Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-12-06
POLITICAL.
STATE RIGHTS ASSOCIATION

the decided and suspicious progress which the prin
c'plcs they had contedrrated to sustain, had made
s'"cc he had last the honor to address them.
lie then advcr;ed to the vast change in public
sentiment even in those quarters of the State in
regard tn which the least hope had hitherto been
cherished; aud IN connection with this topic, OK
hihitcd variety Of details illustrating the solid
ground for confidence that the period was rapi;liv
approaching, when South Carolina would DO ms
united ON the question of remedy, at she now is
Ia iac extent and hagitouS character of the evils
under winch we were suffering from violations of
the Constitution, and the desputic pervcrsion of
those great beneficial purposes FOR which the
Union was formed,
lie n'N presented variety Of views which
were t" nc taken OF the recent Free Trade Con-
v"utIun III Philadelphia, which he ,houuht If il,
ttilc to produce any direct effect on the action ,r
Congress, had obtained for the South not alone 4
hearing inertia of the Potomac bat had produced 4
nnion among the friends of Free Trade thrcu glfout
the United StDtcs-a union which would sustain
The South IN its glorious struggle b" an ardent
sympathy and enlightened public opinion if bv
nothing else. That SO far thus orion concerned
the Southern States, this convention had brought
them ut last togcth.r; au<, it would indeed be
now nothing short OF abctt pusanmly and unut-
tcrahlc 5aScnCSS, If we conceded or surrendered
one J"t OF our right, relaxed in the smallest of
onr efforts, since tlat assembly, the most august
that has been Governed in the country since the
memorable Congress of l176, had given Judgment
in our favor. He said given Judgment in favor of
the South for the rejection of Mr.. Gailatins mo-
tion, by large and overwhelming majority, TO
strike CT that part OF the address which affirmed,
II 1t IN the opinion Of large portion of the pco
PIE of the o. States the Tariff was unconstitutional
in the form in which this question was put, and
the direct issue it involved, made the vote in itself
conclusive and absolute, ~ this print.
But III whatever quarter they turned their ewes
brighter auspicess of hope and success greeted them;
it these were not 10 be found, according that stale
tcchrlcaihy, in ''thc returning sense of jusficp"
IN our tax masters, ut least they to be found
:, L,
mcnting iniornatinr among ourselves. In Il more
perfect understands ing Of our doctrines, here and
elsewhere, ignUgsncc and dclusjou were giving
way before the light oftruth, and the people were
beginning To understand the difference between Il
con:edcracy and consolidated government. That
III the FIRST, our hopes OF the durability of our inst-
,ons, and the preservation of the Union, were all
ccntcrcd; that III the last, they saw nothing but a
monStrO;Is dcspotsm, i'll which cupidity might con
tend with corruption in the foul competition of as
ccrtaining whether much could he cxacted from
an oppressed people would be sui.ic icnt 10 dc
base their public spirit and poison the very foun-
tans of national honor
Virginia, he believed, was waking up, after Il
long and ingiorious slumber. To suppose that
she would turn her back upon those mighty and
lncstimah'c truths, which, IN degree, eyc
their exiSiancc and authority TO her high sanction
was utterly impOssIb!o This would he as iInpOus
IL her, it would be in to curse the light of
the Sun. No. neither the poor fraudulent game
of President making, nor the glitter of Federal
honorS held out as pcTncIous and allurlng
bats to her public men, If IF them did
bjtc could would prevent this noble and re-
nowncd commonwealth, from going with us-ycs
and that too, the line and precept of the old
catholic doctrines of'9S, her own, her cherished
doctrines.
Governor Hamilton then said that, in illustra.
non OF the well grounded confidence in which this
belief is INDUCED, he could not more appropriately
conclude than by reading extract from Il letter
he had received from an old '96 Republican of vir-
tfisn tAl. rr-l1,
fears nothing ''irom the powers that bc.'
''FIGGINIA, Sept. ., 1881 For my own part I
deem 1T Mr.. Calhouns exposition one ftEc most
powerful papers that | read, and if it does not
exhibit and enforce in u mastery manner the real
principles of Virginia understood and acted on
by the men 1913 80, all can say is that 4 mr.
yer understood those principles. I believe Mr.
calhoun perfectly sincere in all his opinions and
think his conduct bold, without passion, and his
reasoning unmixcd with sophIstry. How his ouo
tations, from our Report of 1893, aud Je1ferson,s
letter to Cartwright to be gotten over cannot
CONCEIVE. If lie does err, he errs, in common
with ihc fathers Of the Church. How any man
can discriminate between government of unlimjt
cd powers, and one which has the exclusive
Tlght OF constituting its 0rR pGwclS, requires more
acuncn than ] possess, to discern. As is Justly
remarked III the expose, the leading error couSis
IN considering tho Federal Government as Il pgyf,,
to th"compaCt, when it is only the creature or re-
suit Office compact. thiull it would be well for
some of your Carolina writers who have leisure
and ability % take up TIE subject and to put this
question 10 MIR. Richie. Suppose John Taylor,
OF Caroline, or Mr. Madison had been upprclendcd
under the Sediton law, for what they said and
did in the assembly of 1888, 80, (and certainly no
thIng was ever said or item better Cacslatcd to
bring the then President and Congress into dsre.
putc.) and l'at they had been taken from the Fedc
raj authority by writ of habeas corpus granted
by State Judge. Would Virginia. Ey that
act have seeded from the Union? Would
she TO use Mr. Riches language have been