Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1830-07-23

ing no practical limitation on its powers
ut the popular will and that TO talk f
State Rights" is the most ridiculous
nd unmeanlng ja'gon +; ii is the language
{ bitter sarcasm and solemn ,n.ckery.
Il "a sovereign and independent State"
as no right t. Judge of tho violations of
compact int winch she has eht, red
IT, when" usurped powers" are exercised
over her ci,Izcns, she has no right. howey-
er uagrant tie usurpation, ITO in,erpose
{" arrest the proyross of the evip'-ii the
Federal Government the mere creature
OF the C"ns,itution) may, with IMMUNITY
disregard all ITS limitations, aud the States
a,e hound implicitly T. submit, then, in
deed, am yet To l-atn, in what Estate
Rights" consist. d. they consis, i'm the
pow'rs moi granted" or "ex,r..sy re-.
served" under the Constitution 2 The
Federal government having the right tt"
decide. " ultimately aud cunclusly.ly :"
OH these matters, will say to US, 6y their
practice, that all has be,'u given, and ncme
'e.erved-amd if it he the duty Of the
States implicitly To submit, "Stal, Rights
may exist as an abstraction, IN the minds
of gentlemen, but they exis, 10 where
else, aud Tor my own pant, am ut, ry
unable to appreciate the value of ihcu-
retIcal right which is To he held at the
mercy al another, aud fur me -mlnl ce.
| ment at wi lch there exists no remc1y.
| According 20 tins ,luctTimr, the States
hav" right Ia "XeI,is" Just 50 much pow
er (a"d II" m"ie,) as the Federal G",rln-
| m tpInG N a..
aud We are presented with the strange
anomaly oi The trtdiare elevated ahu, e
MS creator, the servants above their mas
terS. Ii such e The true character of
the Federal G~,in nent, Tie exper ment
-, the security - he derived !rum written
CHARTERS has already most siynaiy ia,l-d,
aud The people ""n whom, III tie pruy,-
denc" G"d, has Urem cast the pres. rva.
ti"n o the Hr''t iracpIe," ;sa,e proved
iec,eani To their trn>i, and have surr,u-
deied u last citadel 1t Nredun. shall
I" stop t ruqn r, m What deIartme ut of
ti- f s'eral e." e-"mrut t,S desp, ,ism is
I supposed tn cit The iiea that the
Supreme COurt Is Ia he tie saieguared of
t." reserved nights oi the States, can de
/ lnh" The S. only. who dose their ears
I" the arkuowi,, g Il fact, that ia most of
The cases where urSutuedpnMe has been
"xr'cI>' d "r Is apnr, Ii nd.h, (sncl ten H.
stance AZ the Tariff at pTlecri m and the
appropriations, "i money 'm lnte nal im-
pr",rmrmts, Educatio;., c II rni :, Colo
mzaror "r EmaucIpaInn) the question
! cannot even lie brnugh Lek re e SUI
preme q ut according tn the forms .f
The Constitution, AMI il rs &c tainh IN the
power "i Congress SO 10 frame Their laws
and so To regulate their Crurts as To pre-.
vent them HON inIrrpnHng To arrest til"
progress o. usnipali IN" III any case what
soever.
When wc Cast our eyes over the map of
The United States, aud brhnld "A t.irilory
al such vast extent, Inhabited By people
of such diversified pursuits and interests.
"i habits and Of feelings. can it be p,s-
sihle that The evil of The mainrity" shall
he practically adopted as Tie rule of Gov
rrnment Tor all OF the parts, wihnu, It's
degener"tlhg INTO the most oiinus and
desn'aiing tyranny. Look nj the cnndi-
ton of the Southern States, having the
system of st0Uery so interwo,en with
their institutions that even to touch the
SUBJECT is L. involve them in ruin; and
depending upon foreign markets for tn
sale at their valuable prodn, tons. Can
| II he believed, that the wise aud patriniic
men who represented the S+uih IN the
Convention which framed the Cuns,itu-
ton, would Lave consented in our bel,rlc.
10 sign bord 10y winch It was to he sub
init tu III L..
is more, MAJ r,ty Of their Represents
lives IN & ng,e ASST mbIed, whether our
Institutions sh"ud b. preserved, and onr
pursuits at industry remain unchanged,
or whether we might he deprived of both :.
under the op' ration Df the A lis %! Con-
gress, base! upon vague notions of the
general welfare"
Gen'l men, in the presence of this re-
spectacle as,e nhly, aud ia the face of NV
Try, declare my solemn conviction
that the acknowledgement of HE e1ciusire
right "i the Federal Government to de-
'e'm'ne the limits Of its oaca powrrs, a.
mounts to recognition of rs nbS0ime sa-
pFnmncy over the Stiles and the people,
and involves the sacrifice not only oi oul
dearest rights and interests, Ut thu -er,
existence al the S"utEern STATES and II.
D! tie blessing OF Heaven, we shall YET
little while avoid the fate winch IL mn
pending over US, we are as surely desfin-
e" To mtct1t, " as the sparks fly upwards. "
IN my view of the actual condition of
y'nr affairs, without undertaking To de-
'efmInc what else It may become you To
do, or t" icrhear it Is absolutely and III
d'spensably necessary t" give your breli-
rem III other quarters of the Union. dis
imci'y to understand, that you never will
ackno" ledge the right claimed for the
Federal Government, in either or all of its
departments, to decide Ultimately and