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

hiSlory-'his officer is then elected by The House of Rep.
resentaityes' voting, not per capita, bat by States.
I'd. " The electors OF a maoriiy Of States NAV have
given their votes foI one candidate, and yet another NAV
be chosen" So, too, a nojoyify OF all TIE people of the
United States may vote Tor one candidate, and yet another
be choscnl
4th. The people, then, and not the States. are rcprc.
sented in the executive branch" Is the Senate elected by
all the people! aud is tho Senate no part Of the executive,
9th. fhe people OF all the States do not vote for ali the
members tof the House of Representatives. each State
eiecung only Its own representatives. But thi. creates no
material Distinction And why' For this startling rea.
son-that " ,chen chosen, they arc all representatives of
The United States. not representatives of me pay,;e,Ic,
Stdte Jro" ~h'eh they come Sir. need I Tell YOU that
this nonstrous doctrine strikes al the very roof nj renre.
sentative government. Il denies, in broad and uneon;vo.
cal terms. theright Of The constituent body to instrnct lie
rep,ssent"'ive-ior Tor. if the representative sent by a portion
oil the people OF Virginia, is equally the Representative ~
the people OF Maine, the latter have an equal ripl- with
Tie dormento Instruct him-thati is, neither 30 any right
SoSsrspcn m'", al, always Is, supposed that III IL" w Iepsessns'uve
certained by bringing togs'ner tho will OF the various
parts.-that will beips reflected by the several agents
representing thosS parts. And what think you, sir, is the
reason assigned in support of this strange proposition!
" They are paid by the United States, not by the State; nor
ore they accountable to lit for any act done in the perform.
ance OF their Legislative functions" Ifthe fact that the re-
preventative is not paid by the State, absolves him from
the obligation to obey the instructions of his immediate
constituents, c c0nrerso, the fact that he is paid by the
y nited States must impose the obligation OF obedience to
nc United States! Does not his squirt at the glorious
: UNITY oil a naiion!" | would ask, too, are not the Sena-
tors paid by the United States! and are theu thereby re.
aheved from the duty Of obeying the instructions of their
constituents Sir, 1 should he laughed al. were I IN tel,
You that the people of Pittsylvania, sc. have no right to
instruct You because, torsooih, your per diem is not paid
ont OF uias cyahtss levy, bat drawn from the treasury of
the ST S~Aspa ware l TO go homo with such a declaration
on my tonsitsto my own constituents, albeit, kind and in.
.dulgent as those with whom any man was ever blessed
withal, | should have reason 10 fear even harsher treatment
than being laughed at.
9th. "The Constitution Of the u. States. then. firms ,
government, not a league and whether il be formed by
compact between the States or in anu other manner ;fs
character IS The same" lfit be a compact by the States. in
their cnypFplun C1nSrltV- n . rOntapIoI g.. .l. ~ = 4,
Assembly in the resolutions of '9S, aud the report of ,e9
the States are the parties TO that compact-and therefore
the Judges OF attractions OF it. Ifit be such a compact.
It forms a JedeTdtiue and not a consolidated government.
IL, on the other hand, the Constitution was framed and adont.
ell Sin any other manner"-tor instance, by the people in
the aggregate, as members of a single communitv. tho
States stand towards the federal government in the same
relation as the counties OF a State to the State government
they are degraded TO the condition of mere corporations:
and ours is indeed a consolidated national government.
tits lamentable, MIR. Chairman, TO see the miserable sbins
and devices TO which a logician intent upon sustaining a
favorite argument, is sometimes driven.
9TH. The historical "reminiscences of the author Of the
proclamation, are as inaccurate as many of his arguments
are unsound. lie says, "the unity OF our political charac-
ter, Gas has been shown for another purpose) commenced
with its very existence. Under the royal government
we had no separate character-our opposition 10 its on.
pressions began as UNITED COLONIES. We were
United States under the confederation, and the name was
perpetnated' and the Union rendered more perfect. by
the Federal Constitution. In none of these stages did we
consider ourselves in any other light than as forming one
nation"
At the commencement OF the war, which resulted in
the establishment Tour independence, there was no great.
er "unity of political character" among the revoI,inS =
vinces, than would have existed had the British Colonies
in The East and West Indies, happened, at the same time
to have thrown off Their allegiance 10 the mother country
and co-operated with us in a common ehort. for the eman.
cipation oil all ''Under the regal government" the poi-
teal character Of Virginia was as separate and distinct
from that OF Pennsylvania, as the last was from that OLA
maica. The political character of the colonies was NJ dis.
tinct as separate and independent governments, having
no connection with or dependence on each other couId
make them. So entirely unconnected were the colonies.
that The first sipn nxvards fiair nc;. -:
them separately, and even without concert or consultation
North Carolina, Virginia, and Massachusetts procIain.
ed their Independence and assumed an attitude of def
ance towards the mother country, several months before
the other colonies threw off their allegiance, and took this
decided stand.
There never existed such a political communi,v = o ,ho
United Colonies. Before the declaration of independence
in rs, the only bond that held the provinces together
was that of common interest, and a sense of common dan.
ger; and even the memorable declaration of 4h of Julv
10, proclaimed, not the independence of America. hui
OF thirteen distinct and separate political communities
as independent Of each other as they were of the rest of
the world. The hrst compact, league, alliance, or what
ever you may please to cal. it, entered into by tho colo.
mics, was the confederation. Now, sir, if we had been
a single nation, people, or political community. il vouIJ
be coniounding the meaning OF terms to talk about the
parts Of that nation entering into a confederation for
purposes of government. Who ever heard of the coun.
ing separately for itself? None but independent. sove-
reign communities can enter into a political conCederacv.
1t was, therefore, as independent communities that we
threw OIL our allegiance to Great Britain; as independent
communities that we achieved our independence. and az
independent communities that we entered into. first the
coniederacy, and lastly, the Union. But, sir, | must be
done. | gladly fly from a subject, the contemplation Of
which, fills me with grief and modification. In animal.
verting, az my duty has required me to do, with freedom
and i%rankness, upon one of the most prominent measures
OF the President of my choice, | have performed the most
painful task oil my public life.
The seventh resolution claims for the States the right
oil watching over the measures Of the federal government
of expressing their opinions respecting the Constitution.
Atty and expediency of those measures; and of inter
posing, by all proper and constitutional means, TO protect
their citizens against usuTpatiOns and abuse of mower nv
that government. Every Senator who hears me. will AZ
once recognize the doctrines laid down in the third reso.
luton OF '9S.
The sh resolution re-afirms the republican doctrines
Of that day-that, as the States are the parties to the con-
stitutional compact, and as there is 10 arbiter sumo
rior to the parties themselves, they must Judge, each for
itself, whether the compact be violated-and il denies. in
the uery words Of Mddison's report of'99, the federal
doctrine, that the Supreme Court Of the United States is
the tribunal to decide, in The last resort. in controversies
between the State and Federal Governments. Sir. for
me to attempt TO add to the force OF the denial. contained
III the extract from this memorable report, would be az idle
as TO "add perfume TO the violet"
The next resolution protests against Modification nc
warranted neither by the Constitution nor by the reserved
rights OF the States; - denies it 10 be a Legitimate Inference
from the republican doctrines Of '93, and denounces IN a,
dangerous, revolutionary, and anaTchical in its tendencv
Sir, the resolution expresses my deliberate and well. con.
sidered opinions-opinions which | had occasion publicly
TO avow several months ago; and il | had ever doubted.
that doubt would have been removed by the masterIv ar.
guments Of the Presidents Proclamation ON this ousS,ion
MIR. Chairman, we are imperously called on 10 enter our
solemn protest against this novel and miscellaneous heresv
ltelaims to be the legitimate offspring ofour cherished doc.
tnnes olf95; and its advocates, Ivy endeavorinp 10 identify
II with those doctrines, have inflicted unon Tho, a 49,
deadly wound than they have ever suffered from an the as
saults Of their enemies. Let US disabuse them NJ tbs
OhIum and disfcpute thus brought upon them nv renudiat-