her in the particular State or in the United States, is
henceforth to be apprehended. But the tendency in the opposite
direction may give the American state some trouble. The tendency now
is, as to the Union, consolidation, and as to the particular state,
humanitarianism, socialism, or centralized democracy. Yet this
tendency, though it may do much mischief, will hardly become exclusive.
The States that seceded, when restored, will always, even in abandoning
State sovereignty, resist it, and still assert State rights. When
these States are restored to their normal position, they will always be
able to protect themselves against any encroachments on their special
rights by the General government. The constitution, in the
distribution of the powers of government, provides the States severally
with ample means to protect their individuality against the
centralizing tendency of the General government, however strong it may
be.

The war has, no doubt, had a tendency to strengthen the General
government, and to cause the people, to a great extent, to look upon it
as the supreme and exclusive national government, and to regard the
several State governments as subordinate instead of co-ordinate
governments. It is not improbable that the Executive, since the
outbreak of the rebellion, has proceeded throughout on that
supposition, and hence his extraordinary assumptions of power; but when
once peace is fully re-established and the States have all resumed
their normal position in the Union, every State will be found prompt
enough to resist any attempt to encroach on its constitutional rights.
Its instinct of self-preservation will lead it to resist, and it will
be protected by both its own judiciary and that of the United States.

The danger that the General government will usurp the rights of the
States is far less than the danger that the Executive will usurp all
the powers of Congress and the judiciary. Congress, during the
rebellion, clothed the President, as far as it could, with dictatorial
powers, and these powers the Executive continues to exercise even after
the rebellion is suppressed. They were given and held under the rights
of war, and for war purposes only, and expired by natural limitation
when the war ceased; but the Executive forgets this, and, instead of
calling Congress together and submitting the work of reconstruction of
the States that seceded to its wisdom and authority, undertakes to
reconstruct t