Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1820-12-28

legislative power on Congress oyer,na
tional objects now il is said to meaa
thai Congress shall have power TO rats,
revenue by such means rs they may ihiHk
proper. for improving national city
But Mas II ever intended by single par
~ To The constitution or any one citizen
that Congress should have power 10 create
Rome or a London by taxing provinces,
aud 10 organize all engine et d,spolisDi,
und.. The prclfxt that n Was national
objccE By what legal or neral principle
can the grantee oi an estate Improve i,
al the expense of the grantor? Are
Georgetown aud Alexandria also entitled
10 establishment al The eApcnse of Iic
u. States? Did the constitution contom.
plate a metropolis If forty miles circum-
ference, or are ihr farms as well as the
towns IN the district, national objects en-
iillcd Ia Improvement al the rational cx-
prDse II The seat uf government should
be removed, shall such in,prnte menis
accrue 10 enc stale, or he sold for lie
benefit of all HE states
Territorial right, aud eNcu i've legisla-
ton ought TO be brier understood IN the
u STATES, than IN any other couairy. They
nave been thoroughly leciured as Ia lie
meaning of these phrases, by their war
with England by The exclusive state le-
gis!aiIon within their ow n boundaries by
the geographical legisaiion over THE lcr
rilofies and above all, by The numerous
moral divisions OF power easily establish
cd in The structure of both the federal
aud Stale governments. Could the u.
States. in the act of defining geOsraphi-
cal DO undary, have forgotten The Effect
| o.snch IA boundary upon their own legis.
lalivc power; or ha"s inteujeu. whilst
rearing tiue political e,libce of moral
divisions and limilalione, Go restrain The
dcspotism of Legislation exercised by so.
vereiSuty, To demOllsN II by forts, arse
nails, magazines, dock Yards. aud The ten
miles square, IN even by The principle OF
| representation
" Nor is there any danger to be appre-
hendcd from allowing 10 congressional
legislation, VIM regard 10 the district Of
Columbia, lis fullest effects. Congress
Is responsible 10 Ilc States aud 10 Tie
= people for that legislation. The states
" or the people can only resist the natural #.
feet If S"ch Legislation, by resisting Ms
= ersrciSe Of heir Ocn sovereignty. created
upon high inducements Of coasiitutiOaGtpO
Icy" There Is d species Oi whiting aud
speaking, very much resembling tune
| called The Battle OF Prague play cd upon a
| liarpsjchord much noise, bat nO hsb,iHg
Is produced; so, many sOputous words
may he collected together, ike musical
! sounds, without much reasoning. The
| iasi quotation is designed 10 impress tie
[ opinion that congressional legislation
an its fullest effects is mol attended with
any danger, because Congress is respoDsi
| bic 10 the states aud 10 the people" This
| Interpolation into the federal constitution,
| a. politician once expressed himself,
" goes up To- the hub" AId lest i, slrould
| be misunderstood. il i. added, that HE
states or The people =" can ouly resist The
natural effect OF such legislation. by resist.
lag The eX reise OF their own sovereignty,
created upon Inducements OF constitutional
policy" The meaning OF the Argument Is
ihos explaiueri 10 be, thai the constitution
created the SOrereignticS If tile states and the
| people that IL iien tauSt, both these
sovereign;ics TO Congress, and tia, there
fore neither OF them can resis, congges
s;onal legislation. without resisting their
nwn sovereigutIes. What tan more
strongly rivcl The doctrine of sovereignty
national, congressional legislation, than
the deu.al oil right ~ the stAlrs aud the
people H. resist is natural effect The idea
| OF natural legislative pdweT, IS only de
ducihie irum the old principle, that So
| vPreiguty was bestowed upon mnnaTchs
and governments by God, and that bciug
| of diYnP origin, ITS poser 81 legislation
must of course be natural. absolute and
unlimited But passing over the many
considerations Tetutiug thls doctrine,
whIch nature Will suggest tD The reader,
let us conhne ourselves 10 representation,
By which IL Is now defended
The mode of representation in Congress
is peculiar and federal. This body IL not
a representation of the powers reserved
to the states, but only OF special and IL
Oplted federal powers. The greal diff
enccs belweeB The climates, habits and
local interests OF the states, suggested this
policy, wiihoui which couieGerationc0uId
not exist. II Congress had been made
The representative OF the people, consider.
cd as consolidated nation. aud had de
rived from thence a naturol power uveI
Hseir constituents, The avaiice ana ambf
lion OF human nature would iulaiIibly
have awakened disposition IN maiorlly
of that body, 10 lpgiSlste concerning The
local interests OF minority Of states
and 10 sacrifice them for The purpose o
advancing the wealth, Of gratifying iht
ambition OF favored states, combination.
| or individuals and The we'll known acii
| witty OF this disposition, would as inIalli
Div have dissolved Tie union. Tia
bOundless patronage Of boundess pow
! er of ! gislaiion, would of ITSELF have cor
, rupied Congress, and cOnve Itcd our fede
{ raj system intoa mixed OlgarclIy, com
4 pounded Of states corporations, cilie
and individuals, Influenced by ayarice
ambition, the pride OF power, aud ih
love of patronage Such an iufluenc
I could mol long steer the political ship b,
republican principles, but would drive
BY zigzag tracks into tue currents OF Op
= preston Whether ibis unlimited nature
= Legislation had been created by the con