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OUR RELATION TO OUR COUNTRY.

[Part II.

generally obeyed, would establish and permanently maintain, thewell-being of the universal commonwealth of the human race.” *

The peculiar duties, which the United States owe to each other,chiefly respect the preservation of that harmony, which it is so es-sential to maintain among communities standing in a relation sovery intimate to one another, and without which reflecting menhave always foreseen, the union could not long subsist. It is themoral duty of the citizen to obey the laws ; and, as the Constitu-tion of the United States is the highest law known to the country,an observance of its obligations, becomes the highest rule of dutyto the citizen next after the divine law. A constitutional duty,then, is a great moral duty, binding on the states as communities,and, of course, binding on the consciences of the individualcitizens of which the State is composed. This cannot be de-nied, without falling into the absurd consequence, that what isbinding on the body politic, is not binding on the members.But the duty of the States and of the citizens to maintain thisharmony, which is the great object kept in view by the Constitu-tion in those of its provisions which refer to the relation andintercourse of the coordinate States with each other, may be mostsuccessfully illustrated by reviewing the occasions, on which ithas been most frequently violated, and on which future violationsare most likely to occur.

1. One way in which this duty of cultivating harmony andmaintaining friendly relations, has sometimes been violated is,by a course of unfriendly legislation by one State, calculated andintended to affect injuriously the interests of one or more of itssister States. Such a course arises from a real or supposed in-consistency of interests.f Sometimes it has arisen from a wish,by one State, to obtain for its citizens exclusive advantages,which in reason equally belonged to other States.|

Every thing of this kind rests on the ground, that the pecuni-ary interest of a State is its highest interest ; — when, viewed asa mere stroke of selfish policy, it is mistaken and short-sighted,as indeed are all violations of moral duty either by individuals or

* Chitty, note to Vattel on the Law of Nations. — Prelim. Principles, § 10.

t See The Federalist, p. 116. J Wheaton’s Reports, Vol. ix. p. 1.