Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1833-05-10
POLITICAL,

POLITICAL.
II Reeie,o Of the Proclamation Of President Jackson of
the l0h IF December, 1892 in series numbers orr
ginaiy published ia the Norfolk and Portsmouth He
(By LIrrLEToN WALLER TAzEwELL, Esquire, late
Senator of United States)
Although i'm iry last number, have established be yond
all doubt as think, that the Articles of confederation
far from being intended TO amagamae the People OF the
several States into Nation, form them
into Contederacy, in which each State retained express
~ Its own Sovereignty freedom and ndepende nee vet
there certain remarks made the Proclamation as to
the character OF the Contederacy thereby which
must not be passed unnoced. propose in this number
therefore, briefly TO examine these remarks before pro-
secute my enquiries further.
Ii is fashionable now amongst those who adop the
new theory TO deprecate the old Conederaon order 10
INFER from its supposed defects, the existence OF sufficient
power IN The present government o. the United States to
prevent their possible recurrence, that not astonished
at any neophyte TO the faith, who follows former ex
amPes OF this kind. But when such things appear i'm a
State paper, intended for the instruction OF the People in
their political history, and deduce their pro-
sent political condition. must confess, that expected
much more oil accuracy in such statements, than have
yet iound IN this Proclamation The in them
selves are OF little consequence at the present day.
as they manifest dsposon exhibit under false lights
facts and truths, which supposed have some bearing
upon the new doctrines. So considered they are worthy
of notice For this reason, have already noticed many
such aSseruonS aud my sole object Truth will now
proceed 10 point out others.
The author OF tins Proclamation says "But the defects
OF the Confederation need be detailed Under its one
ration we could scarcely be called a Nation. We had
neither prosperity at home consideration abroad"
was under OF the
mat the People OF the United States gIorously achieved
their indepen dence, after long and bloody war com
pared with which all subsequent have been but as
the pasimes OF children. Ii under the operation of
this Confederation alone that Treaties Alliance OF Ami
~ and Commerce, and OF Peace, contracted with
many oil the principal Powers OF the world with France
with the United Netherlands with Sweden with Prs.
STA, with Great Britain, and with Morocco, which
Treaties have served as the model of every other of The
like kind that has since been concluded But the conquest
oil Freedom aud independence home the conclusion
OF such leagues with some Of the powerful nations
upon the face oil the earth i'll the eye this author
TO prove only that we had neither prosperity at home
nor consideration abroad Let rob the dead in or
der to deck the living. The old Confederation was the
wiSest system OF that so which the wisdom of mankind
had produced; aud but for single circumstances as
cribabe rather the poverty OF the people than any
feet IN the system ITSELF il would probably have endured
TO the present day. proud monument OF the sagacity
its authors Let those who prefer grandeur to liberty de-
cry as they may their objections apply equally TO all
Coniederaces and strike the free government
wherever it may perchance spring up in a territory OF
much extent
says, under the operation of this Confederation swe could
scarcely be called nation" But wonder why the AR.
ucies oil Confederation should have been cited by him.
prove, that by these The States had agreed form one
ton IT this formation scarcely deserved such name The
feet Nation, created by the People, the existence OF
which, he sald was announced in thc Declaration of In
dependence, vanished under the Presto BECOME" of
Magician, who created second Nation by the terms of
ms confederation By these IT then said, that the
States agrced, that they would colectively form one
Nation, for certain purposes The first ation when its
character developed by him turned ont o no mn m
ton at ALL but then admitted himself to have been
mere Contederacy; and sooner did he create Sc
cond Nation out of this Confederation TO destroy the ,
than he now tells that this second can scarcely cali
Nation. Although consistency is not ever conclusive
evidence OF TRUTH yet the want of consistency has always
been regarded admission of error some where
Whether this error consists in nerring existence OF
the hst aIon in asserting that of the second or in an
nouncng that this last scarcely deserved to be called
Naion leave TO him and TO others TO determine
At the moment when he is thus deprecating the old
considerations THIS author seems much disposed besow
upon 1t many and far greater powers, than its warmes
friends ever claimed for it. Thus he says that il was
formed Tor the purpose OF conducting all our foreign re
laons." This is certainly not So TO saw nothing of
subjects; with the regulation Of tile great subject of ro
reign Commerce, which, in modern tines involves by fan
the most interesting OF all the foreign relations of every
state The Old Conederacy had nothing do except wi
might be effected by Treaties At that day. however
Commercial treaties rare, and the upon which
such Treaties might ha concluded by Congress- were
restricted by the ninth Article OF the confederation 81
that the whole power of regulating their own donest,
Trade and Navigaion' and almost all ihoir foreign Com
erce deVoVed upon The several States exclusively ant
this power was constantly exercised by them
So true is this that the manner in which this power wo
constantly exercised by Them, the great causes
assigned Tor the amendment of the old Articles of COME
deradon by the present Federal Constitution
Nor is this all. The Proclamation i'm speaking Of IN,
Articles oil Confederation proceeds saw that in that in
strument 'is found Article which declares
State shall abide by the determination Of Congress on al
questions, which by that Confederation should be submit
ted to them" Awl Immediately adds "Under the Con
federation then, no State could legally annu decision
The Congress or refuse to submit its execution" Thu
aPedge th on tie part the States to abide by the de
iernlnationo Congress on questions Cich hat Con
IedeTdtl0n M0Wd DC submitted 10 them, is supposed t
justly the author OF this Proclamation i'm asserting and
consequence too OF this that State could legally refu
to submit to The execution OF any Of their decisions Vail
would have been the reservation made i'm the secon
Article OF the Confederation, by the jealousy of the States
OF all their power, jurisdiction and righ; which was no
by that Confederation erpressy delegated TO the Unite
states In Congress assembled II it true that no Stat
could legally refuse TO submit, ie execution Of deci
sion OF the Congress, whether such decision was made
settle question submitted 10 that body or not But com
mon sense tells every that when parties agree IN sub
MI some mater 10 hc arirament OF another such sub
mission cannot authorize the arbier TO determine am,
thing which was not submitted him. or bind the faith
the parties 70 abide by sny such Unauthorized determine
ton. The President himself has recently furnished
striking ILLUSTRATION Of this obvious truth in DENYING N,
obligation OF the award made by the King Of the Ne1her
lands, 60 whom Great Britain and the United STATES by
compact as solemn This league OF Confederation s
submitted The question concerning their common bounds
y) upon The simple ground, that this arbiter had under
taken 10 determine what never submitted 10 him
any one VIII take Tic trouble 10 examine the article
OF Coniederaon, he will nd tbst there ere but few oes
tons submitted by that nsrnment to the determination
Congress They are ~ stated in the ninth article: an,