Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1833-02-05

be perfect State. They will form oge,bor cdcroi re-
public the deliberations in Will OH violepce
To the sovereignty OF each me,ber though they may, ia
eeIten respects put some constant ON the exercise of it,
IN virtue oi voluntary engagements. person does not
cease TO he fee aud Jude peuden, when lie Obliged TO
tfl the eng gehents into which hr hAs willingly enter.
ed.'-lhc gentleman read thus fm;aud wh,n il is re-
collected ha NsHet wrote before the formation of onf
Constitution might readily conceive that by the tenn
- federal cpJhc he had ia contemplation contc,le.
racyp wholly unlike the Uuiua Of these STATES Tls is
apparent Fo" e ,eIy next paragraph, la hich the
THOR illustrates his meaung by examples. Such were
formerly the cities OF Greece; such present tie seven
poed Provinces OF the Netherlands snd such the ncm-
beers OF the Ieyeic body What SIR the character of
the Geean alliances? Each city retained its ON absolute
sovereignty Mutual jcaloScS produced ince wars
aud they finally tell victims their conflicting sovereign.
ues "irnthe Roman power came, II iound them dyi
died peoples and uuahle, unwilling, combine their
strength, they fell like Eost-work before the Roman arms
In the second example hch the auho gives i'm IIsra.
ton OF his meaning, each conicssedy sove-
reign hNt no aw could be made without sanction all
The consequence must inevitably have been, continued
discordancc, aud speedy downfall OF whole had moi
Holland transcendcd the rest 20 lar in power aud influence
as TO govern them completely. They were sovereign
OUT feeble and Magnificent They yielded TO her dcta.
uo Like sde'lIes that attend some large planet each
bad its own prescribed circle but all were compelled to
attend their primary in its more extended orbit OF tho
Helvetic body il is needless TO say more Than INA, the
Canton oil Bene bo;c nearly the reLhn to IT, that
Holland dl to the Seven United Provinces and that 81
milar results ensured.
farther reference to this author will shew vet more
clearly That system OF government like would have
made S au exception 10 the general rule he had down
teslhS the sovereignty oil States Every
says he (cb sec. ~ that governs itself under what
torn soever without any dependence on foreign now
er, IL sovereign STATE. Its rights naturally the
" same those OF other State Such are moral per
sons who live together in natural society under the
- law OF nations. 10 give nation right to make an i'm.
mediate figure in this grand society ii is sufficient if it
be really sovereign and independent that is, il must
govern Itself by its own authority and laws"
The several States which compose this Union are not
sovereign in the which he holds necessary to make
them amenahle to the law OF nations. They do co.
vern themselves, without any dependence upon foreign
that's To say, ertrdneO,ts power.
The author then proceeds cnumeratc cases Of seem
ing loss oil sovereignty, such of States bound by
quail alliance, by treaties of projections the tr-
butary S{ates of feudaory States; Of two States s
10 the same Prince; aud finally of States forming Fcde
raj Republic as before quoted Ia all these instances
The real sovereignty retained because each State con-
tinued to govern itself by its authority laws He
en puts The case OF the people aud kingdoms which had
been sbjectedto the Roman arms - The most even of
those whom they honored with the Of friends and
g allies, longer formed States. Within Themselves
they were governed by their laws and magistrates;
Fbut Uthod, they were iii every thing obliged TO follow
'Nhe orders OF Rome; they dared ihcmse make
either ain alliance, and could not treat with ma.
" tons. OF course they not sovereign.
NOW, WHO does not perceive that the OF the Anne
Icsn Republics belongs to the rule but TO the excep
tion; and that known TO Vatc, he would have cited
as an example Of States who had renqnshed that sovc-
regnty which makes them amenabe TO the law OF ma
tons. The mode of parting with the sovereignty is
wholly unimRortant In the of the Roman Provin-
ces il was lost 10y subugaon with has been volun
tary yielded for mutual advantage, aud promote the
happiness of ALL but the right make alliance
or to treat with nations is gone as eHecuay in
in theirs.
This being the creiion by which we test the sove.
rcgnty OF States il is needless enlarge upon the sub
ject and TO pontOu how many of the attributes of
sovereignty have been renquished by these States The
notion continued sovereignty, with the consequent right
to dissolve the Union, therefore be
The gentleman from Petersburg is not borne by his
authority IL establishes the very of his position
His hfst po'inlate concede-namey, that the States
were sovereign when the Constitution ratified By
the articles Of conledeaon there had been an express
Reservation the
bers OF the old Congress voted by Sate and none of the
important powers conferred upon that body couJ he
erclsed without the concurrence Of nine States The
whole action OF the upon States and not
upon individuals 1t was truly a coniederacy of sove.
reign States
But the Constitutions which has supplanted that cum
brous and inhcient machine is formed of different mate.
mails aud with different design. IL contains 10 reserya-
ton OF sovereignty. This not intended am, would
have been wholly Incompatible with The scheme propose
lhe very omission TO prove that the real was
to form government, which sleuld in its structure he
partly federal and patty nationals; recognizing the cys
tencc and authority of the States, yet acting directly on
persons and on tbpgs. "
In accedng this plan, the States ceased IN enjoy eo,c
re5niy IN an unlimited extent. The people OF tie sever
al States, by the act Of raGfyng the Constitution have s
t'ohshed new order OF things. They have Withdrawn
from the states many OF the ereign powers which the
had previously exercised audhavc transferred them to The
General Government; declaring the latter TO be supreme
within the sphere OF those powers.
The truth OF Ibis position will be manifest from Lr;oi
recurrence to the origin ami history of the Fedora, onsti
tuition. by among the several States Conven
-hon OF Deputies assembled at Philadelphia in Nav 1887
who, alter the abor Of tour rs reported Constitution
the United Ses to he or rejected by the peo
pie each state, acting ia their s0veregncapaciy
dc State hdd right to ratiy reject the instrument at
his pleasure tits vulgar suppose that the Con-
vention formed the Constitution or were able 10 make i'm
any manner oOigitory They merely prepared the in.
siFuinent. Their work an inchoate act Upon lis
lace bore the express condition. until ratified v nine
states II should have validity. Each ratification was
gwen subject TO this condition IT was soon accented Inv
eeven States, and ultimately by the whole thirteen As
soon as the requisite number notifications was pyen the
Ved 4 ito IIotI 10
dormant inert mass, became instinct with le and 90.
Vernment was formed for the people Of the United STATES
40 not mean 10 say that this prOce edng was the same
as II the people OF the United States had met iu te Az
gregate capacity, without regard territorial distinctions
anl being Illus assembled bad pronounced their SOVEREIGN
VIII constitution soa'loptcd, might indeed have re
celVed The sanction Of majority of tie people yyitIou,
beng authorized by majority of the States But do
contend That was adopted by the PeODIe of the several
States AMI not by the States their corporate nor
mat Inc several acts OF ratification, although
nave the same elect ne il they had been simultaneous
maj the act OF each convention is equally authoritative as
1t had been made by the people themselves: and there
lore, that the Constitution ia the conoin act OF all the peo
pie OF all the States Hence the declaration :, i'm VylrI s
annonncedt to The world; We The people of the United
otat'S, ~ order 10 form perfect union establish
Ju'hce ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the
common defence, promote the general welfare and &c.
cure the blessings o.hcriy ourselves and our poseri
" ted States Of America"
Now, sr, although do not look 10 this preamble for
any OF Tie powers conferred by the constitution yet hold
10 be conclusive authority the sources from which
granted
The constitution thns made, binding upon the pe5.
pcOi ihese States without LIMITATION Of lime and q, ithout
yl trf.f.f a..