Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-07-20
ALEXANDRIA.
MONDAY MORNING, Jay 20.
IS TO sHRw
ITO sHEw
THE VERY AGE AND BODY OF The TINE
HIS FORM AND PRESSURE.

Our warhawks and patent patriots Of thu
present day are quite lavish in their abuse Of
the legislature of Massachusetts, public NEE.
ings and individuals, for questioning the M.
tives and deprecating the policy Of the doni
nant party in declaring war, for the ayow,t
purpose of aggression, against power Ger.
tainly the most capable of injnring US Of any
other, at time when the country is in no
state to wage it successfully.
A friend has put into our hands pamphlet
issued by the Legislature Of Virginia in 1884,
a time when we were likely to be involved in
war with France-we presume the auhori
ty of that body may be taken as orthodox, and
therefore we shall proceed to lay before our
readers few extracts from that publication
believing as we do, that they apply with much
more force to the present times than they did
when promulgated, to the object for which
they were lptehded.
On the oath of December 1893, resoludM
was entered into by that Legislature in relation
to the alien and sedition laws, which aferds
ciarine their firm determination to maintain
and defend the constitution of the D. States
has the following declaration
E" That this Assembly doth explicitly and
peremptorily declare, that it views the powers
of the federal government, as resulting from
the compact, to which the states are parties
as limited by the plain sense and intention OF
the instrument constituting that compact as I
no farther valid than they are AUTHORISED BY /
the grants enumerated in that compact and /
that in case of deliberate, palpable and dar
gerous exercise of other powers, not granite
by the said compact, the states who are paFN'
thereto, have the right, and are in duty O0uDf
to intcrpose, for arres:ing the progress o@
evil. and for maintaining within their respr
tive limits, the authorities, rights and llOeHa
appertaining to them"
1t then goes Oh to protest againtS thoSe""
and ali attempts to restrict the liberty Of @
press and the rights of citizens, and calls
the legislatures Of the different states to I'D"
with them 10 declaring the unconstitutional
of the before mentioned laws.
Thus we see the enlightened Legislature
the pos erfu state of Virginia did not n0u
improper in them to express dissppr0''"
of what they conceived improper acts O'"
general government, and that in very Pal' ..
quage too. But what was fteJ1etly rig" ~
unsuitable in 1898 by one person, may w."
is SO esteemed, highly imtroter and 'F''',
bic in another in 1879. Circumstance
cases. no
In the same assembly, January 4tn ;"
the following resolutions were agreed ~,
Resolved, That the General Assem-, H.,
Virginia will cooperate with the aG 1.I,tn.
of the u. States, in maintaining the t' 'ra1:.
dence, Union and Constitution thereon g. NV
the hostlities or intrigues of all tore ea9r,r:
ers whatsoever; and that although u'' fl
of opinion do exist, in relation to ln'.' ,t.rH
domestic measures, yet a charge tra ', ~iiJIu
a party in this commonwealth, un"c' .Jsd, 90
ence of any foreign power, is uni0u"0'
calumnicus. x
Resolved, That the General as': ;ns
and will always, behold with indg1a" .rIs Oh
predations on our Commerce ;--i"c ,a6a'
our Citizens ;-Impressments OF o" NE
or any other Injuries, committed 0e snssF
pie or Government of the Uniteu
foreign Nations. .stpr ID
"Resolved nevertheless, That o~ 0ar viii
from inyasion, and the force q gbaG
render standing army unnecess0, :I.a e.
tehcy Of the United Stafes' Jo'0" oasbi III
aggression; that our whole reHa".st wilt Ma
be on oarselves; and therefore, II" ~
will rehel iu7asion at every ha-a @~,sr,FH
dehlore, and drhrecate the ems
ny other cauSe. ~ at
Here we find solemn resoH' N