The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1898-04-02
Some Things to be Remembered
Tim Trickett in Ellicott City (Nd) Times.


interesting fact is recorded that John
Adams, answering the question, ''Did
every member of Congress on the 4th of
July, 1776, cordially approve of the Dec
laration Of Independence p replied, MA
jorities were constantly against it. " 'For
many days the majority depended on Mr..
Hewes Of North Carolina. The draft of
a declaration was adopted on July 4th, but
it was not signed by all the members, ex-
cept John Dickinson, until the 2nd of Au-
gust. When our present constitution was
finally offered for adoption it was accepted
in nearly all cases with qualifications or
recommendations of amendments. New
York voted ratification on the declared
premise that ''the powers of government
may be reassumed by the people whereso-
ever it shall become necessary for their
happiness. ''It is a mistake the
author says, ito suppose that the effort to
break loose from the Union in 1860-61
was an episode dependent on a new reading
of constitutional rights, or that it was solely
a consequence of the desire to perpetuate
social system based on slavery" The
author goes on to say, ''It is very partial
and partisan reading of American history
which fails to see that from the acceptance
Of the constitution i'll 1899 there has been
Il tendency to assert the right of States to
nullifv national enactments or even to sever
their relations to the union. The tendency
indeed, has been shifting one, exhibited
now at the North and again in the South
The fourth proceeding of the kind was
the practical withdrawal of the New Eng
land States from cooperation in the war of
1S12-14 ending in a convention of those
States convoked for the purpose Of formu-
lating sectional autonomy. 1t is pointed
out that, Had the events Of the first ten
years of national life been forseen, it is GER
tain that Virginia and New York with
North Carolina and probably Pennsylvania
would not have ratified the constitution,
and the author shows that ''could New
England have looked far enough ahead to
see the events of the fourteen years follow
ing 1900, it would never had entered the
Union. Chief Justice Marshall said
upon one occasion, 80 small in many in
stances was the majority for the censtitu-
tion as to afford strong ground for the
opinion that had the influence Of character
been removed the intrinsic merits of the
instrument would not have secured its
adoption Indeed it is scarcely to be
doubted that in some Of the States ma
jority Of the people were in opposition.
In the author Judgment therefore it is Il
case of suppression Of the truth to say
that the people were the contracting parties
in constituting the nation, when it is ad
mitted that if they had voted directly on
the constitution it would not have been
adopted. 1t was the people acting as
States, and in that capacity only, that con-
structed the Federal union. The author
concludes that IF it be true that the GEN
eral Government is not a compact Of the
States, it is plain that federalism is Il
dream. The end will be Capitalization;
Il dissolution Of State sentiment and state
hood. = The author says that the FEEDER
alst party was avowedIy based on distrust
of the people Fisher Ames said, '.our
country is too big for Union, too sordid for
patriotism. too Democratic for liberty.
| John Adams said in 1898 las to trusting
to Il popular assembly for the preservation
of our liberties, it is the merest chimera;
they never had amy rule, but their own will
and | would as lief be again in the hands
of our old Committees of Safety, who made
the law and executed it at the same time.
| Pickering said, THE people of the East
| cannot reconcile their habits, views and in
terests to those Of the South and West. =
The fact is brought out with due EN-
phasis in the book before us, says Mr.
| Hazeltine, ''that not once during the plot
| ting of 1904 was the right of a state or
group of states to secede disputed >
The average logic used was, secession
rather than poverty"
\ commission Of one John Henry was
made out by Sir James Craig, Governor of
the British provinces of North America,
which commission asked for the earliest in
formation as to how far in the case of war,
England could look for assistance Henry
reported that ''the Governor of Vermont
made no secret of his determination as
Commander in-chief of the State Militia to
refuse obedience to any command of the
General Government. Provost wrote to
Bathurst, In fact, my lord, two-thirds
of the army in Canada are at this moment
eating beef provided by American contract
ors. .
When in 1912 (June) war was declared
against Great Britain the Massachusetts,
House of Representatives called upon the
citizens to assemble in town meetings for
the purpose, not of aiding the Federal
Government but of hindering it. On the
re,y day rhen the City Of Washington acaS
copt,u'ed by the British the Governor Of
C0nuecticm acithdrec all tie State Ni4itia
ti'om the command Of the national officers.
In October, 1914, the Boston Sentinel de-
clared that the Union was as good as dis
solved and spoke of Massachusetts, Rhode
Island and Connecticut as the first three
pillars in New Federal edifice 1t
was proposed to make separate treaty
with England England S original proposal
which the members of the Hartford Con
vention and other New Englanders had de-
clared to be 'just and liberal, were that
the United States should yield almost all
the Northwest, including Michigan, Wis
consin, Illinois, large part of Indiana and
one-third Of Ohio. The descendants of
these patriiotic New England people as
sumo to force their views upon the remain
der of the United States and govern them.
1t is estimated that this country contains
26n nnn 600 chickens and that thew lav