n　had　scarcely　begun；　and　the　fact　of　Southern　slavery　was　accepted　by　men　of　all　parties；　even　in　the　States　where　there　were　no　slaves：　and　that　was　unquestionably　the　view　taken　by　all　the　States　and　by　all　American　statesmen　at　the　time　of　the　adoption　of　the　Constitution；　in　1789。　　But　in　the　course　of　thirty　years　a　great　change　took　place；　and　the　North　refused　to　perpetuate　what　had　become　the　〃peculiar　institution〃　of　the　South；　especially　as　it　gave　the　South　a　species　of　aristocratic　preponderance。　　The　result　was　the　ratification；　in　December；　1865；　of　the　celebrated　13th　article　or　amendment　of　the　Constitution；　which　declared　that　〃neither　slavery　nor　involuntary　servitude　…　except　as　a　punishment　for　crime　…　shall　exist　within　the　United　States。〃　To　which　was　soon　afterwards　added　the　15th　article；　〃The　right　of　citizens　to　vote　shall　not　be　denied　or　abridged　by　the　United　States；　or　by　any　State；　on　account　of　race；　color；　or　previous　servitude。〃　The　emancipation　of　several　millions　of　negro　slaves　without　compensation；　and　the　transfer　to　them　of　political　preponderance　in　the　States　in　which　they　outnumber　the　white　population；　were　acts　of　the　North　totally　opposed　to　the　interests　of　the　South；　and　which　could　only　have　been　carried　into　effect　by　conquest。　…　Translator's　Note。＇＇
  Reason　for　which　the　preponderating　force　lies　in　the　States　rather　than　in　the　Union　…　The　Union　will　only　last　as　long　as　all　the　States　choose　to　belong　to　it　…　Causes　which　tend　to　keep　them　united　…　Utility　of　the　Union　to　resist　foreign　enemies；　and　to　prevent　the　existence　of　foreigners　in　America　…　No　natural　barriers　between　the　several　States　…　No　conflicting　interests　to　divide　them　…　Reciprocal　interests　of　the　Northern；　Southern；　and　Western　States　…　Intellectual　ties　of　union　…　Uniformity　of　opinions　…　Dangers　of　the　Union　resulting　from　the　different　characters　and　the　passions　of　its　citizens　…　Character　of　the　citizens　in　the　South　and　in　the　North　…　The　rapid　growth　of　the　Union　one　of　its　greatest　dangers　…　Progress　of　the　population　to　the　Northwest　…　Power　gravitates　in　the　same　direction　…　Passions　originating　from　sudden　turns　of　fortune　…　Whether　the　existing　Government　of　the　Union　tends　to　gain　strength；　or　to　lose　it　…　Various　signs　of　its　decrease　…　Internal　improvements　…　Waste　lands　…　Indians　…　The　Bank　…　The　Tariff　…　General　Jackson。
  The　maintenance　of　the　existing　institutions　of　the　several　States　depends　in　some　measure　upon　the　maintenance　of　the　Union　itself。　　It　is　therefore　important　in　the　first　instance　to　inquire　into　the　probable　fate　of　the　Union。　　One　point　may　indeed　be　assumed　at　once：　if　the　present　confederation　were　dissolved；　it　appears　to　me　to　be　incontestable　that　the　States　of　which　it　is　now　composed　would　not　return　to　their　original　isolated　condition；　but　that　several　unions　would　then　be　formed　in　the　place　of　one。　It　is　not　my　intention　to　inquire　into　the　principles　upon　which　these　new　unions　would　probably　be　established；　but　merely　to　show　what　the　causes　are　which　may　effect　the　dismemberment　of　the　existing　confederation。
  With　this　object　I　shall　be　obliged　to　retrace　some　of　the　steps　which　I　have　already　taken；　and　to　revert　to　topics　which　I　have　before　discussed。　I　am　aware　that　the　reader　may　accuse　me　of　repetition；　but　the　importance　of　the　matter　which　still　remains　to　be　treated　is　my　excuse；　I　had　rather　say　too　much；　than　say　too　little　to　be　thoroughly　understood；　and　I　prefer　injuring　the　author　to　slighting　the　subject。
  The　legislators　who　formed　the　Constitution　of　1789　endeavored　to　confer　a　distinct　and　preponderating　authority　upon　the　federal　power。　　But　they　were　confined　by　the　conditions　of　the　task　which　they　had　undertaken　to　perform。　They　were　not　appointed　to　constitute　the　government　of　a　single　people；　but　to　regulate　the　association　of　several　States；　and；　whatever　their　inclinations　might　be；　they　could　not　but　divide　the　exercise　of　sovereignty　in　the　end。
  In　order　to　understand　the　consequences　of　this　division；　it　is　necessary　to　make　a　short　distinction　between　the　affairs　of　the　Government。　There　are　some　objects　which　are　national　by　their　very　nature；　that　is　to　say；　which　affect　the　nation　as　a　body；　and　can　only　be　intrusted　to　the　man　or　the　assembly　of　men　who　most　completely　represent　the　entire　nation。　Amongst　these　may　be　reckoned　war　and　diplomacy。　　There　are　other　objects　which　are　provincial　by　their　very　nature；　that　is　to　say；　which　only　affect　certain　localities；　and　which　can　only　be　properly　treated　in　that　locality。　Such；　for　instance；　is　the　budget　of　a　municipality。　　Lastly；　there　are　certain　objects　of　a　mixed　nature；　which　are　national　inasmuch　as　they　affect　all　the　citizens　who　compose　the　nation；　and　which　are　provincial　inasmuch　as　it　is　not　necessary　that　the　nation　itself　should　provide　for　them　all。　Such　are　the　rights　which　regulate　the　civil　and　political　condition　of　the　citizens。　　No　society　can　exist　without　civil　and　political　rights。　　These　rights　therefore　interest　all　the　citizens　alike；　but　it　is　not　always　necessary　to　the　existence　and　the　prosperity　of　the　nation　that　these　rights　should　be　uniform；　nor；　consequently；　that　they　should　be　regulated　by　the　central　authority。
  There　are；　then；　two　distinct　categories　of　objects　which　are　submitted　to　the　direction　of　the　sovereign　power；　and　these　categories　occur　in　all　well…constituted　communities；　whatever　the　basis　of　the　political　constitution　may　otherwise　be。　　Between　these　two　extremes　the　objects　which　I　have　termed　mixed　may　be　considered　to　lie。　　As　these　objects　are　neither　exclusively　national　nor　entirely　provincial；　they　may　be　obtained　by　a　national　or　by　a　provincial　government；　according　to　the　agreement　of　the　contracting　parties；　without　in　any　way　impairing　the　contract　of　association。
  The　sovereign　power　is　usually　formed　by　the　union　of　separate　individuals；　who　compose　a　people；　and　individual　powers　or　collective　forces；　each　representing　a　very　small　portion　of　the　sovereign　authority；　are　the　sole　elements　which　are　subjected　to　the　general　Government　of　their　choice。　In　this　case　the　general　Government　is　more　naturally　called　upon　to　regulate；　not　only　those　affairs　which　are　of　essential　national　importance；　but　those　which　are　of　a　more　local　interest；　and　the　local　governments　are　reduced　to　that　small　share　of　sovereign　authority　which　is　indispensable　to　their　prosperity。
  But　sometimes　the　sovereign　authority　is　composed　of　preorganized　political　bodies；　by　virtue　of　circumstances　anterior　to　their　union；　and　in　this　case　the　provincial　governments　assume　the　control；　not　only　of　those　affairs　which　more　peculiarly　belong　to　their　province；　but　of　all；　or　of　a　part　of　the　mixed　affairs　to　which　allusion　has　been　made。　　For　the　confederate　nations　which　were　independent　sovereign　States　before　their　union；　and　which　still　represent　a　very　considerable　share　of　the　sovereign　power；　have　only　consented　to　cede　to　the　general　Government　the　exercise　of　those　rights　which　are　indispensable　to　the　Union。
  When　the　national　Government；　independently　of　the　prerogatives　inherent　in　its　nature；　is　invested　with　the　right　of　regulating　the　affairs　which　relate　partly　to　the　general　and　partly　to　the　local　interests；　it　possesses　a　preponderating　influence。　　Not　only　are　its　own　rights　extensive；　but　all　the　rights　which　it　does　not　possess　exist　by　its　sufferance；　and　it　may　be　apprehended　that　the　provincial　governments　may　be　deprived　of　their　natural　and　necessary　prerogatives　by　its　influence。
  When；　on　the　other　hand；　the　provincial　governments　are　invested　with　the　power　of　regulating　those　same　affairs　of　mixed　interest；　an　opposite　tendency　prevails　in　society。　　The　preponderating　force　resides　in　the　province；　not　in　the　nation；　and　it　may　be　apprehended　that　the　national　Government　may　in　the　end　be　stripped　of　the　privileges　which　are　necessary　to　its　existence。
  Independent　nations　have　therefore　a　natural　tendency　to　centralization；　and　confederations　to　dismemberment。
  It　now　only　remains　for　us　to　apply　these　general　principles　to　the　American　Union。　　The　several　States　were　necessarily　possessed　of　the　right　of　regulating　all　exclusively　provincial　affairs。　　Moreover　these　same　States　retained　the　rights　of　determining　the　civil　and　political　competency　of　the　citizens；　or　regulating　the　reciprocal　relations　of　the　members　of　the　community；　and　of　dispensing　justice；　rights　which　are　of　a　general　nature；　but　which　do　not　necessarily　appertain　to　the　national　Government。　　We　have　shown　that　the　Government　of　the　Union　is　invested　with　the　power　of　acting　in　the　name　of　the　whole　nation　in　those　cases　in　which　the　nation　has　to　appear　as　a　single　and　undivided　power；　as；　for　instance；　in　foreign　relations；　and　in　offering　a　common　resistance　to　a　common　enemy；　in　short；　in　conducting　those　affairs　which　I　have　styled　exclusively　national。
  In　this　division　of　the　rights　of　sovereignty；　the　share　of　the　Union　seems　at　first　sight　to　be　more　considerable　than　that　of　the　States；　but　a　more　attentive　investigation　shows　it　to　be　less　so。　　The　undertakings　of　the　Government　of　the　Union