Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-05-01

feeble life and early death have added another
to the historic Tragedies which have in many
lands marked the suppression Of free dom, had
it not been saved by the intelligent inherent
and invncible understanding of liberty by the
people, and the genius and patriotism of their
leaders.
hut, while the perils of war had given tenn
porary strength to the confederation, peace de-
veloped its fatal weakness IL derived no |
authority from the people, ts sna could not ap
euce at home, and contempt met Its represent
atives abroad. Can you fulfill or enforce the
sig IA one with you?"was the sneer of the courts
of the Old World to our ambassadors. Some
States gave q hslfhearied support 20 Its de-
mands: others defed them. The loss of public
| redit was speedily followed by universal
bankruptcy. The widest phantsstes assumed
| the force of serious measures Tor the reief OF
| the general distress. States passed exclusive
and hostile laws against each other, and riot
and disorder threatened the disintegration of
| society our stock is stolen, our houses are
plu ndered, our farms are raided," cried dele
gate in the Massachusetts conventions "des-
potsm is better than anarchy" To raise 81
600 600 n year was beyond the resources
of the government. and three hundred
thous md was tn limit of the loan IL could
| secure from the money-lenders OF Europe;
Even Washington exclaimed IN despair:
see one head gradually changing into thirteen:
| see one army gradually branching into tbir-
teen: which, instead OF looking up to Congress
as the supreme controlling power, are CONSIDER
| ing themselves as depending on their respec-
| tive States" And later, when independence
had been won, the impotency OF the govern
ment wrung from him the exclamation: Al
ter gloriously and successfully contending
| against the usuIpation OF Great bIltaln we
| may fall prey TO our own folly and disputes
| But even through this Zimmerman dark ess
shot flame which ilumined the coming cen
| tnry and kept bright the beacon fires oil liberty
The architects of constitutional freedom
formed their institutions with wisdom when
/ forecasted the future They may not have I'M
derstood at first the whole truth, but, for that
which they knew, they bad the mar
tvrs' spirit and the crusaders enthusiasm
Though the Confederation was government
| of checks without balances, and OF purpose
without power, the statesmen who guided II
demonstrated often the resistless force OF great
| souls animated by the purest PATRIOTISM, and
| united in judgment and effort to promote the
common good, by lofty appeals and high rea,
| gouing, to elevate the masses above local greco
and apparent self interest 10 their owl broad
plane.
| and intellectual forces WAS that which secured
the assent of the States the limitation OF their
boundaries, to the grant of the wilderness be-
yond them to the general government snd to
the insertion in the ordinance erecting North
west Te, rit0ries of the immortal provlso
prohibiting slavery or involuntary servl-
/ tude" within all that broad domain. The state.
carved out of this splendid concession were MOI
soyereignties which had successfully rebelled,
but they were the children of the Union, born
of the covenant and thrilled with its LIE and
liberty They became the bulwarks OF Nation
ality and the buttresses of freedom. Their pre-
ponderating strength first checked and then
broke the slave pow their ervid loyslty halted
: and held at bay the spirit OF State rights ana
secession for generations; and when the crisis
came, It was with their overwhelming assist
: ance that the Nation killed aud buried it's
enemy, The cornerstone of the ed1tice whose
f Centenary we are celebrating was the ordin-
ance of 1887. 1t was constructed by the
; feeblest of Congresses, but few entctments OF
ancient or modern times have had more far
reaching aud beneficent influence 1t rs one Of
, the sub!mest paradoxes of history, that this
weak confederation of states should nave
Z | al hat, air1cf &C
four years of fretful efforts for release its own
spirit frsnti ally dashed and died
: The government of the Republic by Coz
gress OF States, a diplomatic convention OF the
am bassadors of petty commemorative, after
seven years tIial, was falling asunder. Threat
ened W tn civil war among its mem bers, 1nsur
rection and lawlessness rife within the States
foreign commerce ruined ard internal trade
patalv zed, its currency worthless, Its merchsnt
BANKRUPT its farms mortgaged, IFS markets
closed. its labor unemployed 1t was like help
less wreck upon the ocean. tossed about by the
tides and ready IT, be engulfed in the storm
! Washington gave the warning and called io
action. II was n voice accustomed 10 commard
, but now entreating. The veterans OF the wa
, and the statesmen of the Revolution stepped t
the front, The patriotism which had been mis-
d led but had never faltered, rose above the in
tere.ts OF states and the jealousies of jarripl
Confederates 10 ind the basis for Union. 1T il
clear 10 me as A, b, e." said Washington, ":ha
!, an extension of federal powers would make u
| one of the most happy, wealthy respecta BILE ant
powerful nations that ever inhabited tn
terrestrial globe. without mem we sinai
| Don be everything which is the direct reve ,se
/ predict the worst consequences from hall
stsrved, limpiDg Government, always movin
upon crutches. and tottering at every step.
The response of the country was the Conven
, ton of 1897, at Philadelphia. The Declaration
of Independence was out The vestibue of the
temple which this illustriOus sssembly erected
With no succe ssful p-ece dents to guide, it at
spiciously worked out the problem of constitu
/, tional govern ment ard of inn erial powe r an,
home rule, experimenting each other in pro
tnn fhn nrn n md krn
] serving the liberty of the individual.
r The deliberations OF great councils hav
vitality affected, at different periods, the histor
! of the world and the tate of empires: but thi
T Congress builded upon popular sovereignty
! institutions broad enough to embrace III
continent, and elastic enough to fit all con
ditions of race and traditions. The expert
= ence of a hundred years has demonstrated
for us the perfection of the work, for defenc
t against foreign foes, and for selfpreservstiol
az ainst domestic insurrectioD, for limitless ey
! pansion in population and material develop
: ment, and for steady growth in intellectus
/ freedom and force. Its continuing Influence
, r+ce can only be measured by the capacity o
man to cultivate and enjoy the boundles
opportunities OF liberty and law. The ele
{ quent characteriZ ton of Mr.. Gladstone cor
denses its merits: THE American Constitution
\ is the most wonderful work ever struck c fl at
given time by the brain and purpose Of man.
The statesmen who composed this grea
t Senate were equal to their trust. Their con
illusions were the results of calm debate AM
wise concession. Their character and abilitie
/, were so pure and great as TO com mand the cor
/ fdence of the country for the reversal OF tn
| policy of the independence of the State powe
OF the general government, which had hilbert
been the invaria bic practice and almost uni
versal opinion, and for the adoption of the ide
of the nat on snd It's supremacy.
/. Towering in majesty and influence abov
/, them all stood Washington, their President
Beside him was the venerable Franklin, who
though 81 years of age, brought to the deiiber
ations of the convention the unimp aired vigo
and resources of the wisest BRAIN, the mos
hopeful philosophy, and the largest expert
ence of the times. Oliver Ellsworth, after
wards Chief Justice of the United States, an,
the profoundest jurist in the country; RI Der
Morris, the wonderful fiuancier of the Revolu
ton, and Gouverneur Morris the most versatil,
genius of his period; Roger sherman, one Of tn,
most eminent OF the sgnets of the Declaration
of Independence, and John Rutledge, Ruff
King Elbridge Gerry Edmund Randolph anC
the Pinckneys, were leaders OF une qualed pa
triotism, courage, ability and learning; while
Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, al
original thinkers aud constructive stntesme
rank among the immortal few whose opinions
have for ages guided Ministers Of State, an6
determined the destinies of nations.
This great convention keenly felt, and witt
devout aud serene intelligence met, its tire
mendous responsibilities. 1t had the mora
support OF the few whose aspirations for liberty
han been inspired or renewed by the triumph
OF the American Revolution and the active
hostility of every government in the world.
d Thele were no examples to follow, and the
experience of its members led part OF them tC
lean toward absolute Capitalization as he only
refuge from the anarchy of the Confederation
while the rest chung To the sovereignty of the
States for fear that the concentration Of power
| would end In the absorption of liberty. The
large States did not want to surIenoer the a..
vantage of their position, and the smaller