Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1830-04-13

eminent was so long kept secret from the people
OF the States, is matter OF som- nysery. why was il
not avowed at the time the constitution was formed?
Why this disclosure reserved m,,i his time and
for this OCCASION: Is there any thing ia iis message
oil the President, OF in e political coalition OF The
pie oi the States which demands its onug iii at
this unes Are the people prrpsrc', X YOU. 20 re-
csve an entire new version oil their con. 'iutiou;
Will they give up their de eudence up. their States
respectively, snd rely upon the great Cenir.l Govsrn-
mtnt for The protection Of their lives, liberty tni pre-
perty: Sir, think not; they are not vet .uiIicisny
tanned and snhdueL by the arts ocraey o The laud aud
the encr ohments of the General Government upon
the rights If the States; to submit just at once.
MIR President. would ask the honorable Sena-
tor how his doctrine be correct, consistently with
the Known at" OF facts, at tie time the constitution
was formed VIVA, was the condition ot the people a,
that time? Were they at large, and cted by
any poll icates whatever? Or, were they in a,atc
OF seifgovrrnmeut under distinct political a.sociations
Ii known every body, that the people consisted Of
aud constituted thirteen distinct, Independent aud sove-
reign States All tho States were connected ose eth.
by compact OF Union. and that the great object Of
the people OF the States IN forming the Constitution,
was that declared in it, preamble to make the Union
more p'rfect. What union, would ask, or "a union OF
WHAT Most certainly Of the S atcs already united,
whose union was thought to be imperfect. To render
more perfect the Uron OF the States the great de-
sideratup. To consolidate the union of the States was
the object of the Constitutional compact.
But desire to be informed, how the people could alb
solve themselves from their allie glance TO their respec
tive States, so ~ 20 he in coniion TO form National
Government! And what need they could have for a
National Government, before they had formed them.
selves into nation and how they could form then
selves into nation, nation wihou. abandoning, or
throwing o their State sne and even Ills solving the
compacts, by which hey were formed into States.
We all know that here are but two conditions of
kiLd Tie one natural, the other artificial and found
ed uron compact We know, that in state of nature
there ia government That all equal i'm that con.
6i'ion, and where all equal there be no govern
men The laws Of nature the only rules OF hum an
conduct in that condition, and each Individual il his own
expounder OF those laws. He is the arbier Of his own
rights, and the avenger of Ills wrongs. Such wa.
not The condition o the people where the Cons;u ion
wa. formed They were not at large and At liberty to
improve their condition, by their general yoc. or
cy. And they had been so situated they would no,
have formed such Constitution they did The Con-
sulon Is not adapted To the People, in any condition.
which People they could occupy while il i. adj.
irably adapted for their in their State capacities
the purpose for which it wa4 formed.
desire further to know, in what the words,
State and People used BY ,.nn when he says 1.-The
People brought (he constitution into exisnce for
the purp amongst others, of imposing certain sai
fdry restraints upon State SJvereigntics. In iced
should like TO know in what he the word so
,ereign'ie', in that connection. Now sir, und-rHand
STATE TO mean the people who compose that il i, but
name by which they, in their collective capacity are
designated. by the people oi tn. United States / I'M
der.iand, the distinct collective lodes of people
who compose the aes, that united by III. Federal
Constitution And by lie United Safes | under
stand the di.tnct collective bodies OF people of which
The Sa'es composed. But sail make myself bet.
ter Understood ny short analysis of the process by
which State il formed.
The power which is exerted in governps nts must al
iher have been willingly conceded by the peope or ia
ken from them against their viii II it could ONLY be
obtained III the latter mode there could be no tree 20
ytrnments. In ,tale OF nature, there is no power
q mean moral power) in one man, to direct. control
or govern ano,he all free. The evils in.eparAbIe
hon this conditcn need not be enumerated by me
ihey have been portrayed by all elementary writer's on
the science OF politics suces that the are such
as TO nduce those in that condition TO hasten to escaps
from IT, political doctors agree in telling u.s. that the
transition from state oil nature TO OF civil society
is elected by agreement among all who are TO com
pose the societyo each with ALL and all with each that
each x his concerns shall be directed by the
ing, x protected by the force power OF ALL The agree
ment Is reciprocal OF each with ALL AMI of all with each
The right which each man pore in state of ma.
ture' 10 direct himself and his own concerns, by hi.
own VIII, Is voluntarily surrendered by him the
ciey; and he agrees that he and his concern, shall
thereafter be subs 10 the dir ton and control of In,
understanding will of the society. This contract i.
either express or imped-bu frequently implied
and is necessarily supposed have hoen formed hy eve
people, among whom laws and govern nen, are ound
10 eSist. say necessarily for the power TO max.
law 20 10 govern can be obtained upon other suppo
si,ion L. 10 denominated The social compact Ii is the
charter by which civil society is iucorporaed-by which
acquires personality and unity by which the action
OF all the people, by majority, in any other mode
which they may designate in their consit ronal com
pact is considered as the action OF a moral agon-ol
single person This moral agent is in reference to its
own condition and concerns, called State-probaby
from the hxed and stable condition Of the people com.
pared with their variable ard uctua,ing condition in
state oil nature In reference other STATES i. called
nation, and acts and holds intercourse with them az
an indivi person Much confusion has arisen from
the ndiscriminate application OF the word State o diff
eTent and distinct sIbjeCt' Sometimes il il used 10
mean the government of the State instead Of the peope
in their political capacity, in the 18th amendment TO
the constitution.
There is nothing more common than 10 hear men
who even distinguished for their poitica
say that in forming government, surrender nor.
ft0n OF Their natural rights 10 the cton of
the balance. ct there is no more paIpabe MI
that notion were correct. the legitimate power Of the
state, (and throughout this argument shall use that
word to mean the people OF the Stae,) would be too
limited for any beneficial purpose. Then, indeed.
State would not possess sovereign power. The State
In that case could not protect either the citizen or hi.
property lie would not be citizen: for il /. in
consequence OF his having surrendered not a part
but the whole OF his self-controI, that he il
clizen-and it is Only citizen that STATE
can demand any public service from him. or control
hin in any way. Neither could his property be sub
jet to the control Of the State even in reference to n.
protection, II tho control OF il oil had not been surren
dered in the social compact. Now this Individuality nj
The people, produced by the socaI compact .uhss,s
while that compact lasts, and il coners upon the State
which it has formed the seIipreservng power 10 the
extent oil the moral and physical energy Of ALL The
motives which lead TO the formation of State can ne
yer cea'e 10 exist; state OF is at all times eou,
ly infested with insecurity, and wretchedn,,. and
Of course, there will Away. be the same motives for
stunning it, and IL can only be avoided by remaining in
state OF civil society. Hence We have no account in
history, Of the voluntary dissolution of the social rom
pact. Civil societies have b4en destroyed by earth.
quakes, by deusc, and by the extirpatnr fsvsg,. Of
war, but never by voluntary dissolution of their 80.
ciaI cOmpscts. They have, to be sure been often sub
dued into vassalage, reduced to the condition Of pro
vinces. Indeed it IL difficult to conceive how thew
could tie SOLVED by the will agency of the peope
who compose them The will OF The whole il the will
OF one political bodyof ono corporate agent; and self