His views and those of his colleagues were re-
garded as most heretical by Mr. Calhoun and by
his disciples. It is not very im{>ortant now, except
from an historical standpoint, to review the dis-
tinctions that were made before the Civil War in
this all-absorbing issue, because the view taken by



8 POPULAR GOVERNMENT

the broad constructionists was vindicated and made
permanently to prevail by the arbitrament of the
sword, and the theory of the Federal Constitution
as a compact between sovereign States has as fully
disappeared as the constitution of the Southern
Confederacy itself.
The use of the words, "We, the people," was an
indication on the part of the makers of the Con-
stitution that they thought they were establishing
a popular government, because a popular govern-
ment may properly be defined to be a government
established and maintained by the authority of the
people. We are in favor of popular government

\ because we believe that the fact that the people
govern themselves will make them constant in its
support and will secure obedience to the laws their
representatives make and the executive they elect.
This is likely to make the government strong and
its protection of its individual citizens effective.
