Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1824-02-17

iNiit "a = OAib tfAR hsaiA al ~ ~
suppose he had altogether forgotten, or
had never kaown inc nature oi the UNION
which The syatrs forncd when they sub
scribed the " Articles Of Confeaer tion,"
and which tnel prrlected end perpetual
ed by their ratification Of the present le-
deral Constitu ION. tie seems to he en-
tlrely unmindlnl OF The relation which
TO the general government. The peo-
pie OF each state are not IN thehseiv es,
considered in relation 10 The u. States,
sovereign and independent. l. each state
is sovereign and independent, i, can
OF right exercise all the powers of sove-
relgnty, and Of course do whatever any
other sovereign and Independent nation
may Of right do. II Can declare war,
make treaties WITH other nat.ons, grant
letters Of marqne and reprlsal COIN mo-
ncy, emit bills OF credit, &c. sc. ald yet
be strictly rehH5ticaa in rs form 81 GO
vernmeut. Il The people nI this IT any
other state in the Union were thas sore
reign, then, when they entered INTO Inc
general confederacY, they gave up the
riehi oHfg Of adopting form Of govern
I mcnt H9t republican, But this IS far
flom being the fact, as even the mosi
eursory perusal OF the Federal Consliu-
| ton will abundantly show
! II this writer means to be understood,
that we as state are as tree and indie
| pendent as were the people of each 81
! the states 6efore they entered into the
/" Articles of Confederation" he at,ri.
butes to Us more and greater powers
than the whole United States as pol
tical association at present possess: |.
he means the people OF the individual
states after they bad formed tae confe-
ieracy, or after they had ratified the new
Constitution, he is as far as usual from
the ruth, because the states, as members
Of The contederacy, have graated, and
wholly rclinquisned 10 the general go.
vernment, MANY and important rights
and powers besides the ones befnre men
toned, which, as sovereign and indie
pendent sta.es, they before enjoyed.
The general government Is one 9Dn-
ssting wholly uFdelcgaied powers. The
states severaIy are governments OF ORR
ginal restricted powers, having bestowed
a par. Of them upon the former, Tor their
greater sccu ity. The writer, whose
production | am anmadverting nDnn,
speak of the general government as il
II were Sums hosllle, gigantic, 5pF4I-,n
power, with 3pen jaws ready to devoar
f us. Bul ! would solicit him 10 recoiiect
That this government is oui ososs, u al
j least part of it; that its powers are
specifically defined, or as much So as II
IS possible to do, and have il anss or the
itn1 ortant ends intended. II it usurps
| the exercise oil powers moi dele gated 10
+ i, hope he or some other patriOt wiz
/ point on, wherein il does so; and pre-
| sumo The good citizens 81 tais sate, M
! less than those Of the other members Of
the Union, wi. be sufficiently alive to
resist such infringement upon their
righ.s.
Whether we have the power So 10 al
ter our state CONSTITUTION as to admit ne
gro slavery, is Ger AMY question to
! which correct answer cannot aud ought
mott to be hastily giveI. One thing, how
! ever, Is CERTAIN, which ls,that this whole
/ state was once a territory, and mostly
lhe aesolu.e properly Of the u. States,
and as such, entirely subject 10 her dis
3osal. IBey had the s.doubtea right
10 make the som ich-laik ed-ot Ordi-
| nance for its govern neni, with such pro.
| visions as II CONTAINS; or il they bad mol
socn right, II Is surprising that their
| snrpatlon IN tins particular has not been
| detected and fully proved. II that Or
| nBance IS not complete conduct be-
veen The n. w. Territory and the I.
| States; it is, 10 say the least of il, a law
OF the latter; and as such, . sehreme
| iaw ofthe iQnd." 1t is not in the power
Of any member OF the Ualun to repeal or
annni such law, either directly or indl-
rectly. Congress only is competent TO
| do this. That body may do it, either by
passing an expressly repeating act, or
| one with provisions inconsistent with
those of the one already passed. Ii is
| urged tina, Congress has done the latter,
and that this Ordinance was virtually re-
! pealed by the law authorising Our Tor
nation of State Constitution, and the
! admission OF Illinois into the Union bot
we see that Tins law expressly provides
! that our constitution is to be - SO framed
as not to be repngnant to the Ordinance"
+ The preamble also to that instrument
refers to this Ordinance as though il con-
F. tanned landmarks by which our Conven-
ton was to be guided. Therefore the
conclusion irresistaby follows, that SO
much Of this Ordinance as is not repeal
ed nv a later law of the United States.