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Show 264: THE MISSOUIU QU ES'l'ION. two governments, we shn.ll be mnc:l more secure from. dis~ uni on than with twelve, antl tcu L1mcs more so tha11 1f wo were a single or con,·o li thtteu one. By the indi vitlu n.l ~~tales • 0 . 1 · , ·111 cr 118 they do ex rc all the powers nc ·essn.ry for munici- 0 , ' pal or individual purposes-trying all ~1u e~~i o n ~ of properLy, a.nd punishing all crimes not lJe long111g, m e1ther case, to the fcdera.l courts, u.nd leaving the general government at l ci~urc and in a situation solely to devote it Hc lr Lo the cxerci: c of the great powers of war and pe ace, ommcrce, and our connections with foreigners, and all the natural uuthot·ities delegated by the Constitution, iL cases them of a vast quantity of busin ess that would very .m~lCh disturb the exercise of their general powers. Nor 1 ' 1t clear that any single government, in a country so cxLon: ivc, could transmit the full influence of the laws Hccessnry to local purposes tllrongh all i Ls parts ; w hercas, the ~ Ln. to governments, llctving all a convenient smTOUlluing territory, exercise these powers wiLh ca8c, and a.rc always a.t hn.n<l t o give aid to tllc federal tribuuals u.n<l oiTiccrs placed among them to execute their laws, sboul<l assisln.ncc l>c necessary. Another great au vantage is, the almost utter impos ' il>ilily of erectiug among them the standard of faction, to any alarming degree, against tho Union, so as to threaten its dissolution, or produce cba11gcs in any but a COllstitutional way. It is well known that faction is always much more easy and dan gerous in small than large countries ; and, when we consider that, to tho sec urity n.ITordcd l>y tho cxLcnt of our territory arc to be added, the guards of the SLate legislatures, which being selected as they arc, and u.l ways the most proper organs of their citiz ns' opinions as to the measures of the general government, stn.ncl as alert and faithful sent inels to disapprove, v.s Lhcy did in the titncs thai arc past, such acts as appear impolitic or unconstiLutioual, or to a.pprovc and support, as Lhoy have frequ cu Lly done since, such as were patriotic or prai8cworlby. With s tH: h g uard8 it h; illl pos8ible for !J' Ul~ Ml::>SOUJU Q .11:-:i'l' ION. 2UG any serious oppo. ition to be made to Lhr ft'd<' l'nl govrr11m nt 011 slighL or trivial p: rot~nds ; nor, through s11eh an exleui of territo ry OL' nu tn lH'r of ~tat('s, woul<l nn.r but lite ntosl tyrn 11- ni cal or co rru pt a IR elaim st>rious at lt' tllion; and, wlt ciH'V<'r they occu r, we can always saf'ely t rust to n. Htt!Tif'ienl, ntttnh<'l' of th • tatc:s ltrrny ing lh<'n tst·lvt·s in a nt:tttll<'r to prodttC'C by their influ ence the n '<·et-.so ry n·forms in a penecahlc and legal mode. vViLit Lweuty -rou r or IIIOrc SLaL H iL will he impossil> lc, sir, for four or fi ve S1ales, or any contparativcly small number, ever to thr 'fi.Lcn the existence of the Union. 'rl10y will l>c ca.·ily seen through hy tho oL!ter eighteen or twenty, and frown ed in to insig ni !i ·:w<.:y n.ncl suhmi.·:ion to the general wi ll, in all cases where the proceedings of the fed ern.l go vernment nrc npprovc<l by them. And, even in cn.ses where doubts may ariHc as to the wisdom o1· policy of their m<'a.surcs, all fuetious mcast1r s will uc made to wait consti tutional redress iu the pea.ccaulo mtwncr prescriucd by Lhc CousLituli on. vVithouL the iu slrulll cntality of the tales, in a country so large and free, :trHl wi th their government at a great distance from its cxtr 'tn itie , there woul<l be considerable da1igcr of faction; l>ut aL prc:cnt there is ve ry little, und, ns the States increase, the danger wi ll les:en; and it is this admira.blc expanding principle or sy:tem, if I may usc tho term, which, while iL carries new SLa.Lcs and governments into our fore ·t s, and incrcn.ses the population an<l resources of the Union, must unqn Rtionably, at the :umc Lime, add to ils means Lo rcsiRL and rcprc:H with ca. c all attacks of foreign lt oHI ility or <lome Lie fnct ion. It is this Rystcm, which is not at. all nn cl 'rstood in Europe and too little nrnong oursel vc, , thnt will long ket·p u, a slronrr and united people; nor uo I sec any question, out the one which respects slu.vcry, thai can ever divide us. The q~t csti o n being the a<l n1j ssion of a new SLate, I ho po th ese remarkti will be co n. idere<l as in poiu t, as they go to |
