Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1832-10-08

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ton between the State and the General Govern
ments, including many, who call themselves the
friends of State rights and opponents of consolida
ton, can scarcely be doubted, it is only that
suppostior, il can be explained, that So many of
that description, should denounce the doctrine. for
| which this State contends as alsur1-Bnt iDriu-
natey. the snpposi,un is entirely destitute OF truth
So far from the Constitution being the worl, of the
American people collectively, no such political
body, either now, or ever, did exist. In that char
acter the people Of this country never performed n
single political ACT nor indeed can without entire
revolution in all cur political relations.
| challenge en- instance. From the beginning
and IN all the changes ofpoliiical existence through
which we have passed the people Of the United
States have been united, as forming political com
manlties. and not as Individuals Even IN the first
! stage of eXistence, they formed distinct colonies
independent of eict ether and politically united
Gully through the British Crown. In their fist IN
formal Dnion for the purpose ofresistlng the eu-
crpachmoits CT the Mother Country, they united MS
distinct political communities and, passing from
their colonial condition, III the act announcing their
| independence to the world, tlpy declared them
Selves by name and enumeration free and lndcpcn
ent States. In that character they formed the old
| confederation and when it was proposed 10 su-
oerccde the articles tthe confederation by the pres
cnt constitution, thcy met il, convention states
acted and voted, stntcs and the Constitution
when formed, was submitted for railiaalion to the
/ people oi the sct~al states; It WAS ratified by
them, as states, each state for ltsel. each by lis
l!itatiap bundi"5 lis own citizens the pnrts thus
| separately binding themselves y not the whole the
parts 10 Which, II ii be added that il is declared in
thc preamble Of he Constitution 10 he ordained by
The people OF Tie Inited States and in the article
al ratification, when ratified it is declared " 10 Dc
5ladinG Det@eeB the d0c5 81 ratilgtac, j" the concu
SION Is inevitable, that The constitution the work
OF the people of the Sltcs considered as separate
ana independent political communicated they
arc lis authofs--thclr power creates it their bee
clothed 1t with aulhorlty--that the Government il
iorme Is III reality their ageut-and ;hat the l. Mon
OF which Il is tie bond, is an Union of States and
nor of individuals. No one who regards his eha,-
acier for inte genca and truth, has ever ven.uted
directly To deny facts certain but While they IRE
iooceran for denial, they also too conclusive,
IN favour oths rights OF the States for ADMISSION
| he uaua. course has been adopted To cludc what
can neither be denied nor admitted and never has
HE deViec beca more successfully practised, BY
conf,undns states, with state governments and
he people q; the states, with the American people
coilectINey things, rs regards the suhec. Of ;hi.
communications totally dissimilar, as much SO a
triangle and square facts otthcnselycs, perfectly
certain aud plain, and which, when well under
Stood, must iead 70 correct conception of the
SUBJECT, haYo been involved Ia obscufiy and ny Ste
~.
. viii next proceed to state some Of the results
which necessarily follow. from The ioet, which have
been established
Tic FIRST, and in reference 10 the subiert OF THIS
eonn'ncatlon the ,nust important IS that there IS
auI II,
individual citizens ola State aud the General Gov
eminent The relation between them is through
the State. The Union is an Union of States, ~
communities, and not am Union of individuals. As
aembet5 Of State, her citizens were Originally
sob ect 10 no control but that the State and could
be subject 10 10 oAer except by the act OF the State
itself The Constitution was accordingly submit
ted 10 the States Tor their separate ratification and
It was only by the ratification of the State, thu, rs
citizens became subject to the control of the Gen
crnl Government. The ratification of any other
ora the other States, without lis own could
ate no connection between lhcm and the General
Government, nor impose on them the slightest obli-
-ation-W ithout the ratification Of their own
State, they would stand in the same relation To the
General Government, as do the citizens subjects
IF any foreign STATE; and we find the citizens Of
North Carolina aud Rhode Island actually bearing
that relation 10 the government for time after
/, went into operation these States having in the
first Insancedecllncd 10 ratify. Nor had the act
ofany individual the leas, influence in subectinc
him TO the control OF the General Government ex-
cept as II might influence the ratification of the
Constitution by his own state. Whether subject
to It's control not depended wholly the act Of
the State His dissrn! had not the eas, weight
against the assent OF his State, his assent a.
gains its dissent. 1t follows as necessary conse-
qucnce that the uct of ratification, bound the State
as community as Is expressly declared IN the ar
tcle o. Qualification, above quoted and not the cti-
zcns ofthe State, as individuals the latter being
hound, through the State and in consequence of the
ratification q; the former. Another. and highly
important consequence as II regards the subject M
der investigations follows with equal certainty that
on question, whether particular power, exercs-
!, ed by the General Government, be granted by the
Constitution, it belongs to the State, as member
of the Union in her sovereign capacity, III Conver-
ton, TO determine definitely AS far her citizens
! are concerned, the extent of the Obligation which
she contracted; and, fin her opinion, the act cX-
ercisng the power be unconstitutional to declare 1t
null and void, nkich dcciarattOn Wouidbe obligato-
5 ~ M her eutzeus In coming To this conclusion,
may be proper to remark 10 prevent mlsrepresen-
c tation, that do not claim for a State the right to
e abrogatc an act of the General Government 1t is
the Constitution that annus an unconstitutional
act Such act is of itself void and of effect
What claim is the right Of the State, as far as
Us citizens are cOnccrned, 10 dectare The eJteat o.
The obttsation and hat snch declaration rs biadims
f; tiema right when limited to its citizens, flow
ing directly from the relation of the State TO the
General Government, on the one side, and its citl
zens on the other, already explained, and resting
on the most plain and solid reasons.
Passing over what of itself might be considered
conclusive, the obvious principle, that it belongs to
the authority which imposed the obligation, to de-
: clare It's extent as far as those are concerned on