As riches increase and accumulate in few hands, as luxury prevails in society, virtue will be in a greater degree considered as only a graceful appendage of wealth, and the tendency of things will be to depart from the republican standard. This is the real disposition of human nature; it is what neither the honorable member nor myself can correct. It is a common misfortunate that awaits our State constitution, as well as all others.

Divide et impera must be the motto of every nation that either hates or fears us.

It has been observed, [that for the federal government] to coerce the States is one of the maddest projects that was ever devised.

People sometimes attribute my success to my genius; all the genius I know anything about is hard work.

I propose . . . . The conformity of the proposed Constitution to the true principles of republican government.

The President is to be commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the United States. In this respect his authority would be nominally the same with that of the king of Great Britain, but in substance much inferior to it. It would amount to nothing more than the supreme command and direction of the land and naval forces, as first general and admiral ... while that of the British king extends to the declaring of war and to the raising and regulating of fleets and armies - all which, by the Constitution under consideration, would appertain to the legislature.

A sacred respect for the constitutional law is the vital principle, the sustaining energy of a free government.