Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1814-02-14

When that instrument was frs. pre-.
sented to the people for adoption, many
intelligent men were forcibly struck
with It's deficiency in this very parlicu.
lar. They said that without some such
check congress would certainly attempt
To enlarge Its powers, and would sue.
coed. The rights of the people would
be trlttered away by imhheanon. he
government, instead OF confederacy of
independent states, would become a
consolidated despotism They rscol-
lectei that almost all domestic convul
sions recorded in history, originated in
disputes about implied authority and
that Britain had recently assumed, by
fmtiearon, the right to bind US Z" in all
cases whatsoever"
Upon this principle, among others,
sone states ratified it conditionally, and
others urged subsequent amendments
North Carolina refused 10 ratify il, till
amended. New Hampshire and Mass.
achuseits recommended an amendment
of the following tenor -" That all
powers not erhressiy and Particularly
delegated by the constitution, are reser.
we'd 10 the states"
New.Yogk and Virginia insisted on
similar amendment. South Carolina
ratified it on certain conditions, one of
which runs thus -" The States retain
every power not EXPRESSLY relinquished
by them"
Agreeably to the demands Of these
states the article above cited was in.er-
ted, with the intention of restraining
congress from the exercise of any pow
ers not erhresaty enumerated in the
constitution"
Ii is useless, therefore, in disc ussing
this subject TO say any thing about the
reasonableneSs of certain powers. The
question is nor whether it be reasonable
that congress should cut off our trade,
drive us into the back woods of Virgin.
ia, or send spies into our houses, &c.
he only question is whether any such
power has been in plain words given.
All inference and implication is excluded.
Now | cannot find any article in the
constitution authorising congress to
prevent me from going by water from
one part TO another Of the same STATE.
Nor Is such mode of conveyance hrohi6-
lied by 1t, 10 the people. Therefore the
fourth section oil the last embargo act
IS unconstitutional, even il congress had
power TO enact the other sections of the
same law. Ii is net binding ON the
people. They are under 10 kind of OBJ.
legation to observe it.
Truths oil this sort are unpleasant to
the the democrats When unable to
meet us on fair ground, they resort to
the exploded doctrine of peacebIy sub
mltting TO the powers that be. They
even quote scripture, forbldding to
speaA evil oil rulers.
As to the argument from scripture,
that Is soon answered. Speaking ruth
Is not called IN scripture speaking evil
II Heaven has ordained that unjust ru.
lers shall not be resisted, then Heaven
has ordained tyranny. lf,hat doctrine
b true, We ought to return to British
subsection.
But there Is other authority, which
isSreafer with some OF your "iguenfy.
God-men." Even that OF their beloved
Virginia. The people of that State
would not ratify the Constitution but up.
on certain conditions. One of The Sc was,
" that the powers granted under the
Constitution being deliv d from the peo-
pie OF the United States, may be RE-
suMED by them, whenever the same
shall be herverfed to their injury or eft.
flressioH."
Another is in these words -
VINE doctrine Of non-reSis:anee against
arbitrary hoEoer and ottression is absurd,
S!aViSh, and destructive Of The good and
haftiiness ofmankind
have quoted the Journals of Con-
gress, Vol. Is, pages rs, ia
We ought never to lose sight of the
great ends for which the soyernm ent
was instituted: nor of the mode in
which 1t ought to be administered. We
should often recur to FIST principles. If
those to whom We have delegated pow.
er should forget whose servants they
are, or should attempt TO tyrannize,
which is too much the nature Of man !;
We should reduce the n to the ranks of
private citizens and put others in their
stead. We cannot be too jealous We
have already suffered too much and too
long. Should the men in power at