America depended on their continuing firmly united, and the wishes, prayers and efforts of our beft and wifeft citizens have been conftantly directed to that object. But politicians now appear, who infift that this opinion is erroneous, and that instead of looking for fafety and happiness in union, we ought to feek it in a divifion of the ftates into diftinct confederacies or fovereignties. However extraordinary this new doctrine may appear, it nevertheless has its advocates ; and certain characters who were much opposed to it formerly, are at prefent of the number. Whatever may be the arguments or inducements which have wrought this change in the fentiments and declarations of thefe gentlemen, it certainly would not be wife in the people at large to adopt these new political tenets without being fully convinced that they are founded in truth and found policy.

It has often given me pleasure to obferve, that independent America was not compofed of detached and diftant territories, but that one connected, fertile, wide spreading country, was the portion of our weftern fons of liberty. Providence has in a particular manner bleffed it with a variety of foils and productions, and watered it with innumerable ftreams, for the delight and accommodation of its inhabitants. A fucceffion of navigable waters forms a kind of chain round its borders, as if to bind it together; while the most noble rivers in the world, running at convenient diftances, prefent them with highways for the eafy communication of friendly aids, and the mutual tranfportation and exchange of their various commodities.

With equal pleasure I have as often taken notice, that Providence has heen pleafed to give this one connected country, to one united people, a people defcended from the fame ancestors, fpeaking the fame Janguage, profeffing the fame religion, attached to the faste principles of government, very fimilar in their manners and cuftoms, and who, by their joint counfels, arms and efforts, fighting fide by fide throughout

throughout a long and bloody war, have nobly establifhed their general liberty and independence.

This country and this people feem to have been made for each other, and it appears as if it was the defign of Providence, that an inheritance fo proper and convenient for a band of brethren, united each other by the strongest ties, fhould never be split into a number of unfocial, jealous and alien fovereignties.

to

To

Similar fentiments have hitherto prevailed among all orders and denominations of men among us. all general purposes we have uniformly been one people-each individual citizen every where enjoying the fame national rights, privileges, and protection. As a nation we have made peace and war--as a nation we have vanquished our common enemies-as a nation we have formed alliances and made treaties, and entered into various compacts and conventions with foreign ftates.

A ftrong fenfe of the value and bleffings of Union induced the people, at a very early period, to infitute a federal government to preferve and perpetuate it. They formed it almost as foon as they had a political existence; nay at a time, when their habitations were in flames, when many of their citizens were bleeding, and when the progrefs of hotility and defolation left little room for thofe calm and mature enquiries and reflections, which must ever precede the formation of a wife and well balanced government for a free people. It is not to be wondered at that a government inftituted in times fa inaufpicious, fhould on experiment be found greatly deficient and inadequate to the purpofe it was intended to answer.

This intelligent people perceived and regretted thefe defects. Still continuing no lefs attached to union, than enamoured of liberty, they obferved the danger, which immediately threatened the former and more remotely the latter; and being perfuaded that

ample

ample fecurity for both, could only be found in a national government more wifely framed, they, as with one voice, convened the late convention at Philadelphia, to take that important fubject under confideration.

This convention, compofed of men who poffeffed the confidence of the people, and many of whom had become highly diftinguished by the r patriotifm, virtue and wisdom, in times which tried the minds and hearts of men, undertook the arduous task. In the mild feafon of peace, with minds unoccupied by other fubjects, they paffed many months in cool uninterrupted and daily confultations; And finally, without baving been awed by power, or influenced by any paffions, except love for their country, they prefented and recommended to the people the plan produced by their joint and very unanimous counfels.

Admit, for fo is the fact, that this plan is only recommended, not impofed, yet let it be remembered, that it is neither recommended to blind approbation, nor to blind reprobation; but to that fedate and candid

duration, which the magnitude and impor

tance

fubject demand, and which it certainly receive. But, as has been already remarked, it is more to be wished than expected that it may be fo confidered and examined. Experience on a former occafion teaches us not to be too fanguine in fuch hopes. It is not yet forgotten, that well grounded apprehenfions of imminent danger induced the people of America to form the memorable Congrefs of 1774That body recommended certain meatures to their constituents, and the event proved their wisdom; yet it is fresh in our memories how foon the prefs began to teem with pamphlets and weekly papers against those very measures. Not only many of the officers of government who obeyed the dictates of perfonal intereft, but others from a mistaken eftimate of confequences, from the undue influence of antient attachments, or whofe ambition aimed at objects which did

not

not correfpond with the public good, were indefa tigable in their endeavours to perfuade the people to reject the advice of that patriotic congrefs. Many indeed were deceived and deluded, but the great majority of the people reasoned and decid djudiciously; and happy they are in reflecting that they did fo.

They confidered that the congrefs was compofed of many wife and experienced men. That being convened from different parts of the country, they brought with them and communicated to each other a variety of useful information. That in the course of the time the paffed together in enquiring into and difcuffing the true interefts of their country, they maft have acquired very accurate knowledge on that head. That they were individually interested in the public liberty and profperity, and therefore that it was not lefs their inclination, than their duty, to recommend only fuch measures, as after the mot mature delibe ration they really thought prudent and advisable.

Thefe and fimilar confiderations then induced the people to rely greatly on the judgment and integrity of the congrefs; and they took their advice, notwithftanding the various arts and endeavours ufed to deter and diffuade them from it. But if the people at large had reafon to confide in the men of that congrefs, few of whom had then been fully tried or generally known, ftill greater reafon have they now to refpect the judgment and advice of the convention, for it is well known that fome of the most diftinguished members of that congrefs, who have been fince tried and jufly approved for patriotism and abilities, and who have grown old in acquiring political information, were alfo members of this convention, and carried into it their accumulated knowledge and experience.

It is worthy of remark that not only the firft, but every fucceeding congrefs, as well as the late convention, have invariably joined with the people in thinking that the profperity of America depended on its Union. To preferve and perpetuate it, was the great

THE FEDERALIST.

21

great object of the people in forming that convention, and it is alfo the great object of the plan which the convention has advised them to adopt. With what propriety therefore, or for what good purposes, are attempts at this particular period, made by fome men, to depreciate the importance of the union? or why is it fuggefted that three or four confederacies would be better than one? I am perfuaded in my own mind, that the people have always thought right on this fubject, and that their univerfal and uniform attachment to the caufe of the union, refts on great and weighty reafons, which I fhall endeavour to develope and explain in fome enfuing papers. They who promote the idea of fubftituting a number of distinc confederacies in the room of the plan of the convention, feem clearly to forfee that the rejection of it would put the continuence of the union in the utmost jeopardy-that certainly would be the cafe, and I fincerely wish that it may be as clearly forfeen by every good citizen, that whenever the diffolution of the union arrives, America will have reafon to exclaim in the words of the Poet, "FAREWELL, A

IT

NUMBER III.

The fame Subject continued.

T is not a new obfervation that the people of any country (if like the Americans intelligent and well informed) feldom adopt, and fteadily preferve for many years, in an eroneous opinion refpecting their interefts. That confideration naturally tends to create great refpect for the high opinion which the people of America have fo long and uniformly entertained of the importance of their continuing firmly united under

one