The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1901-01-26
THE TINES cREENvLE MISSISSIPPI SATURDAY JANUARY ~ 1901


In sembance external appearance but with the
germs decay fastened upon los Sitals; or shall IT. houg
changed s survive in such Hgor and strength as TO remain
hope and pride OF free Americana
| sqOnr country will never be the again. Eoi
veal or woe VIC already rreyocaby passed beyond
the old lines" The change which Mr. Cleveland Sc
earnestly depores but nm inevitable consequence,
which has only awaited the appearance of opportunity
manifest itsIof an altered conception IF the true char
acter Of this government, which the product OF
growth OF more than forty years. When Mr. Cleveland
says that reverence for national traditions has beer
relaxed and satisfaction with counrys mission has
been undermined he describes no sudden met
amorphOss
1t is not far wide OF the mark to say that John Z.
Calhoun was greatest and most exponent OF
the school strict construeonsts who believed IN states
rights and held the true theory of this to be
that of federation of sovereign States opposed to the
idea of nation Webster, with his query, 'if we are
not nation, but partnership to be dissolved at will,
then to whom belong the ships of our navy, who
shall command our army, and whose is the
capitol at Washington, when we separates''; Chase,
with his 1ndestructibe Union composed of ndestructibe
states" and Seward with his visions of vast republic,
his strvings after enlargement without thought OF
the effect upon NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. three were typical
representatives of schools holding anthetica concep
ton OF our government its functions its powers and its
limitations.
Calhoun said: II never use the word Nation IN
speaking of the United States; always use the word
Union or 'Confederacy. We are not Nation,
but Unlon confederacy Of equal and eregn States
England is nation, Austria a nation, Russia is
tion but the United States not nation" The test OF
supremacy between these opposing ideas OF the nature
and character of government long and bloody
one but it was conclusive. All that lacked in max
ing so reconstruction legislation, methods and theories
amply made up Calhoun 3 definition became mere his
tory never again capable of describing the idea of
private CITIZEN We emerged from that period nation
every implication of the term, with all the attributes OF
nationality awaiting only the passage of time to deveope
national unity national sentiment and national aspira-
on and to present the opportunity for their exercise and
application
ssFor veal or VICE." we have indeed 'irrevocaby
passed beyond the old lines but it has not been recently
done The most that may be said is that the transition is
merely being completed.
Professor Woodrow Wilson has excellently expressed
this idea Speaking of the effect of the and
sruction upon the government ITSELF he says: 1T
revolution of consciousness,-of mind and purpose A
government which had been in its spirit federal became,
almost of sudden, national in temper and point of vew
The national spirit had long been a-making. Many q
silent force which grew quite unobserved from genera
ton to generation peryasyeness and might, in quiet
times of wholesome peace and increase of nature
had been breeding these thoughts which sprung
vvldy into consciousness The very growth of the
ton the very lapse of tune and uninterrupted habit of
united action, the mixture and movement and dis
trbuton Of populations, the mere accreons of policy,
the mere consolidation of interests had been building and
strengthening tissues of nationality the years through
and drawing links stronger than links Of steel round about
the invisible body of thought and purpose which
the substance of nations When the great crisis of
cession CAME men knew at how their spirits
ruled men of the South as we'll of the North,-in
what institutions and conceptions of their
blood was fixed to run; and great and instant readust
men took place. which for the South the minority,
practically the rsadustment of conquest and fundamental
reconstruction but which for the North the region
which had been transformed nothing than awak-
ening. = The result reconstruction restored
= the forms of the Consultation; but not before
new methods and Irregular the methods of maiorites
but not the methods Of law had been openly learned and
practced A citizenship of the United
States was created; additional prohibitions
we're put upon the states; the suffrage in
made subject to national regulation But the real change
was the change of "a change of conception with re-
gard 10 the power of Congress- the guiding and compu
sve efficacy Of national legislation the relation OF the life
of the land to the supremacy of the national awmaking
BODY All policy thenceforth wore different aspect"
Conservatism however, under any and all conditions,
is saving virtue and he is useful c zen who can
cessfully evoke It.
'.And will tell you that do not believe any man
knows what complete evee system from Cairo to the
gulf would cost"
4 -. 4. H.