On the record
Repeatedly I said that in my judgment the Declaration of Independence was not a grant of power, but coëqual with the Constitution,--the one being a grant of power, and the other a sovereign rule of interpretation.
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gutenberg.orgEditor's note · Context
Sumner clarifies his view that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution serve different roles in governance.
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I am in favor of a tariff for revenue, such a one as will yield a sufficient amount to the treasury to defray the expenses of the government, economically administered.
They who strive after it, Ixion-like, embrace a cloud.
Above all, welcome to the united regenerated Democracy of the North, which spurns the mockery of a Republic, with professions of Freedom on the lips, while the chains of Slavery clank in the Capitol!
Tendencies of nations, as revealed in history, teach that our aims are in harmony with prevailing laws, which God, in his benevolence, has ordained for mankind.
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