Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1837-10-17

ROLIN WILKINSON,
LIE ROY WARNOCK.
September 28th, 1887.
"A nnNTLEMEN:---I have received your oblig-
s. Z Note of the 18th instant. The remarks 1
S..A before the Zion Hill Debating Society were
%Ts aeliyered with view to publication; but as
5 Isf your request that should furnish copy for
Iss.bress, have prepared, as near as possible,
4.sk of the expose made on that occasion. Sc
N VIZ family affections have prevented me from
afkSnding earlier to your solicitation You Will
/ uAEeeive that have made many omissions
f Very respectfully,
ffo Messrs Rogers, Norwood, wilkinson ana
Warnock.
mr.. Presidem:--I am really surprised
Hill hear u man, for whom | entertain the
hiahest personal esteem, advocating the
native of the proposition before you.
Nerc it not for his acknowledged candor,
INAould believe he was testing; but the
pAFty to which he belongs, forblds the con-
Iscture, and | can only express my pro-
i00nd modification for a man who will
rise in the presence Of an auditory of free
men and announce to the world that no
State has right to annul the usurpatlons
OF the General Government. Had shame
any potency on such daring spirits, their
heads would hang in silence; could patrl-
otisrn, such as once aroused suffering
people to freedoms glorious combat, do
Ill mighty revolvings within their mar
Yow, ice-cad bosoms, tempest would
afise, such as man ne'er knew, topple in
rnins the altar of their political bigctry,
md strike off the letters that have bound
item to the car of despotism. The ques-
ton for debate is substantially this
Has no Stale a right to nuIt!ty, within It's
ON limits. an unconstitutional act Of the
Mineral Government?n To decide this
Nueston correctly, we must ascertain what
Kind of Government is the one under
which we live. From infancy | have
been taught to believe that ours was
eonfederacy of distinct States. The he
publicans Of '98 contended for this primer
dc and the Federalists of the same period
II denied it. Let us analyze the nature Of
his government: by adverting to Its orr
Ia, we will find that after the States
.aknieved their independence, they saw
Thar it would never do to submit to the
control Of supreme, central, consollda
I'd government based upon the principle
~ numbers, such as the Federallsts wish
"a, all the minute, diversified, and contlic
Ing interests of thirteen separate State
Scattered over such an extensive tract
bDuntry. They knew that such govern
lent would soon degenerate into despo
fbm. The plan they devised to guard a
Hhinst the evils of consolidation was
Rse and judicious one. 1t was this
they agreed to submit to to the contro
"a general government so many pow
rs, and no more, as were necessary t
iegulate certain general concerns, II
Mhich all of them felt mutual interes
This is the length, breadth, and height c
his general government. At the sam
iime they--or in the language OF Jetfe'
s6n--each State reSerued TO itself all thos
p0wers which were not submitted to tn
tpntrol of the general government, to req
late its own peculiar and local concerns
This is the simple origin Of the genert
government, which some seem to thin
The creator of the States; whereas 1t wi
be seen from the observations have made
that it is the mere creature Of the State
that it derives all its powers from tn
States, and without the States it woul
never have had an existence. The tet
era Constitution carefully enumerates a
Ahose powers submitted to the control {
he general government. 1t draws tn
Inc of demarcation distinctly betwee
he States and the general government
This government has no right to the exc
Use of any power not delegated; neithe
lave the States the right TO resume tn
xercise of delegated power. The Coz
titution is obligatory upon both. llenc
follows that the general government
government Of limited powers. No
have shown that the States are the cre'
kors of the general government and I'll
FEDERAL Constitution, and they alone hay
the right to enforce that limtatian.
Limitation without power to enforce tt
Limitation is no limitation at all. An
who has better right to enforce that lin
itarion in the Constitution than the Stat'
themselves2 Did they not create the ge
eral government for their mutual intere
Sand welfare, for their peace, prosperi
and happiness, and have they not rig
g Judge when the government of the
@4 wn creation has transcribed its autho
M lied powersa Now, my doctrine is, tn
as each State reserved to itself all tho
powers which she did not delegate to Il
NJ general government, she has the right
Judge when those po,OerS Which she has :
served to herself are seized by the hand