a man, fashioned by the same Almighty hand as the rest of his species
and entitled to a full share of the blessings with which He has endowed
them. Notwithstanding the limited sovereignty possessed by the people of
the United States and the restricted grant of power to the Government
which they have adopted, enough has been given to accomplish all the
objects for which it was created. It has been found powerful in war, and
hitherto justice has been administered, an intimate union effected,
domestic tranquillity preserved, and personal liberty secured to the
citizen. As was to be expected, however, from the defect of language and
the necessarily sententious manner in which the Constitution is written,
disputes have arisen as to the amount of power which it has actually
granted or was intended to grant.

This is more particularly the case in relation to that part of the
instrument which treats of the legislative branch, and not only as
regards the exercise of powers claimed under a general clause giving
that body the authority to pass all laws necessary to carry into effect
the specified powers, but in relation to the latter also. It is,
however, consolatory to reflect that _most_ of the instances of
alleged departure from the letter or spirit of the Constitution have
ultimately received the sanction of a majority of the people. And the
fact that many of our statesmen most distinguished for talent and
patriotism have been at one time or other of their political career on
both sides of each of the most warmly disputed questions forces upon us
the inference that the errors, if errors there were, are attributable to
the intrinsic difficulty in many instances of ascertaining the
intentions of the framers of the Constitution rather than the influence
of any sinister or unpatriotic motive. But the great danger to our
institutions does not appear to me to be in a usurpation by the
Government of power not granted by the people, but by the accumulation