The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1828-01-07
TIE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION.

No one fees deepen reverence for the Con
Siitutiou framed by tho wisdom Of our nnmedi.
| ate ancestors than We 10, though we admit that
there are many whose loud proclamanons Of at
tachinent to il would IMPLY an amtitinn TO be
/ regarded its most faithful coustruers aud its
abesi champions. But we consider that It's drs-
! trurtion ana, with IT, the destruction of thatl'.
mon crmentcd by 81 much treasure and 50
much richer blood ought more TO be guarded
against than any miSconstructinn even Of an
important provision: because the first Is an act
which at er ages of repentance cannot atone
for. being irremediablc and the LAST. IA mere
matter OF opinion in which if one generation
err il NAV be set riglt bv the succeeding. We
/ arc, and always shall be, disposed To call 10
i strict account any man IN ollie Who shall open
/ " infringe the constitution but nj the same
time, must be permitted 10 declare, that, in
our opinion. thai man does not breathe who
would so provoke his own ruiu--or, II there be,
there is in the constitution itself a controlling
principle which would check him IN the outset.
/ We therefore place these loug aud loud TRADES
against those who have been called Cnntemners
Of constitutional restrictions ia the proper az
eonnt-~TheY are al capinndlm ruigfT lppeas,
and may always be traced'to contemplate
lust Of power or patronage, or to a still more
contemplate fear of being in minority. The
Constitution we admit, ought TO be strictly con
str,r"d no power claimed an incident to an
express Grant should be capable Of greater
tension in its operations than the grant itself
woull immedinifiV coulter. But, if our opiu.
ions he not those Of majority Of the constita.
| ted authorities of the land, among whom We
reckon many of the most profound constitution
! al lawyers as well as erudite scholars. are we
therefore TO issue q hn,tUm tuimen whenever
men as much entitled 10 their free opinions as
ourselves choose to express them ? Nonsense.
/ rh"v Vho believe that Congress under the
Cpnstit lton has right IN impose tariff 81 da-
ties. aurestricte1 in amount only bv il, own dis
c,etion Tto factat. intc1 course between thcex
| tremies q the II ION hy means of internal i'm
! provnments. have rs much RIGHT 10 launch forth
their "harmlcss tmnderbolt>' against those of q
contrary opinion asthe latter have 10 pursue that
course towards them And what will be the
| result \ war of examination and recrimlna.
ti,r resulting IN the alteration of one part of
~, halawai Hnion from the other, until the
ror.l. - hica bind il together shall snap asun-
der. lhis i not a tanciful picture nor fanei-
fll prediction. The FIST is already exempt
fed IN recent evrntS,-the last can only be a
vrrtpd by prudence &, discretion We must erase
r. tegard the President not ouly as the ioun-
tun Of power and patronage, hut also as the cX-
pounder Of the Constitution We must cease
- lay all msconstructions Of that instrument
At his door We must learn that tit be infrn.
god. at least An equal shara Of thc censme
should be given 10 the Congress without whose
aid no unconstitutional law could be passed,
aud to the supreme judiciary without whose
! sanction no unconstitutional law could be en-
fDrcei.
T.onk M thr present state of things Georcia.
with her usna recl>lessnrss Of consequences. ms
proclaimed TO the world not only thai the Tariff