Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1833-01-10
THE CRISIS-Noso
The Poison and ASf idDte - The Tariff and n

The Poison and Asaidote. - Tie Tar,F and the
Nessags.- NullifeatiOn and the Proclamation
Nulliiieation Is a doctrine of modern origin not
w'lhstanding the untlrng and ingenious efforts OF
It's authors To assmote ii to the Virginia Doc
trincs of 90 80, to which it bears no shade of re
sembance II is remedy applied by It's leading
advocates in the State of South Carolina TO the tn.
riti laws of the federal government designated by
them the protective system" II is remedy of q
new and extraordinary character in its operation
, calculated to produce more dangerous and deslruc-
tive evils than that il is intended TO remrdv Nil.
! '.fcati0n, IN lis simple and plain signf:ation,
means to annui, to mute Do,d and as applied by
thc State of South Carolina 10 the tariff laws,
means Tint the State of South Carolina can cons1-
| inronofiV md Penceabiy annui nnd nsake ro,d
lie Macs Of HE United .Sid'es mitt,n t.r orn bos-
! dcrs al her di0reticT. This was the sum and
substance Of the do,trnc, us characterized by its
| authors, IN It's earliest existence md such have
they asserted it to be until very recently when its
operations began to dcvulope its true character,
| and affixed TO 1t the more appropriate designation
| OF revolutionary mcnSnre-0ne u resistance 10
! nc lars bV forcc.
| 1t will how ever be discussed in relation to the
| first ffnnIon, with view to determine the just.
ness Gifts prctensons to the claim Of n cDnstitu.
/
any State, be they what they may; lor if it is a
correct RENE ~ for the which il is intended to
! relieve, 1t rs n correct one ior any oil her
| Ii is sadbv Is authors TO be constitutional
remedy that IS, that the constitution of the United
States reserves this power to the States scvcraliy.
The constitution of the United States contains no
reservation of the kind in terms certainly Tor that
instrument is altogether grant Of powers, no, a
! 81 M, hoeut i,y
WIS the federal government created and with it all
the powers which 1t was authorized to exercise
IT, then, this power to be found in the constilu-
ton, it must be an implied power, When the con
stitution is examined, the mind cannot fastcn upon
a single grant Of power from which an irfclence
IN favour Of this 'sm c. State power can be fairly
Or reasonably dcduccl, The advocates Of nullf.
cation have been, and may now be, challenged to
/ point out the clause by which their system can cr-
PIC sly or implicitly be maintained. 1t is sai1
however, that the constitution provides "that the
powers no, delegated TO the United States by the
constitution nor prohibited by j, to the States are
reserved t, Tire States respectively or to the peo-
pie, and that this walton confers upon each
Stne the 2owcr TO nuify "a law of the United
States. No rejecting n,n.. can seriously believe
that this reservation gave to the States respectively
the power to nu!Iify any law of the Union. Pre-
viousy to the formation Of the federal constitution,
each State respectively had oil the attributes Of
power within itself, which are conferred upon the
general government by the constitution each ofthe
powers conferred upon the general government,
were so many powers parted with by each State,
and such as were not parted with were necessarily
reserved to each State without the aid of the re-
s.rictivt clause referred to- Now il will not be
| riouslV contended by any one that the States
spcctivey had the power to nuliIty the laws OF the
general government to which they might take ex-
cepton, when they parted with the powers granted
in the constitution. for there was then general
government, and all the power which the States
! had, was over Their own laws within their own
| borders The constitution, then, having brought
| into existence the general government 1t necessa-
riy fol lows that no authority can be derived from
! that instrument to destroy any law Of the general
government by any other power unless II had
been expressly reserved This power, then, IS not
10 be found IN the constitution, either expressly or
mpiecly nor does it arise from the relation the
General and State governments, The power " to
a@n1ei s. makero,d" necessarily implies snprema-
cy 1t can hardly be supposed that AN 1njer,0r or
equal power annul or make VOID the enactments
Of al equal or superior power but the power that
annuls or makes void must do SO by supremacy OF
power If, then, the State Of South Carolina can
annu OF make void any law Of the fedetal govern