Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1833-09-17

W ot pdft ~ W u tn z
once on the College Commencement:
The following Toast having been given
"The Hon George McDufie, our distinguished guest
His unbending integrity, his ceaseless vigilance over South
erh Interests, his untiring opposition to unequal laws an,
unconstitutional measures, aud his triumphant vindic aUo,
OF State Rights, enti,le him to the respect and gratitude OF
the south, and a heart. warm welcome To his native State /"
Alter the cheering had subsidized, MIR. Nc Dufie rose and
addressed the company as follows:
l am utterly incapable, fellow citizens, OF giving utter.
ance to the deep and overwhelming ~sensibility with which
l am affected by the very kind and hattering sentiment
Just announced, and the still more nattering Indie a,ions OF
hearty appreciation, with which il has been received hy
this enlightened and patriotic a~s.emblsge Of freemen.
"A variety OF circumstances concur, 10 give an intense in
terest to the present occasion and il 1 should be so fortu.
nate as to be AN humble instrument in brinpinp about a
cordial nnlon OF sentlnent and oil action, between my ma.
i've and my adopted State, in a crisis which so eminently
aemands H. 1 shall recur to this, in future, as TO one OF the
happiest incide nts Of my lie.
Indeed, when l look back to the eventual occurrences
OF The Two last years, and behold s. Carolina. with a
heroic devotion to the rights aud liberties OF the whole
SCUM, throwing herself almost as a forlorn hone. into the
breach which a gigantic despotism lad made in The sacred
barriers Of the Constitution and Of jus,ice-waginp the
unequal contest without the cooperation or countenauce
OF a single State, even in the South, and under the unkind
and unnatural denunciations Of some of their legislative
and executive authorities; when l reflect, that in the most
gloomy period oil the struggle, the first cheering voice of
encouragement from without her own limits. which ani.
mated South Carolina 10 persevere i'm her glorious s,ruyole
Tor every thing dear to iieemen. proceeded from This very
place. anu IN part, from this very assembly, and when 1
behold assembled around me, so large a portion of the i'm
~teliigence and chivalry Of Georgia, bre athing the same
'iHhcu anu actuateu Dy the same PRINCIPLES. for which
south Carolina was prepared to make the last sacrifice of
heroic patriotism, | cannot bu, exclaim, with a proud salts.
''cmon, Inns Is my own, my native land"
Though, in the too partial estimate which YOU seem 10
have formed Of my efforts TO vindicate the rights. aud
maintain the liberties, of the South, YOU are pleased to
ascribe TO my public labors a value, which | regret tina,
they do not possess, yet will not be guilty Of the atiec.
tatlon OF disclaiming the integrity Of purpose, for which
you gave me credit, as a public man. 1t is, indeed, a
source OF the highest consolation to me, that 1 can conf.
uehUy aihrm, before my friends and my enemies. i'm the
lace OF the world. aud in the presence Of my Cod. that in
The whole course Of that contest which il has fallen TO
my lot to carry on, for the last six years, against a system
OF legislation essentially unjust, oppressive, and despotic,
L have never been actuated by a single purpose of selfish
but have at all times been prepared to sacrifice
at the shrine oil duty and OF patriotism, every alluremeut
oil ambition, and every hope of political prefermpnt. So
essentially do / believe the prosperity, the liberty, and
indeed the very existence OF The Southern States, 10 be
IN the great principles for which we have been
contending, that l believe those principles cannot be too
often Impressed upon the people o! the Southern States
nor can they be too often reminded OF the peculiar rela.
ton In which they stand 10 the dominant States OF the con.
tederacy. IL would be a fatal error, fellow citizens. TO
suppose, that the recent adjustment Of the tariff has re-.
moved all The causes oil apprehension for our rights and
On the contrary, when we look at the entire
proceedings of Congress, during its last Sc ssion. i'm rel,.
uoh u mat measure, and attentively consider the princi.
pies oflcialIy avowed in the progress OF those proceed.
ihgs, 1t is but too apparent, that the Southern States ne.
yer have greater occasion, than at his moment. for main.
tanning Their sovereign rights in their undiminished vigor.
anu watching The movements OF the Federal Government
aud oil the majority which controls ii, will, unsIeepinp vi.
giance' what, then, let us inquire, is the true State OF
the controversy, between the Sovereignty of the St.tas
ana The pretended sovereignty and assumed omuipotence
of Congress-!
On the one hand il is contended, that the States entered
into the Federal compact as sovereign communities. ,hai
each Sia'e still retained its sovereignty EMBELLISHMENTS ,ms
powers granted To the Federal Government: and ,h,t vvben
the nie'nbers oil this government usurp powers not granted.
zach State has an Inherent. right, absolutely indispensable
from It's sovereignty, to in,erpose and arrest, within its own
limits, the progress oil The usurpaiioD. and thus ,ressrv.
ne compact from violation. These simple propositions,
sell evident 10 every mind capable Of comprehe ending The
oil the terms used TO express them, constitute the
oil State Sovereignty and Nullihc a,ion-,he fun
securiie e Of freedom in a federa,ive system nj
government, without which, il would be the very worst
all the forms Of despolisn aud oppression. On The other
hand, our adverssries contend that the functionaries OF the
federal Government are The exclusive and final Judges Of
he extent OF the powers conferred upon them by ibat very
Constitution, which the sovereign States Of the Copfedura.
cy established for the special purpose OF imposing Iimita-
tons upon those powers-which amounts TO nothing less
than that a majority Of Congress and of the other depart.
ments Of the Federal Government, have a Charter from
paramount TO that by which they were created,
them TO do what they pie ase, and enipinipg
upon the States passive obedience to every act of usurpa
ton and tyranny, which all ambitious, or an Interested
majority may choose TO perpetrate.
THIS doctrine reduces the Federal Constitution 10 a
mere dead letter, utterly deprived OF all powe r TO restrain
the usurpati0ns OF the government. in plain words. il
makes the Federal Government paramount TO the soye.
reign States which created il, and the acts OF Congress,
paramount TO the Constitution, from which alone .rey can
derive any rigbtful authority. These consequences can
not be avoided, IL the whole civil and military power of
the Federal Government may be righfiuIIy exerted 10 en-.
any act Of Congress, whether constitutional or moi;
and II the States, who are the sovereign parties to the com.
OF Union, have no righnul power 10 iDierpose and
enforce its limitations. That the States do possess this
power, is not only demonsirablc hut self evident, iii be
that they are sovereign. ! ask nothing more from
intelligent adversary, than that he will admit that
the States are sovereign, aud that they adopted the
Constitution as States, and in their highest
capacity. For ] hold IL to be impossible
for any man who admits This, and who realizes the
import Of tie term sovereignty, TO deny that il is The
right, aud indeed the duty OF the States TO inter.
pose, through the regular organs OF that sovereignty, to
rescue heir citizens from the operation of an unconstitu-
tionai and oppressive act OF Congress. To deny this right,
IL to aoDihilate the sovereignty OF The States; Tor there can
be no greater political solecism, than to admit that the Fee
Government is bound by the limitations of the Con.
and may yet transcend them with impunity, and
that the States who formed that Constitution, have sove-
reign powers and sovereign rights, without sovereign
means OF preserving them from encroschment and viola.
ton. The right OF State iDterposition, is an original, un-
derived, inherent attribute OF sovereignty, and nothiua
can he more absurd Than to derive IL from the Federal Con-
siituiioD, unless II be TO deny its existence altogether. That
man is as utterly ignorant OF the import Of The terms he
uses, a. he Is of our scheme Of government, who sup.
poses that any sovereign power can be derived from a con-
stitutional compact. IL is a pre-exisiing sovereign power
that forms constitutions and governments, and those con-
situations are nothing more than organic avs, prescribed
by that sovereign power, for regulating and controlling
those governments The terms constitutional and uncon.
stituionsl, in the federal sense, are as utterly inapplica.
BILE 10 this right OF State interposhioD, as they are 10 the
right Of a State 10 protect the property ard lives Of lie ri.
tizens, by exercising the high sovereign power of iohict.
ing capital punishment on the perpetrators OF robbery and
murder. So obviously inseparable are State sovereignty
and the right Of State interposition, that the more intelli-
gent advocates Of a supreme consolidated government,
boldly and consistently deny that the States are sovereign.
As regard this AZ the real question al issue--as the hinge
upon which the whole controversy turns-f will take
give a distinct ides Of what constitutes sovereignty, and tn
she nv srgumentg. entirsIy free from All nostauhvfsal