Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-12-14

synonymous with league although the true tsrni is
not employed, because it would at once show tho
fallacy of the reasoning, Il would npt do 10 say
that constitution was only a.'ieague; but it is
laborcd to prove il compact, (Which in one sense
il is) and then to argue that as league is com
pact, every compact between nations must of course
be league, and that from such an engagement
every sovereign power has a tight ID fecede But
il has boon shown, that in this sense the States are
not sovereign, and that even ifthey were, and the
National Constitution had been formed by compact,
there would be DO right in any ono State 10 exc
nerate itself from its obligations.
SO obvious tho reasons which forbid this
secession, that it is necessary only to allude to
them. The Union formed for the Benefit of
all. 1t was produced by mutual sacrifices of in
tcrests and opinions. Can those sacrifices BIS re.
calledl Can the States who magnanim ously sur.
rendered their title to the Territories of the West
recall the grant7 Will the inhabitants of the in
land States agree tn pay tie duties that NAV be
imposed without their assent by those on tho Al
antc the Cult, for their own benefit Shall
there Do a free port in ono State, and oncrons
duties in another? No believes that any rights
exists in single State To involve all the other in
these and countless other OWLS, contrary TO tho
engagement solemny made. Every one iiiust SEQ
that the other States, in self. deonce, must oppose
at all hazards.
These are the alternatives that arc presented Wv
tho Conventions A repeal of all the acts for raj
sing revenue, leaving tho Government without the
means OF support; or an acquescence in the disso.
luton Of our Union by the secession of one of it's
members. When tho first was proposed, il was
known that it could no. BIO listened to for moment
1t was known if force was applied TO oppose tho
execution of the laws, that it must DO rcpclled by
forcc-that Congress could not, without involving
itself in disgrace and the country in ruin. accede
to tho proposition; and yet. if this is not done in
givon day, or IT any attcmpt is made TO execute
the laws, tho State isl by tho Ordinance, decla-
rcd to be out of the Union, The majority of
Convention assembled for the purpose have dicta-
ted these terms. rather this rejection of all terms
in tbN arna ,ft ho
is true that The Governor of tho State speaks of
the submission OF their grievances TO q Convention
OF all the States; which, he says, they .'sncercly
and anxiously seek and desire" Yet this obvious
and constitutional inside Of obtaining tl.o sense of
the other States On the construction of tho federal
compact, and amending it, if necessary, Las net6r
been attempted by those who have urged the State
on to this destructive measure. The State might
have proposed the call for General Convention
| to the States; and Congress, if n sufficient num-
Der OF them concurred, might have called it, But
| the first Magistrate of South Carolina, when he
expressed n hope that, "on a review by Congress
| and the functienaries Of the General Governme mt
of the merits of the controversy" such Conven-
| lion will be accorded to them, must have known
that neither Congress nor any tunctiopary of tho
General Government has authority 10 call such a
Convention, unless it be demanded by two thirds
of the States; This suggestion, then, is another
| instance of tho reckless nattenton to the provi-
sons of the Constitution with Which this crisis has
been mady hurried on; of the attempt to persuade
| sought and refused If the Legislature of South
Carolina Cautiously desire" General Convention
to consider their complaints, why have they not
made application fnr it in the way the Constitution
points out? The assertion that they "earnestly
seek" it is completely negatived by the omission.
This then, is the position in which we stand
A small majority of the citizens of State in
tho Union have elected delegates to State Con.
| vention: that Convention has ordained that all
the revenue laws of the United States must bo
repealed, or that they are no longer member of
the Union. The Governor Of that State has re-.
commended to the Legislature tho raising of an
army to carry the secession into effect, and that
he may Bio empowered to gite clcarances to vessels
In the naiae of the State. No act of Violent OPP
position to the laws has yet been committed, Blu,
such state of things is hourly apprchended, and
it is the intent of this instrument to PROCLAIM not
| only that the duty imposed ME by the Consttu.
ton 'to take care that the laws be faithfully ex-
ecuted," shall DO performed 10 the extent of the
powers already vested in me by law, or of such
others as the wisdom of Congress shall devise and
entrust to me for that purposes; but to the
citizens of South Carolina, who have been delu-
ded into an opposition to the laws, of the danger
they will incur by obedience to tile illegal and dis
| organizing Ordinance of the Convention.-to ex.
hort those who have refused to support it to perss:
we're In their determination to uphold the Consti.
tuition and laws of their country, and to point
to all the perilOus situation into which the good
people of that State have been lcd,-and that the
course they urged to pursue s one of ruin and
disgrace to the very State whose rights they
affect TO support.
| Fellow citizens of my native Statc-lct mo not
only admonish you, as the first Magistrate Of our
| common country, not to icuf The penalty of ITS
| laws, but use the influence that Father would
over his children whom he rushing to certain
ruin In that paterna language, with that patcrnal
feeling, let mo tell you my countrynIen, that you
| are deiudcd by men who either deceived them.
selves, or wish to deceive you. Mark under what
pretences you have been led on to the brink of in
surreotion and treas0ti, on which you stand First
a diminution of the value of your staple commo.
dity, lowered by production in other quarters,
and the consequent dimiuution in tho value of
your lands, were the sole effect of the Tariff laws
The effect of those laws copfcsscdly Injurious
but the OWL was greatly exaggerated by the I'm
founded theory you tau ht to believe, that its
burthcns were in proportion 10 your Exports not TO
your consumption OF imported articles. Your pride
was reused by the assertion that a submission to
those laws was state of vassaluge, and that re-
sIstance TO them was equal, in patriotic merit, to
the opposition Fathers offered to the opprcss-
i've laws of Great Britain. You were told that
this opposition might be peacefully -might be con.
stituti onally made-that you might enjoy all the
| advantages of the Union and bear none of its bur
| theirs:
| Eloquent appoaIe TO your passions, to your State
pride, to your native courage, to your Of real
| injury, were used to prepare you for the period
wien the mask which concealed the hideous fca.
lures Of DIsUNIoS should be taken Off 1t fell and
| you wcro made to look with complacency or. OBJ
lects which, not long since, you would have re-
garded with horror. Look back at tho arts which
have brought you to this stateiook forward to Che
consequences to which it must inevitably lead !!
Look back TO what was first told you induce
mont to enter into this dangerous courso. The
great political truth repeated to you, that you
had the revolutionary right of resisting all laws
that were palpably unconstitutional and intoleraby
opprcssive-it was added that the right 10 nullfy
law rested on the principle, but that il was
Peacoable remedy! This,charactcr which was gi-
ven to 1T, made you receive, with too much conf
NRnce the If