The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-05-01

WAS inspired by the very genius of freedom,
anu the prophetic possibilities OF united com
monwealths covering the continent in one
harmonious republic when it made the people
OF the thirteen colonies all Americans, and de-
VolVed upon them to administer by themselves
and for themselves the prerogatives and powers
wreSted from crown and parliament. Il con
densed Magma Charter the petition of rights,
the great body of English liberties embodied In
The common law and accumulated III the de-
clsions Of the courts. the statutes of the realm
and an undlsputed, though unwritten, constitu
ton; but this original principle and dynamic
lorce OF the peoples power sprang from these
oid seeds planted in the virgin soil OF the new
| world.
More clearly than any statesman of the period
| dld Thomas Jefferson grasp and divine the
| possibilities of popular government, He caught
ana crystallZed the spirit of free institutions.
| His philosophical mind was snguarly free
from the power of precedents or the chains of
| prejudice lie had an unquestioning and ahd
| ing faith in the people. which was accepted by
| nut rev or his compatriots. Upon his famous
| axiom, Of the equality of all men before the
| law he constructed his system. 1t was the trip
| hammer essential for the emergency TO break
| the Links binding the colonies to imperial
! authority. and to pulverize the privileges of
caste. 1t inspired him to write the Declaration
OF independence, and persuaded him to doubt
| the wisdom of the powers concentrated III
| tbs constitution. In his passionate love of ill.,
| erty he became intensely jealous of authority.
lie destroyed the sub$tance of royal preroga-
| tive, but never emerged from its shadow. He
would have the states as the guardians of popu-
! lar rights and the barriers against centralza-
| ton, and he saw in the growing power of the
| nation ever-iucreasing entertainments upon the
! rights OF the people. For the success of the
pure democracy which must precede Presidents
| and cabinets aud congresses, it perhaps
! proYiiential that it's apostles never believed
! great people could grant and still retain could
| give and at will reclaim, could delegate and yet
| firmly hold the authority which ultimately
created the power of their republic and enlarged
the scope of their own liberty.
| The pride of the states and the ambition of
their leaders sectional iealousies and the over
| whelmng dstrust of Centralized power were
| all arrayed against the adoption of the consti-
| tuition. North Carolina and Rhode Island
fused to join the union until long after Wash
| inRtons inauguration. For months New York
! was debatable ground. Her territory extend
| ing from the sea to the lakes made her the
| keystone of the arch. Had Arnold treason in
| this revolution not been foiled by the capture
| of Andre. En- gland would have held New York
| ana subiugated the colonies, and in this crisis,
unless New York assented, a hostile and power.
| full commonwealth dividing the states, made
| tne union impossible
Success was due to confidence in Washington
| and the genius OF Alexander Hamilton. ,Ieffer-
| soa was the inspiration of independence, but
| Hamilton was the incarnation of the constitu-
| ton. In no age nor country has there appeared
! a more precocious or amazing intelligence than
! Hamilton, At Il. he annihilated the president
| of his college, upon the question of the rights
OF the colonies, in series of anonymous ertl-
| Giles which we're ere Iited to the abest men in
the country; at AZ, when he died, his briefs had
| become the law of TIE land, and his fiscal
! system was, and after 100 years remains.
| the rule and policy of our govern
! ment lie gave life TO the corpse of national
! credit, and the strength for self-preservation
and aggressive power TO the federal union.
| Both as an expounder Of the principles and an
administrator OF the aHairs of government he
| stands supreme aa0 uurivaled in American
| history His eloquenee was so magnetic his
language so clear and his reasoning 80 irrasisti-
BILE. that he swayed with equal ease popular
assemblies, grave seuates, and learned judges
He captured the people of the whole country
for the constitution by his papers in the FEEDER
uIist, and conquered the hostile majority in the
New York convention by the splendor of his
| oratory.
But the multltudes whom no argument could
| convince, who saw in the executive power and
| centralized force of the constitution, under
another name, the dreaded usurpation of king
and ministry, were satisfied only with the assur
ancs: Washington will be President. " Good -
cried John Lamb, the able leader of the Sons of
| Liberty, as he dropped his opposition; FOR TO
no other mortal would | trust authority so
| enormous" Washington Will be President. -
| was the battle-cry Of the constitution. 1t
quieted alarm and gave confidence to the tind
| and courage to the weak The country re-
| spondsd with enthusiastic Immunity, but the
inie tbe WIN errd Sne greatest reqGtface
| when the world expected him to
| follow the precedents of the past. and per
petuate the power a grateful country would
willingly have left ia his hands, he had resigned
| station his well-earned rest. The convention
| created by his exertions TO prevent. AS he said,
| the decline of our federal dignity into insg
| nificant end wretched fragments of empire, "
has called him to preside over it's Deliberations
! It's work made possible the realization of his
| hope that we might survive as an independ-
ent republic, and again he sought the secu-
| sion OF mis- home. But, after the triumph Of
| the war, aud the formation of the constitution.
came the third and final crisis: the initial move
ments Of government which were to teach the
inf ant OF a "a ha CT uni al fanE IA
Washington was never dramatic, but on great
occasions he not only rose to the full ideal OF
the event, he became himself the event. One
| hundred years ago TO-DAY the procession of
| foreign ambassadors, Of statesmen and gen
erals, of civic societies and military companies,
| which escorted him, marched from Franklin
| square to Pearl street. through Pearl to Broad,
| and up Broad 10 this spot but the people
| only Washington. AS he stood upon the steps
| OF the old government building here the thought
must bave occurred to him that it was a cradle
| OF liberty. and such giving bright omen
| for tbs future. In these halls IN 1885, in the
lished for the first time in its history,
the liberty Of the press. Here the New
York assembly, in 17Cl, made the protest
against the stamp act and proposed the gen.
! eral conference which was the beginning OF
! the united colonial action. In this old state
| mousse in 1865 the stamp act OF congress, the
! first and the father Of American congresses,
ass 3mbe and presented 10 the English gov
| ernment that vigorous protest which caused the
repeal Of the act. and checked the first step TO-
| ward the usurpaton which lost the American
| colonies to the British empire Within these
| walls the congress of the confederation had
commissioned its ambassadors abroad, and in
| Intellectual efforts at government had created
| the necessity for the concentration OF federal
! authority, now to be contaminated.
The first congress OF the United States gath
cred in this ancient temple of liberty, greeted
| Washington and accompanied him 70 the bal
| cony. The famous men visible about him were
| Chancellor Livingston. Vice President John
| Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Gov. Clinton.
| Roger Sherman, Richard Henry Lee, Gen. Knox
| and Baron Steub.n. But we believe that among
| the invisible host above him, at this supreme
moment Of the elimination in permanent tri-
| umph Of the thousands OF years OF struggle for
| self-government, were the spirits Of the sol
| ders Of the revolution who had died that their
countrymen might enjoy this blessed day, and
| with them were the BaronS OF Runnymede and
William the Silent, and Sidney and Russell, aud
Cromwell ana Hampton, aud the heroes and
martyrs of liberty. OF every race and age.
Posterty owes to Washington administration
the policy aud measures, the force and direc-
ton which made possible this glorious result.
| Ia giving the organization or the department OF
| state aud foreign relations 10 Jefferson, tue
| treasury 10 Hamilton and The supreme court 70
! jay he selected for his cabinet and called TO his
assistance the ablest and most eminent men of
his time. HamiltOn's marvellous versatility and
genius designed the artnOry and the weapons
! for the promotion of national power and great.
ness but Washington's steady support carried
| them through Parties cryBtallized and party
passions we're intense, debates were intem.