Constantine republican. [volume] (Constantine, Mich.) 1836-1838, 1836-11-30
From the Detroit Free Press.
THE PROPOSED COW ENTION.

convention "for the sole purpose OF giving
their assent to the condition" upon which
congress have provided for the admission
of the state into the Union, the Governor
has suggested that the people of Michigan
stake the measure into their own hands,
and, by delegates elected among them
selves, they form convention for the pur-
pose contemplated by the act ofcongress. =
This suggestion has been promptly acted
upon, and committee Of citizens, appoint
ed to correspond with the peoI1e of the va
rious counties on the subject, have recon-
mcnded the election and meeting OF con-
vention to give the required assent 10 the
condition Of admission.
We shall briefly consider the several
points presented by this proceeding to the
people of Michigan.
i. A compliance with the condition,
prescribed for the admission Of the state
into the Union, being for want of time, mn
practicable, through the fundamentally oil
the Legislature until it would be too
late to secure the vast interests dependent
upon that result, resort directly TO the
people has become Indispensable to the ct.
Recitation of the great object in view. Ii
the Legislature could be convened IN time
to act upon the subject, it would be desira-
BILE that they should be assembled for the
purpose. This course would have the APP
pearance Of more formal mode OF reach.
ing the result which is aimed at. But no
special authority is conferred upon the
legislature to. direct the election OF con-
vention for the purpose of asserting to the
proposition made by congress TO the people
of Michigan. The act of congress, con-
tanning the proposition, is addressed to this
people, and leaves the mode, time and
manner of initiating and electing the con-
vontion to them. The precise language o.
the act is, 81 that as compliance with the
fundamental condition Of admission con-
tanned in the last preceding section Of this
act, the boundaries of the said state OF
Michigan, as in that section described, de-
clared and established, shall receive the as
sent of convention of delegates elected by
the people of said state for the sole purpose
of giving the assent herein required"
2. The assent required is not to change
of any provision contained in the constitu-
ton of Michigan, because there is no pro.
vision in that instrument concerning the
boundaries of the state there is, in its
preamble, more general reference to the
ordinance and acts of congress indicating
those boundaries. And who ever heard of
the call of convention to alter the pream-
bic 10 a constitution VIVA. lawyer, or
what man of intelligence, considers the pre-.
amble to statute, or to q constitution, rs
any part of the statute or constitution itself,
or as any thing more than general indica-
ton of its objects, and fthe ground it GOV.
ers! II, therefore, the legislature could
have time TO enact and pass law on the
subject, it would be an act recommended.
ny alone. II would possess no binding au.
thority. 1t would undoubtedly be obeyed,
because large majority of the people of
Michigan have become sensible of the vast
magnitude of the interests to be secured
by their admission into the Union before
the first of January. In the absence of any
specific authority in the legislature to direct
a convention for the special purpose in
view as the people are inherently the
source ofall power, and may exercise that
which has not been expressly delegated by
them to their Legislature or other agents /;
and as the act in question does not pre-.
scribe the mode in which, nor the persons
by whom, the convention shall originate, il
is entirely competent to the people of Mi
chigan, quietly and peaceably, to assemble
at the polls, and to elect convention for
the sole purpose" of securing their ad.
mission into the confederacy of sovereign
American states. This doctrine is impreg-
nabe. The position is clear. There is
nothing revolutionary in the movement
1t is a measure peaceably adopted by the
people, and to be executed by them with
all the formalities Of the election law, to
which they will, on the occasion, pay vol.
untary obedience. Every good citizen
will regard the proceeding as a fair. con.
stitutlonal, andlcgtimate exercise of power
by the people. ltcan do no possible harm,
and may effect great benefit to the state.--
II is proposed, moreover, to be followed up
by the action of the Legislature on the sub.
ject; and it is now well known, that a
large majority Of the legislature, just cleo.
ted, are in favor Of compliance with the
congressional condition of admission. II
IS believed, that majority of two thousand
OF the voters at the late election have deci.
'dedly indicated their wishes that the state
should Immediately accede to this cond.
ton.
The committee and the governor recon.
mend, that in the ct of assent proposed to
be given, all the rights of Michigan as a
state, under the constitution of the United
/. States, shall be reserved. Such reserva.
ton was contained in the resolution of Mis-.
souri, according to the condition in relation
to free people of color, q compliance with
which was required by congress, before
that state was admitted into the union.--
The reservation contained no objection
with president MONROE to the resolution
and, upon receiving it in that form, he is.
sued his proclamation announcing the ad.
mission OF Missouri as a state into the I'm.
ion. Neither is it probable that president
JACKSON or congress will object TO SIMILAR
reservation Of our constitutional rights. in
any resolution of assent, adopted by our
convention, to the condition Of our admis.
sion into the union. If we possess. as we
think we do, right to the due east and
west line as our southern boundary, that
right is constitutional right; and, in civ.
ing our assent to the condition of admission,
with the proposed resolution, we surrender
nothing. We perform no act of selfdeg.