THE FORMATION 



—OF THE 



CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF SUFFOLK COUNTY. 



BY 



• $0N. $ENRY ■^. ;S)CUDCER. 



THE perfection of human government is the assurance of the largest 

 personal liberty with the most thorough protection of every personal 

 right. To achieve such a government has engaged the thought of 

 the philanthropist and philosopher. Possibly it will not be given to man 

 to consummate his hopes in this direction, but certainly it is given him to 

 hope and labor for their fulfillment. We hail with rapture every struggle 

 that advances us toward this form of government and deplore the errors 

 and calamities that hinder our progress or reverse our steps. 



Slow as the development of ruling systems has heretofore been, en- 

 couragement is yet derivable from its study. That study illustrates the 

 complexity of human wants and the necessity of new provisions for new 

 conditions constantly arising. 



The beneficial improvement of an existing political power, the intro- 

 duction of a new principle into a code of laws may be, and often is, the 

 achievement of a century of struggle and, when embodied and promul- 

 gated seems so far the consummation of all reasonable ambition that the 

 citizen rests upon it, and ceases further toil. 



New exigencies will soon disturb his repose, and demand greater ex- 

 ertions. Thus in the grand scheme of perfecting human government, se- 

 ries of measures (and not single and disconnected movements), are ob- 

 servable. We have to deal with one of these. We celebrate an occasion 

 when out of prolonged, persistent and weary labor of many generations 

 there came the birth of a great political principle, a new and grand politi- 

 cal dispensation, in whose being, constitutional liberty of the person and 

 assured protection of his rights were advanced beyond any limits to which 

 they had before been pushed. 



The establishment of a town, county or State, is always memorable; 

 but the foundation of a benevolent charter for the ruling of" a community 

 infinitely nn>re memorable. In celebrating the formation of Sufi'olk coun- 

 ty, we render appropriate homage to those who inhabited its confines and 

 administered its public affairs at that juncture; but if we reduced our com- 

 memoration to the simple consideration of the territorial jurisdiction of a 

 county; if we overlooked or failed to recall and liwell upon the character 

 of the government it secured, we would lall short of celebrating that wliich 



