Until the question of slavery became acute, they ceased to think seriously about political problems.
The lawyers were preoccupied with certain important questions of constitutional interpretation, which had their political implications; but the purpose of these expositions of our fundamental law was the affirmation, the consolidation, and towards the end, the partial restriction of the existing Federalist organization.

In this as in other respects the Americans of the second and third generations were merely preserving what their fathers had wrought.

Their political institutions were good, in so far as they were not disturbed.

They might become bad, only in case they were perverted.

The way to guard against such perversion was, of course, to secure the election of righteous democrats.