Not This Only, But More Also

We nnd nll Domocra'n go ns far ns the fsrthes' for rcrt'uüe reform. Pree frade iJ our hV'g, and our fi ig s nailotJ f i tlie mat 4ur the'fight of 1&7'2. Hut i her lecrïds aro iilso t'ierc inscribid. Tie PomocraUi; psrty welcnines crvet'y lly n the sufltott for reform of our ■r 'veTiu" chao- J5ut free trrtdo is not tin only purpopa vith wliicli the party Á inspircd, nor 'the only blcsing with wliicb i 8 viotory will be pre;rnaut for ■♦lie eople of the 'United Staies. For a peiiod 'f ten ye irs a pnrty bas teen in pocse ion o( the gtMicr I gnfeTtinieiit that hs done"6 "0--"' consolídale 11 kiiuh of pnwer)artmetli hands of lh.it oVeri.meDt than" V 81y 'lier parties had uccoinp)i!ied u. , ?'v for the r - vrijer 01 5 r seventy reara pree . Mie advent ol the Republioar.ï at the ""L 'election oí Jiitic.lu. Tlio o]d Federal ; irty did a rood dc' in tuis direction, but itf chief influeneo was exerted during tbe admiuictration of Washington, and thst iufluinee was res'riiined aud modified by hts jrudouce and camión 'J'he Whig party had me strong tendencias to centrali 4.1: ion, but thcro tetxleneies were io nomo (lejfrpo held hi -check by the neecesity for pa ving deftfrence to the great ftmdanctitir] pricrcrpkiB of the rights of Stiltes ud loc.'ilitca The W'higs never uttempted to carry a Presidenttal election 'by a sectional com'binatioii ; and tbe ■! Pisity tbey ere undcr, therefi're, to tienre tbe voteg of Southern States bliged tb fin to be cautioui ia thcir ioctriDcs respectiug tbe power of the Federal Coostitution. Upon the whole, it muy he gaid thal what was dono by botb of tbosc defunct parties to iniike our Federal governmeut u conüolidated on Ik arn no sort of prnportion to wbat bas been done in that direction by the Refiublieans. Where tri-re Mas oue ,measurc ioiiiuted by the Federalistu or tbe Wliigs tbat gve risa to a Beriouf quesion respect iuif oonstitutionat power, any one Hcquuitited wilb the Congresiional jegilation aud executive adioiuivtration ot tbe patt ten years can put bis ñnger 00 a dozen mensures eiicti of wbicb is of a more alai miiig diameter than alt tbe othcr weasures of tbe Federaliïts or tbo W.liigs put together. In tlin priod that elapsed from tbe siabli.sbtnunt of the Conttitution down to tbe Onal disoolution of the Wbig party ibere were certuiu principien ot interpretation of the text of the Coriititution, in regard to tbe extent of it.s political powcis aboot which all partios were greed. The memorable difi'erenuo between the Democratie party, as led by General Jackson, and the Wbigs, os led bj Mr. Clay, conoeruing the power of 'Cores8 to créate a national bauk, deTelopcd u more decided differentie ia tbe spirit of constitutionnl iuterpretiition tbin ahuo't anj otber subject with which those parties had to deal - a far more dceided diffcrence than that whicb existed between them concerning tbe oon stitutional power of "protectiou" through a tariff of dutifs. But witb tbat notable exception tb -re wbk, comparatively speaking, but little diSereiico between t tem in respeot to the principnl doctrines of coDstitutinnal power ; and with such men as Marsluil and Story on the bencb n 1 as Clay and Webster in ('ongress, tbe Democracy as a party bad little rdseon to ooinplaiu of the Fpint and tendeooy of their oppinents iu giving interpretalioo to tbe particular powers of üongress, or of any other depar'ment of the goverument. The country had not then undeigone tbe njitfortune of inving a l'residerit elected by a src'ioml Tote ; and nll men in public life, on 11 ides, ogreed eubstantially on certsin great axioniH of ccnstitutiimul law tba' preserve tbe iine of demarcation betweeu tbe Fedcrnl nnd the State powers A public man in those davs wbo c m!d bu juHtly d ofstrainiog the Constitution beyond a reafouuble definitinn of it. powers was a rare and uncnviable cbarcter. But now all tliis is cliangci]. Tbe Republicims have brouuht about atuong uil tbeir rank", iiniong all their leaders, tind niong all iheir functii'uarieg wbo hare nnytbing to do with the udministrution 01 the Federal governmtnt a tone snd ■tyle of trca'ing it powers as if they wcre parnmount over nll subjects and ou all oce:tsioi:p. The line which divides those powers f llie States is iguored ; or, if it is not absolutely ignord, the habit cf reasoniog from tbe principie that Fede'ul p'wer can alono accomplihh whut people t hink ought to be accomp1 shed has entirely oblitcrated tbe old doctrine tbat the pupretnacy of the Federal Constitution is a pupremacy tbat can rxist only witbin a prescribid phere. Henee we bave bad URurpation iolloning uiurpation uut il it is impoesit'lc to teil -wh e re tbis tendenoy to consolidalion ill eud, uiilt-ís it is checked by a political revolution that will b' ing into pouiT a class ot rnen bound by their party trrditioiiR, their personal training, and tbeir joliticul piiuciples to adminÏKti-r tbe Federal gortjrument in a differeut spirit. This political reTohition can only bn effected by the Democratie party. Thit is a reform which 110 ofher political orgaoiztlion can britrg itboul, becnuoe it qTiirís th bind'.ng tt of old party traditioo, habit, and discipline to imtitute iiartl carry it nat. A new party ftssoeintrd only or cbi ftj on tbe basis f rcduction ot tbe tr:Ö to the poiut ot dcstroyiiifr the hydm "proteeftou" would be entirely without power to restore the ConHtitotion to tbe swny aud tnffoence of tboitf principies of iuterpretation on which lliimil'on wo:ild bare agiecd wi'h Madison, Marshall would hare agfted with Taney, Clay would ba e' ugreed witb Jucktt.n, Webïter would have ngreed with SilaB Wiigbt. That there ia s'.icb a common ground on wbicb theBC greut rcpiescntativee of tbeir respective periuds and parties nood, eud thal it is the oüly (rouud on which we of tbi geueration can etand for the pn-s.rvatioD ot our political sygtein from the daogers aud uilHcbiefs of consolidaron, is pertectly eleur. It ia the rnitgion of the Democratie party to occupy thi ground and to 6ght thu battle. Jt will do it, by recognitiog tbe ettleaieat of the issue ol State fcccEsion as tinal and by maintfcining tke indictoluble nature of tbe Uuion. It will accept whatever cbange. have kees made iu tbe text of the Cou■litution t; tlie rigfitfiil procent of amendmei.t, and it will loyally adpt its ctioa nnd ith iiiiuhure 10 those cbanges. rul it will st tu facu re-ulutt'iy and ster nly agaiust ttll tbut Imbit of construing and ubíiij; the powera ol the Consti tutiou ior purposes ihat a-re nat within tlie epheio of the generl goverrMnent wbicb tías taken pofsession ot i'.s legislative and execu'ive depnruuentB. Il wrll iusist tliat tbc Fodurul governmeut thall Ue adniii!tfii'd 11 wl.at il is: as a govvrnineut of defiued and limited povrers ecb ot uhirh ix oapublo ot an exact and rstioual deüuitioii, that will save it from ei croacbing on Iba riglits of local selfgf'vi nimcnt aid prevent the Ffdbtal hj'hti iu fioui lecomiug a cocsolidated' empire. Tbe Damocratio par'y are revenu re fï-rmrw, aud m re-s.Ua.