ed with each other, by a common interest. But as all these documents while establishing this fact, establish also, that this belief of a common interest was neither designed or ever supposed to amalgamate the different Colonies, by whom it was entertained, into a single community, but merely to invite to their co-operation confederacy and union as distinct independent communities, it is not easy to discern how from such a fact, the existence of a single community could be inferred. Therefore, and as the use made of the assertion was afterwards manifest, I was bound to consider its meaning to be such as I have stated; especially as I found this word "we," in an address of the President to his "fellow-citizens, the People."
So much for the first proposition of this argument, which if considered in one light, asserts a truth directly in contradiction to its conclusion; and if considered in another, asserts not only an unknown fact, but one unimportant if it could be known. In which of these lights it was designed to be seen, let the rules of the English language, and the conclusion of the argument itself, determine.
Having inferred the existence of one great community, composed of all the People of the different revolting Colonies, while yet in their colonial state, the next step necessary to be taken in the argument designed to prove their subsequent existence as one nation, was to superinduce a government upon this great community: for a nation without a government, would indeed be a nondescript, as horrible in the Political, as any of the fabled monsters of the natural world. Here, as before, it would not do to affirm the establishment of any such government, at the time referred to, that is to say, "in our colonial state," as a positive fact, for this would be in direct contradiction of the other affirmation, of our dependence on another power; and of such a fact too, there does not exist any scintilla of proof in any of our histories or State papers. Therefore, the existence of such a government, like that of the community, was to be inferred. Now from what is this second inference to be made?
"Leagues were formed for common defence," says the President; and as leagues can only be formed by communities, acknowledging some government, authorized to speak and so to
