Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1833-03-15
Richmond, Friday, March liz.
GREED.

>Nf''N rs Wi NIuI Il m
formation have we 10 give him? Yet as he is pleased
TO ask us one or two questions, we are willing to tell
him more than he asks. We will go the whole, i'm
laying before INN gratuitously the following creed.
The only question to which we are unable 10 give nm
explicit answer, is the very first he puts to us. We
keep no Clerk or Printers Devil to register the rcso-
lutions and votes of the People. But, if we could af-
ford to keep such n since ure officer i'm our establish
ment, how could he serve us? Few of tho counties
have had meetings ut all. These have been gene
rally very thin-and in a few only, have they count
cd the ayes aud noes. How then could we ascer-
tain the sense of the majority of our fellow-citizeuso
But this thing we can do. Though we cannot tell
our correspondent what others think, we can tell him
what we thiuk. That is to say, we can group tope-
Their the>opinions we have already expressea-and
present them in the following creed
We betteUe, the Federal Constitution to be formed
by the people of the several States, acting as States.
We believe, that the sovereignty belongs to the
people of each State-that in the exercise of this
sovereignty, they have constituted q State govern
ment, with one set of trustees or agents to admins
ter certain sovereign powers-and that by compact
with the people OF the other States, they have crc-~
ated another government for carrying into effect Ger
tain other limited powers, which have been speci6ed
in the Federal Constitution.
We believe, the grants of these latter powers
should be strictly construed, being limited by the
plain sense and intention of the Constitution.
We believe, thar the States alone are parties tn
this Compact that there being no supreme tri-
bunal superior to the authority Of THE parties. thew
have a right, and are bound, 10 Judge how far their
federal agents have observed or violated the COM
pact.
We believe, that when any one State shall de.
hberatey decide the compact to have been palpably
and dangerously infringed, she is bound TO interpose
Tor arresling the progress of the evil.
As TO the mode of interposition, we firmly believe
that 20 one State has the right to nullify a law of
the U. States; that the effect of this would be, to
bring back the very imbecility of the Confederation.
which the present Constitution was intended To
remedy; and TO subject the Union itself to the con-
slant danger of dissolution.
We believe, that the modes in which q State
should lnterpose, are, Tristan appeal to Congress
by n change of representatives i'm Congress and i'm
the Executive, through the ballot-box-an appeal
of the aggrieved State through her own Legislature
to Congress-to her sister States-by an amend
menG of the Constitution itself-by a consultation
and concert among the a%ggfieved States i'm ConyeD-
ton or otherwise-and by n General Convention.
But when all these expedients fail; when all the ami
cable and constitutional eXpedients are exhausted.
then it becomes the duty of the State to warn her
sister States of her intention, and to secede from
the Union.
We believe, therefore,, with our Correspondent,
that Modification deserves to be exploded, and that
the sentiment of all the States, with the execution
OF ;. Carolina, has exploded il; but that Secession on
the otherhand does not deserve a similar fate-thatit
Will not be eXploded-that il was a right expressly re-
served by our own Convention, at the time they ra-
tined the Constitution-that il is a great conservative
principle to project the sovereignty of the States
AGAINST extreme opPression-tbat in such a case
1t is the only rightful remedy-and at the same
time we view it as Philip p. Barbour does. G T
would say in relation to it, (secessionl ne I h.r.
toaoie said, mat as in cases of physical malady
arSentc IS never administered, but when the naGcn,
Is otherwise utterly despaired Of: so i'm those of 81
poiIticai character, this remedy should be applied
only IN cases of hopeless ertremiivp %
we believe also, that the Tariff, the system or In
ternai Improvement, the Bank of The u. States and
various other acts (Which we have from lime To time
specliled IN this papcr) are contrary TO the rrue in
tent and meaning of the parties-and that the Con-
stitlilon VIII never be brought back to its puritv
| untN such powers as arp NOT Uiven Loya
doned IN practice: In the words of The last Inouou-
RAJ address, until all the federal agents are made 10
leei "ihe necessity of exercising, by the General
Governments, those powers only that arc cLeorI, dc
fegdted; to encourage simplicity and economu in the
expenditures OF tie Government; to raise no more
money from the people than may be requisite for
unese OBJECTS, and in a manner that will best promote
me interests of all classes of the community. and
OF all portions Of The Union.o
we believe, that the Presidents Proclamation
was an i~l-advised paper-that it is incorrect in its
lheory OIL secession and of Treason-and most ~
fortunate IN IT'S Phraseology about the origin and
character ct the government, because susceDtible
OF false constructions, if the Globe has been really
authorized by the President himself to DENY that he
ana not mean those passages in the sense in which
they have been taken by so many others-and tina,
II Is still his duty under his own name to DENY such
constructions.
we moreover believe, that the President has been
hlSled ny his conscientious desire to carry the lnya
into effect, into recommending measures ogo;ns, g
Carollha-whlch, If adopted at all, ought to baye
Deen reserved for overt acts and i'm the very last ex-
tremIy OF resistance to the laws by a State, remain-
ing in the Union.
We believe, however deeply we regret these err
rors on the part Of the President of the U. States.
uIat andrew Jackson is a patriot, whose previous
oHlcIai acts have done more to restore the rights of
the states, as they were intended to be reserved by
me parties to the compact than any of his distin-
guIshed rivals or enemies would have dOne-that.
Tor these acts, he deserves the gratitude of his coun-
uy'-While, therefore, we cannot give him our un-
qnalIhed appropriations; and while we will scrntinize
ana censlre all his measures when we think them
wrong, we will not call him tyranf, or despot, a knave
or n Tool, as some of his enemies have not heSitated
TO do, to their own disgrace-~but we will! extend 10
all his proper measures, an honest, disinterestcd
and liberal support.
we believe, that there is a fixed determination on
me part OF John G.. Calhoun, at all events, to pull
do"n tins Administration-tha he has been at all
times an Ultra in his opinions-at times an Ultra
federalist, n friend of the Protective system, Of tho
Bank, and of Internal Improvement-(and we be-
ieye, of the two last to this moinent)Eand at ano-
Their time, the father Of Nuliication-now building
up the Tariff, and now pulling it down-at one timo
stretching the powers Of the Federal Governments
beyond It's safe and proper limits, and at another,
MULTIPLYING its laws.
We believe, il is the duty Of the People to watch
with sleepless jealousy all ambitious aspirants who
are scekIngt TO turn political measures into the means
OF theIr own dyanoement-an that John G.. Cal