13 the road leading to the federalization of all of North America, and that this great object is the guiding star by which we are led, whether or not we are conscious of the fact.
What could be more beautiful? Could the soul of man entertain the smallest feeling of dislike towards this marvellous desideratum?
The great Republic was established upon a federal basis. The different states are independent as far as is necessary, and it is upon this fact that the stability of the nation rests. Just as soon as it is sought to establish a centralized government, the decadence of the nation will begin, and the United States will fall as Rome fell.
The reason is scientific: the law of the matter is now accepted as mathematical. The great human aspiration is welfare, and mankind is happier and freer according as power is decentralized, while individual liberty is, relatively, maintained. We all wish to enjoy the quantity of air and sunlight necessary to life, and we like to be paid the price of our labor. These vital conditions are admirably adjusted in the United States.
Decentralization is a problem which is regulated by a supreme law, governing like the law of gravitation. This supreme law adapts itself singularly to the government of states. The celestial mechanic lent His laws to the social mechanic. Our planetary system presents us, indeed, with a very striking example, bringing to mind immediately the federal system of government.
After cataclysms attended by chaos, the planets were organized into a sort of federation, which they maintain in a state of perpetual equilibrium, in singular harmony,