Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1832-10-05
Richmond, va, Friday, Oct. 3.
Sc OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES r

we must throw ourselves again upon the courte-
sy OF our Readers. We must expose attacks
that have been made upon us-one by paper i'm
this City, with the name of which cannot conde-
scend to STAIN this paper and the other by the N. Y.
Courier " Enq.-The LIST relates to Notification
and the other to Mr.. Jefferson. We shall dismiss
them both in rs few words as possible
NULLIFIcATIoN.
The Charleston Evening Post" which reached
us on "Wednesday morning brings the first attack
1t is set forth in the following manner:
.Look too, at the course of the Richmond Enquirer as
indicating another cause OF opposition which would
existed The Editor took counsel, and CO.
with the leading men of Virginia in her best days. who
champions of the very doctrines of State Rights
party OF South Carolina, and the Enquirer did more TO
give those doctrines footing in the South
than probably any other has done before since
But the Editor has changed, aud, since M Cal
ho,,n quar- eed tcith Martin Pan Buren, The Enonrer
has been ong unravel in this nigh, of it's subseryien
cythe whole web which it had in the daylight of
its independence.
'what decided Modification cam there be than
embodied in the Bill prohibit in Virginia the exc
cution of the Judgments of the Federal Court-which
Bill was published in the Enquirer praised and re-
commended by the Editor! For this fact we are indebted
to writer in the Richmond the Editor of which de-
clarcs of his correspondent that tetigit acu when he
ascribes Mr. Rchies present hostility TO Notification TO
his connexion with the Undertook inrguer; says
Never until it became necessary TO extirpate Mr. Cal
at .Ntilifeation'"
1t is true the Bill was published i'm the ENQUIRER
but it is false that it "prdised and recommended
by the Editor-or, to use the words of the original
which we have since, that ever "la,tded the
scheme, and recommended Il TO the Legislatme."-
do we remember the era to which these men refer
1t was after Virginia had been cited to the bar of
the Supreme Court in the case of the Cohens. The
attempt had thrown the State into hame-and con-
'ributed greatly to an excitement which the previous
encroachments of the Federal Government, the re-
establishment of the National Bank, the appropria-
ton of money to Internal Improvement, and other
acts OF the government had previously kndled. Vr-
ginia then stood up almost alone i'm defence of the
Rights of the States. s. Carolina was warmly OPP
posed to her. She was disguised with the "Tocsin
Of State Sovereignty note icich has been sounded IN
The .4nciea Dominion ,cth such -omened blast but
auth no rd'lety by them to relieve the dull and veraous
dissonance" But Virginia quailed not; and though
nearly singe-handed, with not State TO support
her systematic principles and with very few allies
among the politicians of our sister States she gal
lanty commended for the true principles of the Con-
stitution
At that time 1s2I) we published Mr. John Taylor's
book of Construction Construed" The discussion
was agained opened i'm the newspapers In one ofour
Nos. of August, 1921, we find ourselves defending
the Rights of the States, the time against the
Nat lnteigencer, the n Hampshire Journal the N
Y American, and two ofthe Charleston papers. We
carried on long paper war with the N Intellgen-
Ger, upon the powers ofthe General Government and
especially upon the supremacy of the Federal
Court. The following remarks, which we pub
lished at that tme will show the spirit in which we
treated the subject during this high of excite
ment III Virginia Let the reader Judge from these
remarks, whether we were then i'm favor of peaceful
constitutional redress, of Revolutionary .Nillifca-
"The doctrines maintained those the Republi-
can Party We will seek 10 maintain them with the same
devotion TO the Union, the love of peace same
weapons of argument, the adherence force the
same preference of the remedies designated by the Con-
stution ITSELF which graced the Virginia Proceedings of
9S 99-We are as thoroughly aware that the States may
lily into dsaiiecon, that the general government has
Violated the Constitution. We would avoid both extremes.
would watch both the cenrpetal aud the centrifugal
powers. Our government is a experiment in politics
1t is the wheel within Wheel the inperitm in i'm
peri0and the great danger is lest the machinery shonJ
clash utionb hot
has wisely provided Tor its amcndment-and the ap-
peal rs TO the people peaceably assembled by re-
personalities, in conventions, 10 the State Legsa-
lures.
whether the crisis has for resor,ing TO these re-
inedies, is problem as difficult ii is important Whe-
Their the contests which have arisen tie bank law;
the decisions OF the court upon il; the points involved in
tne case OF The Cohen the great question of internal inn
Provement the expcdency OF retouching the sweeping
clause OF the Constitutions and of regulating judiciary
upon better principles may not justify this resort,
question: ne oAdt tcoy to do II, is another May il best
be done by convention with specified powers and who
may continue TO shift and shape the amendments until
they can compromise and please all parties Or by the
ordinary mode of Legislative amcndmens!'
The Inelligencer was pleased, however, to sup
pose that III these remedies themselves an nsidous
blow was meditated against the Union of the States
And we repealed the insinuation in the following
maDner
-''We have right to insist upon being Judged by our
every facou fanatic be laid at our door is Virginia
TO be accused with resorng arms, with resistance with
violence, because she appeals TO the OF the people
by the force OF argumeRt?Or these Jealous cenne
OF the national power to infer the from the principle
III we shall be little astonished hear these advocates
oil supremacy again cry ont the Federal President did
IN 9S, that there party in Virginia who deserved
TO be ground TO dust and ashes before indignant Ion
OF their injured and nsulted country as easy for
political il was for religious lanaicsm when dres in
authority to raise the cry OF Cruelty him cruelty iml
Virginia is dragged the bar Of the federal courts and
In vain pleads the Constitution her shield Does she
threaten violence! Does she draw tile sword! does she
love the Union the lesdoes she less love the Constiu
ton, when she cngs those principles which can alone
endear tous! Sweep away your State goyernments-and
where are you Give only scope The general govern
ment by forced constructions of the constitutional char
ter; and protect each encroachment behind tho doctrine
oil supremacy and you gradually sweep the States into
nm overwhelming, consolidated monarchy.-Thesc were
the sentiments Of the Republicans in '9s-they are those
which we cherish at this tine.-We would be done
with these wrdngings. We would bring the Constitution
to ITS original principles. We would define the swcepine
clause. We would bring the dispute between the co,
partners to an amcable issue. We would strip This
good old Constitution Of the IT, States of the false eIoses
which have been put upon it. We would take out its
warnings and bring it back what il was Whether bv
aconvendon by The amending power Of the State legis-
iatures II Is immatcal TO Mr. Jefferson has pointed
out The former mode-perhaps il is tie best one"
"Such are our naxims-we confess would not bar
ter them Tor those OF the Inellgencer The editors OF
that paper say they proud to avo that they are the
friends OF the national gOvcrnmenthe devoted Cfiends
In devotion to the Union; 10 that noble constitution which
our fathers handed down us; in love 10 our common
country, we humbly hope That We yield 10 no man
May the Of the wretch who attacks the Union ile
that OF Uzzah, when he touched the ark Of the bov
covenant, whor."