Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1825-08-30

| ahead of the fundamental laws of " this Union''
nation is an Unity This is the funda-
mental point upon which the author has placed
himself, in regard to his whole system of elemen-
tary political economy; and. like Archemdes in re
e'ion to the natural world, give him this place to
stand upon, and the author seems to think he can
at pleasure move the whole political world This
principle Is true In sense but il is not true in
the sense OF the author. A nation may be defined
to be, the land conprehended within certain geo
| graphical boundaries, over which one government
presides, whether indvisible, or compqseS of df-
ferent parts, and the people inhabiting the land
within those boundaries. The tenn {" nation''
counprehends well the lands, az the inhabitants
| 'hereupon, within the prescribed limits of the go
vernment Indeed, in speaking of a Sc nation," it
! Is impossible, In our conceptions to separate the
land from the people, the people from the land.
II the people were removed from the land. they
could not properly be considered " nation;''
nor could the term 60 nation'' be properly applied
to tract of country without an inhabitant,S The
israelites, whilst removing from Egypt, could not
properly be considered nation unit. they pos
sessed and Inhabited the promised land. Nor were
they called nation during their pilgrimage They
were called the people of Israel not the nation of
Israel After inhabi,ng Palestine, they became
the Jewish nation. During their pilgrimage they
wanted that ownership of land, and fixture upon ii
which are essential TO Nationality So, at this day.
the wandering Arabs are not called nations of A
rabs, but tribes of Arabs The American Aborigi-
mes, alihoughin common parlance, often called
nations; yet in the Constitution of the u. s. they
are called sc Indian tribes in direct contradiction
to foreign nations &c Congress shall have power TO
regulate commerce with foreign nations, amongst
the several states, and ,chh Indian tribes" This
distinction is founded upon the principle--the
want OF title possession, and fixture upon lands,
within certain prescribed limits; and their conse-
quent savage condition. For, although the In
dians claim certain lands, the u. S. deny to them
all title, except the for it, Sill less, can an
unnhabi,ed country be called nation. The un-
inhabited country of Arabia, is never called the A
| rabian nation, but the Arabian deserts The au-
thor, although highly sensible Of the importance of
precise specific definitions, in all Lolemc DISGUISE
lions. often confounds the terms nation and 60
verhment and uses them as convertible terms;
whereas there are not two terms in the English
language OF more distinct and separate meaning.
The difference between part and whole. Go
vernment may be defined to be, corporation con-
sisting OF one or more persons, invested with the
exercise OF all rghtfu political power, over ma
tion," and IS constituent part OF suchnation Gov
ernments have been derived either from force fraud
or compact. Those derived from force and fraud
hare been said to have their origin in the mmedi-
ale gift of God to he respective governors with
out any intermediate right, or Intervention of the
people. Those derived from compact have their
/
political power through the gift of God to them
ia their original native character. The people be-
ing then the original sovereign owners of all pow
er derived from the gift of God to them in tbeil
native stale, they by written compacts have grant
ed out certain portions thereof, to governments in
their corporate character, to be exercised for the
benefit of the people in their original character
The constitutions of the several states and of the
U. ). afford the first examples of the formation oil
governments of this descriptions and of course they
are OF recent origin. This discovery has hereto
fore been thought TO promise much for improving
and ameliorating the political condition of man
and the first experiments under il, were thought &c
have been successful, beyond the most san
guine hope, o. expectation of the most sanguint
admirers OF this invention; but lamentable to bt
told, the writer thinks this great American inven-
ton, much wanted by all mankind, and so mucl
cherished and below ed by the American people, j.
already strangled in its infancy by the untaught,
thinking, unwise, visionary, ambitious, poliiica
fashionables.
Ii then, by the term T" nation" Tie author mere
iy meant that nation consisted of a certain ex
tent OF country within prescribed limits for the pur
pose OF government, and the inhabitants of tina
country amalgamated in conception, it is adj
United, in that sense; that &c nation is an unity
6 r. Pluribus Unum''--but then, this amalsamatio
must be made up of its different integral units com
posing the whole, with all the properties rishifull
belonging 10 each, whether these units consist q
states, governments, or individuals. In this sense
the authors great fundamental principle would no
/; answer his purpose He, therefore, proceeds I,
explain the sense, in which he uses the term an
in which alone, can it be made TO answ er hi
purpose Thus-''It' nation) "possesses a u
NIFTY oil rights, a unity OF interests, and unity
possessions" This also may be true, il i, be cor
fined 10 the lawful rights, interests and possession
Il OF nation in It's national character, az, for in
stance, the rights, interests and possessions Of III
: unsold lands belonging To- the nation of the u. S
as conradistinguised from the rights of the indiv
j dual members thereof; whether sovereign state.
: state governments, or individuals: but if in thi
unity, is intended 10 be comprehended all the rights
e &c. Of the integral units composing this nation
:, whether states, governments, or individuals, the
IL is not true. Ii then becomes principle inv DIV
! ing the most unfounded, despotic, and preposter
!, Gus results. Yet il is in this sense only, in whc
the unity of nation con be made 10 answer III
authors object: IN developing his frighifu eemer
tary principles of political economy. What ca
e the author mean, by unity OF rights, &C. belonI
e ." And is Ga government constituent part
J, such naton.' A national flag is an emblem OF Il
!. whole nation, of which the government is only
Il constituent part Thus the flag Of France, is call.
e the French flag, not the Kings flag, nor the 70
vernmcnt's flag, bu, the French nations flag, on
and indyisibe, comprehending as well the terrific
. ry, as the inhabitants of France.
e. The flag of this Union" is called the Amer
= can flag. II is an emblem OF the whole America
4 nation; comprehending all its various government
e territory, and inhabitants The states andsIate &c
O. vernments ere represented in the flag by stars an
~ stripes. After the admission Of several state
ID into 70 this Union" the writer thinks, law wa
H. passed to increase these emblems, so 10 CORES
y pond in numbers with the admitted states. Accofd
a. ing TO the doctrines Of the school, If law
D. this dsy, were to be passed upon that Subject,
ali The ,lafsr nd