The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1820-12-26

Hal the Constitution Of Missouri been accepted.
all this mig ht have been well enough. The ac-
ceptance you'd have had relation back and con-
sscrated all those aptic.pa,ions of regular author
ity. But the constitution wssnof accepted II
was rejected. Is vod. The whole ofganiza
ton under II falls TO the ground at Con
gress can pass healing uct TO cure the irregular
exercise of power, lift pleases.
. There Is no real novelty in this predcament.
Missouri had like 10 have placed Maine in the
sans, when from her oficious Interference with
our admission the period wssson the point Of
elapsing, within which the condition. Of the act
OF Separation required the consent of Congress
to be obtained
and one to which no execution was or could be
taken ; the porest perhaps in all respects of any
one to be found m the whole circuit of the Uni
ted States. She Was already ofgsnized 50 far as
that the executive authority was vested in the
persen of the president the convention. This
temporary Organization was extended by the ap.
pol0tpent of other necessary officers and the
functions Of government IN all the departments
excepting the Legislature, were eventually in &C
tnal exercise, upoa b. original footing, though
IN fact exercised the part Of the existing chief
ma yistraie with great and laudabls moderation.
But what OF all that, If the sonsent Of C,n
gross had not been given within the specified
time. Maine must have marched back again to
Massachusetts,. The contingency was conte M
plated, though fortunately the crisis did not occur
But provision wa made for the emergency by
the Legislature Of Massachusetts, which extended
the time within which the consent Of CongGkss
was stipulated. an! authorised provisional e!es-
tons to be made IN Maine, 10 take effect iT the
consent Of Congress should be given by the sub.
sequent period. And what condition sh ,uld we
have bse "A N After etaefinw .A,
Maine had lot been admitted within that firthsr
time Clearly the same we were before The
CONSENT of Congress was essential to the change
Of it.
But it may be conceived that there Is some dis.
tinotion between the cases IN this particular the
consent ofcongress having bssn gwen 10 the adj
mission Of Missouri at the last session aud the
Consent Of Congress. NIT having boon given at all
in the of laine. No difference AT all-tbe
consent OF congress TO the admission OF Missoari,
was only given nd,Joaaiiy Il turned out
nersr 10 hare been e'ren. The nctien fla condi-
ton sa5 equent in such a case Is too dep, acute
and oa'ui'ticsl. fer common aPproh.h,ion. -
VI by any monksry OF this .,ai Missouri can
cast of her swasdl,ng clothes aud become a GIil
grown state, there are 10 available restrictions
under which Congress eau possibly give its con-
sent, and its authority # admittsncs bv Antici-
patton becomes either mere nudity OF an Also.
'Nir IL a ICrfIoTy mas 10 do.
ia 10 break the crust that covers H. aud if 1t can
ONLY slip ont Of IS skrn, may set up its crest ia
positive defiance of the Constitution ADD total
deri'isn of all the LIipatisn restraints that are
laid upon II, ao end - At Dnce pot 10 the .uper.
iniandauce Of Congress. and the stipulations en-
tered 'sto The part Of those new state. already
admitted into the uni.n are ~ az virtue or effcacv
whatever Ii has only to work some such tray.
srse, 10 collect itscunning together and wor a H.
self into convention, aud then forthwith usurp
tho sovereignty aud cut the painter that connects
IL with the government sfth- union.
Such however was not tia opinion in the case
of hsioe. II. own moral sense would aiono
have revoked agsinsts such suggestion. Al
though a STATE faeis full as much "a Missouri
and stil more de j,ss by the perfect pariormanc
on her part If all the conditions unused upon
her by the act II separation, she never reamei
OF disssiyiug her faal connection with Ias.zehu-
setts without the consent of Congress. Latter
Maine had fire. declared her acoeptancs Of The
terns OF separation aud secondly formed her con-
st'tu;,on ia the aianner stated, she became tpsc
facto a soyer4gr1 iaJr~sdeot state,y upon wha.
grsund ofprincipie did the -psrtisan and friepus
of Missouri IN i9c Senate oppose her entrance il
that espaonys But what would have been the
seu.eofthe nstisn If Maine had insisted en- her
Independence
IL Missouri be state, she is state Of the I'M
ioa. lhe constitution knows no otlar definition
OF a state. But there can be no such state ex,..
ting without the cousen, OF Congress. That set.
Ties that qnesiien. IF she is NOT state. she re
main. necessarily a territory. There !, ne mss.
30 ferpune iu THE case neither. And th. terrific
~ is ao TO be ATTRACTED from the jurisdiction of
tho United States by any metsphysica re6ac.
ment or suhtle'y on the part ofthose who sndssv-
our to produce perplexity in order 10 mAnoa
yre Ut into the Union in its present crude and Ia
congruc9s Drnatlon.
The ambiguous character which Missouri
e'aimsfor herself, upon the suppo.ition Of Mr..
Lowndes and his party, can only be compared To
that y the class whose right, have been the sub
Jet ~ 80 much discussion IN the esarse Of thi,
question. Its sovereignty is like their citizenship
which is msintsined to be neither one thin nor
another neither fsh nor aesh --neither man nor
mouss-but
"a sort Of linsey wsol.ey brother
Half Of one order, half another,
Al tha' rate Missouri is only sort Of sciiishf
STATE eengeniai to the condition Of free neyr,e.
and muisttoss, and suitable only 10 be inhabited
by then.
But II has been said with M much .ivnifr.nr.