PRINCIPLES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

OF THE

DEMOCRATIC PARTY

CHAPTER I.

ORIGIN OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND ITS PRINCIPLES.

THE

HE Constitution of the United States as presented by the convention which formed it in 1787, was readily adopted by a few of the States, accepted with reluctance by some of them, and received with disapprobation by others. The fact that the instrument contained no "Bill of Rights," was given as the reason for non-acceptance. When the Constitution was under consideration by Massachusetts, this objection was met by proposing additional clauses to the fundamental law. Nine amendments were drawn up and submitted for consideration. With the understanding that these amendments would become part of the Constitution, the convention ratified, by the close vote of one hundred and eighty-seven to one hundred and sixtyeight. The action of Massachusetts decided the fate of the Constitution. Her plan of submitting amendments solved the difficulty at the right time, for the instrument as prepared at Philadelphia could not have been carried. With this new resource the advocates of the Constitution continued their work till they were crowned with victory. The contest in Virginia was on terms more nearly equal than in any other State.

Jefferson was at first "nearly a neutral." When, however, the plan of submitting amendments, as initiated by Massachusetts, was made known to him, he said the instrument had his hearty prayers.

Those who advocated the adoption of the Constitution were called Federalists, and their opponents anti-Federalists. The former party was in power during Washington's administration, and under the lead of Hamilton inaugurated certain measures that could be advocated only on the ground of giving a broad construction to the Constitution. This was received by the opposition with alarm, and formed the basis of a new political party known from that time to this as a strict construction party.

After the Constitution became operative the anti-Federalists noted its popularity, and were soon glad to drop their party name and give in their adhesion to the new government. They desired their antagonism to the Constitution to be forgotten. Though supporting this instrument, they opposed the Hamiltonian policy, and constituted, in 1791, a new party, as yet without a name, "which was to maintain the binding force of the exact and literal language of the Constitution, and to oppose any enlargement of the Federal government's power by interpretation." This party began to coalesce with the temporary Federalists, headed by Jefferson, the combination forming a party to which Jefferson in 1792 gave the name of "Republican."

Among the Federalists who favored the Constitution there were men such as Madison, Jefferson, Randolph and Livingston, who aimed at a construction of its terms which should not give the new government extensive power. They wished to interpret the Constitution as they believed it was understood at the time of its adoption. They had urged its ratification as an escape from pressing evils. They were only temporary Federalists, and when legislation, headed by Hamilton, was seen tending to nationalize