Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1837-02-02
Domestic News.
IN SENATE,


Whereas, in pursuance of the act Of
Congress of June the 18th, 1886, entitled
"An act to establish the northern boundary
of the State Of Ohio, and to provide for
the admission of the State of Michigan
into the Union, upon the conditions there
in expressed a convention of delegates,
elected by the people Of the said State Of
Michigan, for the sole purpose of giving
their assent 10 the boundaries Of the said
State of Michigan as described, declared,
and established, in and by the said act, did
Oh the 18th Of December, eighteen hundred
and thirty-six, assent to the provisions Of
said act
Therefore, BE it enacted, &c. That the
State of Michigan shall be one, and is
hereby declared to he one, of the United
States of America, and admitted into the
Union OIL an equal fnoting with the origin
al States, in all respects whatever.
Sec. 2. And be ii further enacted. That
the Secretary of the Treasury, in CARRYING
into effect the 18th and 14th sections of the
act of the twenty-1hird Of June, eighteen
hundred and thirty-six, entitled IAN act to
regulate the deposits Of the public money!
shall consider the State Of Michigan as
being one Of the u. States.
Mr.. Calhoun addressed the Senate as
follows:
have bestowed on this subject all the
attention that was in my power, and, altho'
actuated by Il most anxious desire for the
admission Of Michigan into the Union, |
find it impossible to give my assent to this
bill. | am satisfied the Judiciary Com
mittec has not bestowed upon the subject
all that attention which its magnitude re-
quircs and ! can explain it on no other
supposition why they should place the adj
mission Oh the grounds they have. One
of the committee, the Senator from Ohio
OH my left, Mr.. Morris, has pronounced the
grounds as dangerous and evolutionary.
lie might have gone farther, and with truth
pronounced them utterly r~epegnant to the
principles of Inc constitution. p
have not vcnturcd this assertion. rs
strong as it is, without due rcnecric.:, and
weighing the full force of the terms ( have
used, and do not fear. with an impartial
hearing, to establish its truth beyond the
power of controversy.
To understand fully the objection to this
bill, it is necessary that we should have
a correct conception of the facts. They
arc few and ma. he briefly told.
Some time previous to the last session
Of Congress. the territory of Michigan,
through her Legislature, authorised the
people to meet i'll convention. for the nur-
poseo forming Il State Government. They
met accortilnSly, and agreed upon "A con
stitutiOn, which they forthwith transmitted
to Congress. 1t was fully discussed in this
Oh lumber, and, Objectionable as the instru-
mcnt was, an act was iiually passed, which
accsIt..i the constitutions, aud declared
the Uni"n. :" on RI fih9s sMiniss1lcc condition, that she
~l,,tt L., ., - .l. ~
sent to the hound, aries prescribed by the act.
of the State of Michigan, (for she had bcen
raised by our assent to the dignity Of a
called Il convention of the people
of the State, in conformity to the act,
met at the time appointed, at Ann
,Arhor. After full discussion, the convcn.
ton withheld its assent, and formally trans
mittcd the result to the President of the
United Statcs. This is the first part of the
story. ! will now give the sequel. Since
then. during the last month, a self-consti.
tuted assembly met, professediy as a con-
OF the people of the State but
the authority Of the State. Thi,
unauthorized and lawlcss assemblaoe as.
sumed the high function of giving the as
sent of the State Of Michigan to the CON
dition of admission, as prescribed in the
act of Congress. They communicated
their assent to The Executive of the United
and he to the Senate. The Senate
his message to the Committee on
The Judiciary, and that Committee rc-
ported this Bill for the admission of the
Such are the facts out of which grows
The important question, had this sclf-consti-
tinted assembly the authority TO assent for
he State /! Had they the authority to do
" What is implied in giving assent to the con-
iition of admission That assent intro
luces the State into the Union, and picdges
III the most solemn manner to the con.
'titutIonal compact which binds these States |
N one coniederatcd body imposes on her
IFS obligations. and c%onfcrs on her all its
benefits. Had this irregular, self cons,itnt-
sd issemhiaSe the authority to perform
:heSc high and solemn acts Of sovcrcipntv
II the namc Of the State of Michigan a.
She could only come mas .Statr, and none
could act or speak for her without her cx-
press authority and to assume the %nuti,o-
'ity without her sanction is nothing short of
treason against the State.
Again, the assent to the conditions pre-
by Congress implies an authority
II those who gave it to snpcrscdc in part
no |o'''''"'i"" ! 'uc 'othtc VI hlcNISIn !: |
or her constitution fixes the boundaries of
he State as part of that instrument, which
he condition of admission entirely alters.
md to that extent, the assent would snper-
'ede the constitution; and thus the question
$ presented, whether this self constituted
assembly, styling itself a convention, had
he authority 10 do an act which necessarily |
IMPLIES the right to supcrscde in part the
,titution.
But further: The State of Michigan.
trough its Legislature, authorised a con.
Of the people, in order To determine
NnStNer TIM rnIIlitinn nc ,I L