Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-03-02

ciples TO tina, case; L ask MIN 10 come io' III a""
declare. whether, in his opinion, The New Eag
land States would have been justihed IN inter-
firing 10 break up The embargo system. onnef
the conscientious opinions which they held up
90; i, Had thew a right 10 apnul that law!-
Does he admir- or deny! Is that which Is mo
o,I,sbly unconstitutional in South Carolina,
;u,'i6es that S, ale in arros,ing the progress OF
IN. law. tell ME, W he,her that which was thought
naInably une onsti, utional also in Massachusetts
would have justified her in doing the same
thing. Sir. deny the whole doctrine. II has
not foo, Of ground in the constitution TO stand
on No public man oil reputation ever advan-
ced i, in Massachusetts,, in the warmest times,
or could maintain himself upon il there al any
time
I wish now, sir, &c make remark upon the
Virginia resolutions Of 1898. Icannot UNDER
take TO say now these resolutions were under>
stood BY those who passed them. The Ian.
euage is not little indehnite. In the case Of
the exercise, by congress, of a dangerous pow
er. not granted to them, the resolutions assert
the right, on the part Of the slate, 10 Interfere,
and arrest The progress OF the evil MS u
susceptible Of more Than one Interpretation. IL
NAV mean no more than that the States may
interfere by complaint and remonsIance; or oY
proposing 10 the People an alteration oil me
Federal constitution This would all be quile
uuobjec ,ioual; or it may be, that no more 10
meant than to assert the general right OF reSo.
luton. as against all Governments, In cases OF
in,olerable oppression. This no ono doubts;
and this, in my opinion, is all that he VINO
framed the resolutions could have meant by IT.;
for shall not readily believe, that he was ever
Of opinion that a STATE, under the constitution.
and in conformity with il, could, upon inc
ground Of her own opinion OF its uncons'itution'
airy, however clear and palPaoie she might
think the case, annul law OF Congress,'so lar
as il should operate on herself, by her own ie-
gislative power.
/ mus, now beg 10 ask, sir, whence Is this
supposed righ OF the States derivsd!.where do
they get the power to interfere with the laws
Of The Union2 Sill, the opinion, which the hon
orable gentleman maintains, is notion, found
I'd in a total misrepresentation, in my judgment,
Of the origin Of this Government, and Of The
foundation on which it stands. hold 1t 10 he
a popular government, erected oy the People,
those who administer i, responsible to the Pro'
pie; and itself capable Of being amended and
modified, jus, as the People may chuse tshould
be. II is as popular, jast as truly emana'ing
from the People, as the State Go'ernmen's-
II is created for one purpose; The Stale Gov
ernmen,s for another, 1t has its own powers;
they have Theirs There is no more au horiy
with them 10 arrest the operation Of Law oil
Congress, than with Congress to arrest The ope-
ration OF their laws We are here 10 admins
ter constitution smana'ing immediately from
the People, and trusted, by them TO our admin
is,ralion. Il is moi the creature OF The Stale
governments I, is of no moment 10 The argu-
ment, that certain scls Of the State Legislatures
are neceSsary to fill, our seats in this body
Tha, is not one Of their original S. ate powers,
par, Of he Sovereignty Of the State. II /.
duty which the People, by the constitution IT.
self, have imposed on the State Legisia-
lures; aud which they might have l.f 10 be per-
formed elsewhere, if they had seen 1T So they
have left the choice Of President with electors,
but all this does effect the proposition, tina,
this whole Government, Presiden', Senate and
House Of Representatives, is popular Govern
ment, Ii leaves il still all its popular eharac-
ter. The Government of State, lin some OF
me States) is chosrn,no, directly by the People
but by those who are chosen by: the People,
for the purpose Of performing among other du'
ties hs, Of electing Governor Is 'he Gov>
ernmrnt Of The State on that account, not po-
pu'ar Government! This Government, sir, is
the Independent, offspring of the popular will
I, is mol the creature o; Safe Legislatures; nay
more, IL the WnOie 'Tuln inhSl We 'o'u, W.
pie brought IL into existence, es' ablished Il, AID
have hitherto supported it, for the very purpose
amongs, others, of imposing certain salutart
restraints on Safe sovereignties. The States
canno, now make war, they canno: contract al"
liances, they cannot make. each for itself, Sc
para,e regulations Of Commerce. they cannot
lay impos's, they canno, coin money. II this,
constitution, sir, be the creature OF State Legis-
la,ures, il mus, be Admitted that IL has obtain
ed strange control over the volitions OF IT'S
creators.
The People, then, sir, erected this Govern
meut. They gave il a Constitution, and IN
that Constitution they have enumerated the
powers which they bestow on it. They have
made il a limited Government. They have
defined its authority. They have restrained IL
10 the exercise Of such powers as are granted;
and all Others, they declare, are reserved to
the States or the People But, sir, they have
not stopped here. If they had, hey would
have accomplished but half their work. No
definition can be SO clear, as to avoid PossibiI-
ity OF dsubI; no limitation SO precise, as
10 exclude all uncertainty. Who then shall
construe this grant OF the People Who shall