Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1833-03-19

hereafter complain that 1t had become the property Of
another. But while as a Representative OF Carolina, he
had no right TO complain OF the disavowal Of the Senator
from Virginia, he must believe that he MIR. r. had done
his native State great injustice, by declaring Oh this floor,
that when she gravcly resolved, in '9S, that Gin case OF
deliberate aud dangerous intiaCtions Of the Constitution,
ae IN duty bound, TO interpose to arrest the progress OF
the evil, aud 10 maintain, within their respective limits,
the authorities, rights, and liberties appertaining To- them, ;"
meant no more than TO orloin the right 10 protest and re-
monstrate. To suppose that, IN putting forth 40 solemn a
declaration, which she afterwards sustained by So able
aud elaborate an argument, She meant no more than t9as.
Scrt What no one had ever denied, would be Ia s,p,os.
that the Safe hnd been CuHiy Of The most.eoregiou
titlnR5 that ever was cNhibiie. On so solcnn an occasion.
MIR. G. said that I'm Iesiewug The ground over which
ne H'd passed ~ would be apparen, that the question il
controversy involved that most deeply important Of all DO.
ple| Questions, whether ouss was a federal or a consoli.
dates Government. - question on the decision of which
depends, as he solemuly believes, the liberty of the peo
pie, Their happiness, and the place which we are destined
TO holrin the moral aud intellectual scale of nations. Ne.
yer was there a controversy in which more important con.
sequences were involved; not except that between Persia
aud Greece, decided by the battles of Marathon, Platca,
anu Sdiamis; which gave ascendeDcy TO the genius OF Eu-
rope over that oil Asia; and which, in its consequences,
has continued 10 affect the destiny OF so large a portion OF
the world, even 10 this day. There is, said MIR. c., Of
ten close analogies between events apparently very
remote, which are %strikingly illustrated in this case.
In the great contest between Greece and Persia. he.
tween European and Asiatic polity and civilization, the va.
ry question between the federal and consolidated form
OF government was involved. The Asiatic Governments
from the remotest time, with some excep ions on the cas-.
tern shores OF the Mediterranean, have been based n N IN,
principle Of consolidation, which considers the whole com.
inuhuy a. but a unit, and consolidates lie powers i'm o cen.
ral poh'. The opposite principle has prevailed in Europe
-GIeece, throughout all her states, was based on fede.
raj system. All were unit, d in one common, but loose
bond and 'he Governments OF the several Safes par,o k
Tor The most part, OF a complex organization, which dis.
'rlou'ed political power among different members of the
community. The same principles prevailed in ancien,
Italy; and, If we turn TO the ECU 'ouic race, our grea, an
cestors, the race which occupies the hrst place in power,
CIVILIZATION, and science, and which possesses the largest
m The ira mart nj Ettnnn. xa ,,HI E-l -. 49,
veIhhlents were based on the fede' al organiza ion, as has
been clearly illustrated by arecen, and able writer on the
British constitution, mir. Palgrave) from whose writing
he Introduced the follow ing extract.
"ln this manner the first establishment Of the Teutonic
states was elected. They were assemblages OF scpts,
clans and tribes; they were conicderated hosts and armie.
'el on by p'lhces, magistrates, and clIieitains; each o
whom was originally independent, and each of whom los
d PoItloh oil MS prlsune independence, in proportion as he
and his compeers became united under the Supremacy o
Il sovereign VINO was suPeriuduced upon the State; first
as a military commander, and afterwards as a King. Yet
notwithstanding ne political connection, each member n
the State continued TO retain a considerable porlion of the
rights olsovertlgniy. Every ancient Teutonic monarch,
must he considered as a federation, il is not an unit. q
winch the smaller bodies polite therein contained are IN,
fractions, but they are the integers, and the State is th,
multiple which results from them. Dukedoms aud coun
lies, burGhs, and bdrouies, towns, and townships. an,
Shires' form the Kingdom, and, in a certain degree, stran.
gers 10 each other, and separate in iurisdiction, though
all obedient 10 the supreme executive authority. Til.
general description, though not always strictly an.
P"GaoIe IN terms, Is always so substantially and in effect
anu hence IL becomes necessary 10 discard the lanpuaet
when has been very generally employed in treating OF
The English constitution. 1t has been supposed ,hat III,
kingdom was reduced into a regular and gradual subor,i
nation OF Government, and that The various legal district
OF winch II Is composed, arose from the divisions and sub.
DIVISIONS OF the country. But this hypothesis. which
tends greatly TO perpleX our history, cannot be supported
by iact'; and instead Of viewing The constitution as a whole
anu men proceeding TO its parts, we must examine il SYN.
theicaiy and assume that The supreme authorities of In,
STATE were created by The concentration OF the power
originally belonging 10 the members and corporations O
"hich II is composed" Here Mr.. c. gave way for
uotIoh 10 adJourn.I (RemGinder in our nert)