The state governments, Madison argues, are closer to the people and can focus on the welfare of the people, regulating ordinary affairs such as the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, as well as the internal order of each state, and should have numerous undefined powers to do so,
while the national government, being bigger and possessing national resources, can bring victory in war, protect the people's liberty, and maintain
peace between the states, and should have clear, few, defined powers to do so, mostly focusing on external objects such as war,
peace,
negotiation, and foreign commerce and national taxation.
In 1971, during the height of the pitched battles between draftees in the British Army and groups of Catholics, we are led to understand that
while many British soldiers did not want to be fighting there, «oppressing» the Catholics, and on the Catholic side were young radicals called provisionals that wanted no
peace and nothing less than pitching the Brits out versus the older moderates who believed in
negotiations.