sovereignty possessed by the people of the united stages 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， and 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 insta
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