Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1833-04-23

our sequ'e.cenee' inc principles on which il rent,
be practically established, then will there =. "
cod to our constitutional and limited GaS..a az
ment with It, to liberty and the Consti,u,oaa
TOR to expect to preserve either, uad.r ,r.S
Government, would be one of the yaiues, thou.
that ever entered Into the Imagination of man
The theory Of our Constitution, which J, H..
attempted to be established by lava ,h.". s'
which denies that the CONSTITUTION is A comos.!!
betweenthe States, and which traces all lis No
to majority Of the American people. Or in ,,ss
words, which denies the federal charsc., ,f S'' '
Government. aud asserts that it is a consoIid,,
Cd system. is OF recent origin, avowed for the frs,
tIne but three years since, and first ofhr;,lI.
proclaimed add asserted within the Ia,, TO-.
months There was a party, it Is said !,
the convention which framed that Constitu,,', :"
fa,nr Of Consolidation; but it is fact p4rfsrT.
established by the journals Of its procs,dn.:
that they were defeated in that design; and re',
the dissolution Of that body till the time s,,,sS
all parties, the federal as well as the republir,0
professed, at least, to believe that ours was !.
deral system OF Government; to use the lan,u,..
Of Fisher Ames, one Of the most zeaIou, and A..
tingushed of the former party, "a republ;, IS
States, arraycd in federal Union" The d,.
gerous heresy, of which the odlous force bill !,
the first fruit. after having been thus suDpre...J
in the convention, was revived, under the beIsr
that it was the certain and eftpctuaI means If r,
ing on the country for ever the unequal, upiuy
and unconstitutional system. which SO luny a.
pressed the staple States, and is now rI,,sd
among the acts of lhe Government for future n.s.
like letters forged and fitted 10 the limbs Of flo
States. and hung up to be used, as occasion nav
hereafter require. II it be permitted to remain
there quety The time will come, when i,
will certainly be employed Tor the use intended.
and we may rest assured, that an army Of 6ly
thousand bayonets, encamped in the mills, Of d.
staple States, would not half SO certainly subiee,
them 10 the will Of a lawless. unche ked. and
uDrestrainei majority, who would not fail to w,y.
a war under the color Of legislation On their mo.
perty and prosperity. more oppressive and more
degrading, than would be tribute exacled by
actual force.
But. as formidable as would be this measure
If acquiesced IN, II may be easily o,s thrown, 4
promptly aud spirtedIy opposed; which, nav
add. would do more To restore the Conslllutno
and reform the Government, than any other con.
ceivable event found my belief, ss to the "a,
cility with which it may be ovefthroon, It prop.
erly opposed, 90 the character Of the mes,u,
itself; its pal able unconstltutioDaliy, in msny
particulars; its dangerous tendency; its novelty;
the daring assumptions on one side, and denial
Of facts Oh the other, as necessary to sustain ~
the absence Of any direct and powerful pecun.
~ interest las in the protective SYSTEM to sup
port it; above all. on the deep conviction Which
the weaker portion Of the Union must shortly
feel, il it does not already, Of concert Of sent
ment and action, not only to arrest the measures
in question, but to guard against a recuneneeOf
similar danger.
Another, and an important advantage, 10 Tho
contest, will also result from the character Of tk
measure. II will effectuaIly separate the real
from the pretended friends Of State rights; class
that has done the cause Of constitutional liberty
more injury, than the most open and bitter OppO'
to be cOnsoIidationis,i the strongest, most odl'
Gus sense, by whatever profession accompanied;
and of course all who advocate and support IL
will furteit all claims to be ranked among TIE
friends of State rights.
Luokihg to the effects which must follow IL
overthrow, we shall find much to animate Us in
the contest The point at issue is not, Whether
this or that particular policy of the Genera TO-
vernment be right or wrong, but whether the Gs'
neral Government be a consolidated governmer,
of unrestricted powers, or Federal Republic
States with limited powers; an issue for the h''
time presented, and on the decision Of which de-
ponds the, liberty and the Constitution Of u,
country. and. may add, the very existence o
the southern States. Let US not forget, 10 t''
great contest, that we are acting, in maintaining
the rights of the States, in our appropriate
sphere Of political duties; and that the due per-
formance is not only essential to our seeuHt.
but to the preservation of our system OF govern
ment.
On maintaining the balance between the d't
gated and reserved powers, as established 10 TX
Constitution, the success and duration Of our ''
vel and complex, but beautiful and perfect, ~
TEN Of government obviously depends h'l,
rience has now shown where the pressure w.
benefit Of that unequal moneyed action ""'
results from the fiscal operation
all governments, in a greater or less degrees W.
We now know that the pressure must be o''s
as the weaker party, at least 10 the Preseh, g..
dition Of the country. TO those who prom
this unequal moneved action, may be sa'r',! ''I
fided the defence Of the delegated power; ."
the passage Of the force bill, as we'll as the nn.