were free
and Independent States In the copies usually
DublShpd Of this Declaration ho nanac of fba
States to which the delegates seyerally belonged
have been improperly added, but they are not in
the original declaration, an exact copy of which is
here given, and in no part Of which will be found
the name ofany one of the States into which the
good people of the whole, by this act, issued in
their name and by their authority, converted the
thirteen colonies. The declaration W as issued in
the sane and By the authority Of The ,cholc people But
after constituting the thirteen colonies free and
independent States the people of the Union did not
Immediately proceed to form q government for the
whole They thought it more suitable to their
condition and circumstances to adopt separate
government for each of the States and mere con-
federation for the Who'll tehe effect of which was
that each State considered itself not only free and
independent but sovereign, and the confederation
which they adopted was mere league of alliance
between sovereign powers with congress not
even of pienfpotentiaries and possessing none of
tne auln0f1tleS OF government
This confederation was soon found to be utterly
inefficient for the wants of the people. and by its
imbecity brought the Union itself to the verge of
dissolution. The indispensable necessity of gen.
eral government was felt, to be sanctioned by the
whole people. To form such government the
States were not competent. They could only pro-
pose it to the people, and this they did. This
produced the Constitution of the United States,
drawn up by convention of dele
gates from the Legislatures of twelve of
the thirteen States, proposed by the Congress of
the confederation to the Legislatures of the several
States for submission to the people; referred by
the Legislatures of the States to conventions of the
people elected for the express and sole purpose of
deciding upon its adoption rejection, and
solemniy adopted by the conventions of the people
Of each and every one of the thirteen States
The Constitution of the United thus became the
act of the tshoic people, and that there might be
no possible honest mistake on this point, that the
whole people and the people of every part might
know the full extent of the engagements which
they contracted by this instrument the convention
prepared 1t in the form of an act of the whole
people speaking in their own name, and in the
first person. ave the people of the United States"
And so it was understood by George Washington,
president of the convention which prepared the
Constitution. His farewell address afterWard,
upon declining second reelection as President
of the United States, not to the States but to
the people; and 10 them, in speaking of the Con-
stitution of the United States, he styles it the free
Constitution, the ap0rk Of your hands" while in
recommending to them with all the solicitude of
parental affection the preservation of the Union.
he denominatesit the unity of government tohich
constitutes you one peopls."
The present publication is deemed peculiarly
seasonable at this juncture inasmuch as doctrines
of a very different character have been recently
preached with regard to the national compact in
quarter of the Union where they were least to be
expected-doctrines directly tending to the disso-
luton of the Union, and too probably got up with
that design According to those theories. there is
not and never was people of the United States.
The Constitution ismereiy compact between sover
eign States in which the people have part at all
According to these statesmen and sageS, when the
signers of the Charter of Independence declared
in the and by the authority of the good people
whom they represented that the United Colonies
were free and independent States they guilty
of fraud and falsehood. There was no good people
for them to represent; they were the representa-
tiyes of States sovereign before they existed, and
usurped the name and authority of an imaginary
people. In the same school of reasoning we are |
taught that when the people of the United |
States, in their own name and in the face |
of all mankind. declare that they themselves Or
dain and establish the Constitution of the United
States, the whole people proclaim a lie, for the
whole people had nothing to do with the establish
ment of the Constitution, and no such people, in |
truth, exists at all Again, when Washington !
upon declining a second reelection, made q i
solemn farewell address to the people of the United
States, he was raising his voice to a nonentity. |
When he told them that the Constitution was the |
work of their own hands he was speaking to the |
winds. and when he adjured them by all that |
could enlighten their understandings and all that
could affect their hearts to cling to that unity of
government iotich constituted them one people As to
the life blood circling through the heart, he was
raving like a maniac to creature of his own i'm