The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-05-02

4
government, always moving upon
crutches, and lettering at every STEP"
The response of the country was the
convention of 1887, at Philadelphia.
The declaration of independence was
but the Vestibute of the temple which
this Industrious assembly erected.
with no successful precedents to guide,
it auspiciOusly worked out the prob
lem of constitutional government, and
Of imperial powerand home rule, sup
each other in promoting
The grandeur of the nation, and pre-
serving the liberty of the individual.
The deliberations of great councils
have vitality affected at different periods
the history of the world and the fate
of empires; but this congress builded,
upon popular sovereignty, institutions
broad enough to embrace the continent
and elastic enough to fit all conditions of
race and traditions. The experience of
Il hundred years has demonstrated
for US the perfection of the work. for
defence against foreign foes, and for
against domestic in
for limitless expansion in
and material development.
and for steady growth in intellectual
freedom and force. Its continuing in
fiuence upon the welfare and destiny
of the human race can only be meas
ured by the capacity of man to Guilt
tunities of liberty and law. The elo=
quent Characterization of Mr.. Glad
stone condenseS Its merits: The
American constitution is the most
wonderful work ever struck off at a
given time by the brain and purpose of
man."
The statesmen who composed this
great senate were equal to their trust.
Their conclusions were the results of
calm debate and wise concession.
Their character and abilities were so
pure and great as to command the con-
fdeDce of the country for the reversal
of the policy of the independence OF
the state of the power of the general
which had hitherto been
the invariable practice and almost uni
versal opinion, and for the adoption of
the nation and its supremacy.
Towering in majesty and influence
above them all stood Washington,
their president. Beside him was the
venerable Franklin, who though eighty
one years of age, brought to the delib-
eratiOns of the convention the unim-
paired vigor and resources of the wisest
brain, the most hopeful philosophy
and the largest experience of The
times. Oliver Ellsworth, afterwards
chief justice of the United States, and
the most profound jurist in the coun-
try; Robert Morris, the wonderful
erneur Morris, the most versatile
genius of his period; Roger Sherman,
one of the most eminent of the signers
of the declaration of independence, and
John Rutledge, Rufus King, Elbridge
Gerry, Edmund Randolph and the
Pinckneys, were leaders of unequalled
patriotism, courage, ability and learn
ing; while Alexander Hamilton and
James Madison, as original thinkers
and constructive statesmen, ranR
among the immortal few whose opin-
ions have for ages guided ministers OF
state, and determined the destinies Of
nations.
This great convention keenly felt
and with devout and serene inteIli
gence met, its tremendous responsible
ties. 1t had the moral support of the
few whose aspirations for liberty haC
been inspired or renewed by the tri
umph of the American revolution, an(
the active hostility of every govern
ment in the world.
There were no examples 20 follow
and the experience of its members leG
part of them to lean toward absolute
Capitalization as the only refuge from
the anarchy of the confederation
while the rest chung to the sovereignt,
of the states, for fear that the concen
tfation of power would end in the alb
sorptiOn of liberty. The large state
did not want to surrender the advan-
vantage of their position and tn
smaller states saw the danger to thei
existence. The leagues of the Greel
cities had ended in a loss of freedom
tyranny, conquest and destruction
Roman conquest and assimilation ha'
strewn the shores of time with tn
wrecks of Empires, and plunged civil
cation into the perilS and horrors O
| the dark ages. The government O
| Crom well was the isolated power of tn
mightiest man of his age, without pop
ular authority to fill his place or til,
| hereditary principle to protect his snc
cessor. The past furnished no ligh
| for our state builders, the present wa
full of doubt and despair. The future
| the experiment of self-government
the perpetuity and Development @
| freedom, almost the destiny of mar
kind. was in their hands.
at this crisis the courage and conf
dence needed to originate a syster
weakened. The temporiZing spirit O
| compromise seized the convention wit
| the alluring proposition of not proceed
ing faster than the people could b
educated to follow. The CRY
| LET US not waste our labC
upon conclusions which wi
| not be adopted, but amend an
adjourn, was assuming startling uns
nimity. But the supreme force an
majestic sense of Washington brougE
the assemblage to the lofty plane of il
i Il, -fVrvn 10 H.. -
is too probable that no plan we pr
pose will be adopted. Perhaps anOtl
er dreadful conflict is to be sustained
If to please the people we offer whs
we ourselves disapprOYe, how can "
afterwards defend our work? Let 1
raise standard to which the wise an
honest can repair; the event is in I'll
hand of Cod Il am the state,n sal
Louis the Fourteenth, but his line ende
In the grave OF absolutism." Fort
centuries look down upon you" Wa
Napoleon S address to his army, in I'll
shadow of the pyramids, but his Sc
diers saw only the dream of eastern en-
pire vanish in blood Statesmen an
parliamentary leaders have sunk mi
oblivion or led their party to defeat, /
SurrenderIng their convictions to tt
passing passions of the hour, bI
Washington in this immortal speed
struck the keynote of representa-,
obligations, and propounded the fund
mental principal of the purity al
perpetuity of constitutional govern
ment.
Freed from the limitations of its e.
viroment, and the question of the ado
tion of its work, the convention erectE
its government upon the eternal foun
ationS of the power of the people.
dismissed the delusive theory of COZ
) pact between independent states, al
derived national power from the De
. pie of the United States. It broke 1
the machinery of the confederate
and put in practical operation the gil
tering generalities of the deciaratiC
of Independence. From chaos can
order. from insecurity came safet
from disintegratioD and civil war can
: law and liberty, with the princip
: proclaimed in the preamble of Il
: great charter, I'VE, the people of Il
United States, in order to form
more perfect union, establish ju
: tice, insure domestic tranquility, pT
] vide for the common defense. promo
the general welfare, and secure &
: blessings of liberty to ourselves al