Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1892-03-24
The great philosopher of modern

sion of It's few powers vards man.
kinds of governme aggressions
and by this consequence, too will
ing submission to one after anothe
aggression, and less fine, keen low
of liberty. The blood of many race
has mingled here with the earl.
strains. For him, therefore, th'
whole decalogue Of our politica
moralities would have been summed
up in this one commandment, live vi
to your constitution, the way, The
truth, the life indeed. (Applause.,
These are three great testimonies
The old constitution Of these United
States exists with It's indestructiole
parts and It's indestructible unity
1t is foremost among mankind's poll
tical deeGs, being quite authoritative.
still supreme; live up to it.
IN SPITE OF UsURPATIoN.
Now, | think we shall find that the
object of our constitution, the spirit
of it, the letter of it, explains that
enormous miracle of its equal adjust.
ment to our past, our present and
our future. The powers which il
grants are few and specified. 1t con-
centrates and centralizes these few
it needs most, but after prohibiting
many powers to the States it expli-
city distributes the whole residue OF
power not thus delegated to the
United States, nor by the United
States prohibited to the several
States, as reserved to the States
respectively or to the people. Nor
is this enough. The power OF Con-
gress to make laws for carrying into
execution these powers vested in the
government of the United States is
again explicitly restricted to such as
shall be necessary and properly execu-
tory of the same There is no limi-
tation OF government by a written
constitution possible among men, if
this be not sufficient written limi-
tation. There is no sound conStruc-
ton possible hereunder unless it be
strict construction. That old doc
trine of true Democracy and that
last WORD of higk gA political 5hl4ijllosophy
cal. lave up 20 your
constitution. TITS IS the spirit OF
our constitution, conforming to al
It's letter. Nothing to the Federal
except granted powers
nothing which can be better done by
the State government and more jeal-
ously watched; nothing to the State
governments that can be better done
blythe municipal, by the county, by
the neighborhood governments, and
more jealousy watched, and even to
these neighborhood governments,
nothing which can be better reserved
to the people; to their voluntary
ASSOCIATION under the rule of justice
enforced by equal laws.
Were its objects different from
those which it names-to form a
more perfect union, establish justice,
insure domestic tranquility, provide
for the common defense, promote the
general welfare and secure the bless
ings of liberty to ourselves and our
posterity-this ordained and estab-
lished constitution of the United
States of America could never have
emerged unimpaired from the tocsin
of war, or its expansion over half the
hemisphere. 1t is not any legalized
excursions by Congress oatside the
constitution, which explains why we
still live and move and have our
being beneath it's egis. 1t is in
despite of the transgressions, not by
help of them, that we still live. We
have not profted by them; we have
survived them. 1t is the abridge-
ment and limitation of functions OF
the government to its own proper
business, despite its transgressions
it is the distribution and devolution
of its powers, despite usurpations,
its prohibition of State powers; it is
the declaration of State rights, it is
the reservation and surrender of the
residue to the States respectively
and to the people, by which we have
truly lived and still bear our life. 1t
is individual freedom, not parental
government rule, which explains our
swift expansion from the fringe OF
thirteen feeble colonies to a CONT
nent Of mighty States. 1t is indi-
vidual freedom, not paternal guild
ance through the censors of an
inspired press, an established church,
an ennobled class, which has con-
verted collisions, competitions and
all interiors of human society into
the heat and stimulus of life and
energy and progress. tits individual
freedom, not Republican force bills,
nor Congressional leading strings,
that will enable you, strong and
highly civilized race, to guide for
ward your less gifted fellow-citizens
from plane of equity before the
law to higher levels of thrift, econ
omy, good husbandry, social order,
self-imposed and household virtue,
and thus transform the present
unimaeinable diriculties and unshared