VI.
Although in my last number, I have established beyond all doubt, as I think, that the Articles of Confederation, so far form being intended to amalgamate the People of the several States into one Nation, were designed to form them into a Confederacy, in which each State retained expressly its own sovereignty, freedom and independence, yet there are certain remarks made in the Proclamation, as to the character of the Confederacy thereby created, which must not be passed unnoticed. I propose in this number, therefore, briefly to examine these remarks, before I prosecute my enquiries further.
It is so fashionable now, amongst those who adopt the new theory, to depreciate the old confederation, in order to infer from its supposed defects, the existence of sufficient power in the present government of the United States, to prevent their possible recurrence, that I am not astonished at any neophyte to the new faith, who follows former examples of this kind.
But when such things appear in a State paper, intended for the instruction of the People in their political history, and to deduce from thence their present political condition, I must confess, that I expected much more of accuracy in such statements, than I have yet found in this Proclamation.
The statements in themselves, are of little consequence at the present day, except as they manifest a disposition, to exhibit under false lights, facts and truths, which are supposed to have some bearing upon the new doctrines. So considered, they are worthy of notice. For this reason, I have already noticed many such assertions; and as my sole object is Truth, I will now proceed to point out others. The author of this Proclamation says, "But the defects of the Confederation need not be detailed. Under its
