The United States of America, Part 1: 1783-1830Sparks, Edwin Erle
History
The United States of America, Part 1: 1783-1830
Sparks, Edwin Erle
United States -- History
With his growing Western following, Clay was becoming a thorn in the
side of strict construction. He refused to be bound by theories which
had held at the beginning of the national history. "A new world," said
he, "has come into being since the Constitution was adopted. Are the
narrow, limited necessities of the old thirteen States, indeed, of
parts only of the old thirteen States as they existed at foundation
of the Constitution, for ever to remain a rule of its interpretation?"
He had little patience with the Republican theory of adding amendments
to the Constitution to bestow the implied powers. "Man and his
language," said he, "are both defective. We cannot foresee and provide
specifically for all contingencies. If you amend the constitution a
thousand times, the same imperfection of our nature and our language
will attend our new words."
Jefferson complained that Clay had banded the Western and Northern
States together under his banner of national benefits. "The Western
States," said he, "have especially been bribed by local considerations
to abandon their ancient brethren and enlist under banners alien to
them in principle and interest." So rapidly did the demand for
paternalistic measures take possession of the people, that Monroe felt
called upon to re-state the early principles of the party, as Madison
had done a few years before. The former dependencies of the National
Government bade fair to overthrow parental policies. The Cumberland
Road was a bright and shining mark. Appropriations for it could not
be stopped without a confession of inconsistency if not a revolt of
the people. But in 1822 a bill passed both Houses of Congress to collect
tolls on the road for its repair. Monroe vetoed the bill and presented
a long exposition of the Republican policy toward public improvements.
It was the most exhaustive document written on this persistent
Union-making factor. Monroe found a beginning of the reserved power
of the States in the Colonial governments which reserved all powers
not expressly given to the king. The colonies kept those rights when
transforming themselves into States. When creating the Articles of
Confederation, the States gave to them certain of these rights,
carefully specified, and reserved all the rest. The same plan was
followed in framing the Constitution.
"Had the people of the several States," said Monroe, "thought proper to
incorporate themselves into one community, under one government, they
might have done it. They wisely stopped, however, at a certain point,
extending the incorporation to that point, making the national
government thus far a consolidated government, and preserving the state
governments without that limit perfectly sovereign and independent of
the national government."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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