The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-10

,eld to strict construction tho rights OF the
States, and the largest degree Of indivd
ual and social liberty consistent with TIT
existence Of central government TIT
former party. the Federalist, Whig Repuh
lican. has been the sdvooste Of centraliza'
ton. a the financial plans OF Hamilton OF
the excise, the Alien and Sedition acts the
protectionist policy internal improve
ments, Congressional restraint OF slavery
energetic measures in prosecution OF the
civil war and Congressional reconstruction
The other party, from its principles OF
attachment TO individual liberty and to
constitutional restraint upon the Central
Government, has usually opposed these
measures. with the purpose OF prevent
, ing the Federal Government from attempt
ing too many things on behalf OF tne
| people considered as whole, and Win
a view Of resisting objectionable measures
urged on behalf of special and powefhll
! interests. The word usually in the last
| sentence needed to be italicized. because,
while 1t IL true, as n rule. that federallsts'
| Wings, and Republicans have been advo-
Gates Of broad construction and or tho
increase of national power, the generaliza-
| tion IL subject TO some exceptions. Prof
WOODBURY. reminds us that, while the Fed
eralist4 generally favored a liberal con-
, struction Of the Constitution, with m eye
10 the enlargement of national power,
yet. when o,lsted from Office, as they
were when Jefferson WA elected President.
| they allowed themselves to be controlled
by local interests. resisted the Executive
and Congress. and under State rights
view Of the Constitution maintained that
the acts of the Administration were uncon-
s,tutional On the other hand, the Demo.
cratic Republicans, when they came into
Office under Jefferson. began to stretch
the Constitution to cover the exercise OF
powers the existence of which they had pre-
viously denied They did this to such an
extent that they nationali2ed their own
party, and extinguished the Federalist
party as focus of opposition. John Mar
shall eaid that Jefferson killed the Federalist
party by adopting its principles. 1t ia true
that, in the purchase of Louisiana. Jeffer-
son attempted to preserve his consistency
by acknowledging that the purchase was
unconstitutional on the theory of strict
construction, but he claimed that. like a
guardian for u ward. he was justified In
making the purchase in contravention OF
the Constitution. with the expectation OF
having hiI action sanctioned by subse-
auent amendment. Rejecting this view
of tho method Nv which the Louisiana prob
lem might Iva solved. the Republican leaders
in Congress accommodated themselves 10 a
theory OF Constitutional construction mora
liberal than they had been disposed to ac-
cept while they we're out OF power. theory
tina, enabled them to vote for the purchase
OF Louisiana a. Constitutional. On the other
hand, the Federalsts. now in opposition,
opposed the purchase, on the score of I'M
constiutionality In 1871 Josiah Quincy.
Federalist leader, resisted the admission
into the Union of that part Of the territory
acquired from France which became the
State of Louisiana, on the groud that IL
would I've a violation Of the compact be-
tween the thirteen original States such rs
would Justify secession and revolution; the
admission or Louisiana, he said, would be
the dissolution of the Union. and it would
be the right and duty OF the States to pre-
pare for separation, 'amicably If they can.
forcibly if they must The Federalists
also resisted AZ Unconstitutional the Nom
i'm port alton and Embargo acts In 1907
and 1900, and they carried their opposition
to the War Of 1912 almost TO the verge Of
secession in 1914.
Prof WOODBURY. also directs attention to
the fact that between 1850 and 1890, when the
State Rights D,mocr Of tn, South.
being in authority at Washington, called
into exercise the power Of the national
Government within the States for the re-
covery Of fugitive slaves, Republican Lead
ers like Sumner aud Wade, in their oppose
ton to this exercise Of national powers,
fell back on the reserved rights Of the States
and upon that view OF the Constitution
which regards that instrument as com
pact Wade and Sumner did not deny
"a Quincy did. that the Constitution was .
nation-cresting instrument, but they in
sisted that the fugitive slave clause was
a compact clause. not apower-conferring
clause, and they arserted that the enforce
ment Of it was matter OF interstate right
and comfy.
The third chapter OF the work before
us is devoted to the second period Of party
history under the Constitution. . period
that may be said to ext end from 1915 to 1882,
or from the final collapse Of the Federalists
to the appearance of the Wings. 1t is not
strictly true to say that with the close Of
the War of 1871? the Federalst party dsap-
peared for thrty-four Fetieralist electors
voted for Rufus King for President In 1915.
These, however, were the last survivors
of the party of Hamilton and John Adams.
and their electoral vote WIS the partys
expiring act. Prof. WOODBURY. reminds
us that in Jefferson's first inaugural adj
dress, he declared, we are all Federal
lists; We are all Republicans There is no
doubt that, after 1919, the dictum expressed
q fact In the sense that Jefferson had in
view that is to say. the Federalsts had
ceased to exist and the America people
we're all Republicans. The fact that In
ls20 Monroe received every electoral vote
but one, and would have received that
had it been needed, bears witness to the
utter extinction Of the Federalist party.
1t is not true, however, that the ensuing
period can he correctly described az an
EZRA of good feeling There was any
thing but good feeling" among the rival
political leaders of the time. Voters grouped
themselves about their favorite candi.
dates for the Presidency.
Among these aspirants for the Chief
Magistracy and their respective groups
of followers the chickering's and aninosi-
- II Ill