The former were called Federals, as
favoring a federation of the several states, and the latter were called
Anti-Federals, as opposing it.
One point of difference always leads to others, wider and wider apart,
as the rain-drop, shattered on the summit of the Great Divide, flows one
half to the Atlantic the other half to the Pacific. So, after the
adoption of the Constitution, there was never any serious question of
abrogating it, but two views arose as to its interpretation. The
Federals, in their endeavor to strengthen the national government,
favored the liberal view, which was that anything the Constitution did
not expressly forbid was permitted; while the Anti-Federals, anxious to
preserve all the power possible to the several states, favored the
strict view, which was that unless the Constitution expressly permitted
a thing, it could not be done. As there were many, many points upon
which the Constitution was silent--its framers being mere human beings
and not all-wise intelligences--it will be seen that these
interpretations were as different as black and white. It was this
divergence, combined with another as to whether, in joining the Union,
the several states had surrendered their sovereignty, which has
persisted as the fundamental difference between the Republican and
Democratic parties to the present day.
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