Litchfield enquirer., 1830-03-18
Mr. Webstcr's second Speech,
 IN SENATE, JAN. 6, 1890,
(CONCLCDED.\

] S SNNOhO NpSCCu,
 IN SENATE, JAN. 2s, 1890. l (C"NCLUDED.)
 1 There yet remains to be performed. Mr
 President, by far tie most grave and inn
 portant duty, which feel 10 be devolve, on me by this occasion. |, is to state, an, to defend, what l conceive to be the true principles of the Constitution under whcl we are here assembled. might well hay, desired that so weighty task should have fallen into other and abIer hands. could ] have wished that it should have been exe- cuted by those, whose character and expe- r!encc give weigh and influence to their opinions, such as cannot possibly belong 10 mine. But, sir, have met the occasion. not sought it ; and l shall proceed to state my own sentiments, without challenging for them any particular regard, with stn- died plainHcss, and as much precision as possible.
 l understand the honorable gentleman trom South Carolina to maintain, ,that it is a right of the State Legislatures to interfere, whenever, in their Judemen,, this Gov ernment transcendS its constitutional limits, and to arrest the operation of its laws.
 l understand hEl to maintain this right, as right existing under the Constitution ; not as right to overthrow it on the ground of extreme necessity, such as would justify violent revolution.
 understand him 10 maintain an author- fly, on the part of the States, thus to inter- tere, for the purpose of correcting the excr- else of power by the General Government, of checking it, and of compelling i, to con- form to their opinion of the extent of it's powers.
 l understand him to maintain, that the ultimate power of judging of the Cons,i- iuiional extent of its own authority, IS uot lodged exclusively y in the General Govern- ment, or any branch of i but that, on the contrary, the States may lawfully decide for themselves, and each Stato for itself, whether, in 2 iven case, the act of the General Government transccnds it's power.
 4 understand him to insist, that if the ex'crncy of the case, in the opinion of any State Government, require il, such State Government may, by its own sovereign au- Ihoriy, annul an act of ihc General Gov ernment, which il deems plainly and pal- bably unconstitutional.
 This is the sum of what l understand from him to be the South Carolina doc trne, and he doctrine which he maintains. I propose to consider it, aud to con . pare it with the Constitution. Allow mo |" say, aa preliminary remark, that l call ,h.S the South Carolina doctrine, only be- cause the gentleman himself has SD denom- mated it. do not feel at liberty to say that South Carolina, SIS a State, has ever advanced these sentiments. \ hope she has not, and never may. That d great n'a- j"r'y of her people are opposed to rhe tariff laws is doubtless true. That a mas jorny, some what less than that ust mcII- toned, conscicntiouSly believe these laws unconstitutional, may probably also be true. But, that any majority holds to the right of direct State interference, al Sta!e discretion, the tight of nulfi,ying acts of Congress by acts of State l~glsla ion, is more than know, and w!.al sI!all be slow 10 believe.
 That there are individuals, besides tho hon. gentleman, who do maintain these opinions, is quite certain. l recollcct the recent expression of a sentiment, which clr- cumStancrS attending its ultGrdnce and pub- iicatlon, lus'i'y us m supposins was nut un- premcdiia,ed. The sovereignty of the Sta.e never to be controlled, construed, or decided on, bu, by her own feelings oi honorable justice"
 Mr. HAlNE here rose, and said, that for the purpose of being clearly understood, |, he would state, that his proposition was in the words of the Virginia resolution, as fol- lows:
 That this Assembly doth explicitly ard peremptorily declare, that it views the powers of the Federal Government, as re sulting from the compact, to which the States are parties, as limited by the plain sense and intention ot the instrument cosI- stituting that compact, as no farther valid than they are authorized by the grants enu- mcrated iu that compact and that, in case ofa deliberate, paIpable and danger "us ex- erciSe of other powers, not granted by the said compact, the States who are parties thereto have the right, aud are in duty bound to inlerpose for arresting the pro- gIess of the evil, and for maintaining, within their respective limits, the authors ties, rights and liberties appersaiHIng to ihem."l
 MT. WEB>TER, resumed: