AND THE FEDERALIST PARTY 129 



This general rule, however, has been seriously com- 

 plicated by the fact that the same party is apt to 

 entertain very different views when in power from 

 those which it entertains when in opposition. The 

 tendency of the party in possession of the govern- 

 ment is to interpret its powers liberally, while the 

 party in opposition seeks to restrict them. So gen- 

 erally has this been the case in American history that 

 it would be difficult to lay down any theory of the 

 subject which any statesman has consistently applied 

 on all occasions. Hamilton, however, was always a 

 loose constructionist. As we have seen, the Consti- 

 tution was never nearly centralizing enough to suit 

 him, and the more powers that could be given to the 

 general government, the better he was satisfied. 



The division between North and South on the 

 assumption policy was not complete, for here, as on 

 most questions previous to 1820, South Carolina was 

 on the Federalist side. In this particular instance her 

 interests were like those of some of the Northern 

 states, for she had a heavy war debt, of which the pro- 

 posed measure would relieve her. Even with this 

 assistance, however, the bitter fight over assumption 

 would have ended in defeat for Hamilton, had not an- 

 other fight then raging afforded an opportunity for 

 compromise. A new city was about to be designed 

 and reared as the Federal capital of the United States, 

 and the question was where should it be situated. The 

 Northern members of Congress were determined that 

 it should not be farther south than the Delaware 

 River; the Southern members were equally resolved 

 that it should not be farther north than the Potomac ; 

 the result was the first, and in some respects the 



