Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-01-13
VOLUME KxXlV.---Mo. -.
senling no substantial objection 10 their adoption.

senling no substantial objection 10 their adoption.
Mr. Webster said that though these resolutions were
III such rs were likely to bind the consciencss or judr.
nienl Of any one hereafter, yet he agreed with the mem.
Der from Delaware, (flr. Bayard) in the objections he
had brought against Them. There appeared a plausibhi.
y about them. n sort Of verisimilitude TO the Constitution;
but, in fnct, there was sach ! cOnlrariei ? TO that instru-
mcnl Us would lead him CIR. 10 vote against them.
The second resolution asserts as u fact that The States
have :. retained, severally, the exclusive and sole right
over their own domestic institutions and police. and are
alone responsible for them; no, admitting any righ,what-
ever in The Government To at; CT The domestic inSIitu.
tons Of the States. Dors the gentleman inca 10 assert
that all the Laws aud constitutions OF ibe States are be-
yond the reach of The Federal Constitution: Blu, will
any one venture 10 say that the Constitution does mot AZ
iect the Constitutions Of the other States: Is il not tx.
Pressiy provided in the Constitution that the Govern.
ment shall have a certain coniinl over the Constitutions
Of oil The S,aleso IL then it affects that which is great.
est, how much more that which is less, such as the mi
nor domestic institutions Of the States. oT less magnitude
and consequence than their Constitutions; Yet the
member from South Carolina asserts, by his resolution,
that The Gny"rnEenti is totally excluded from, any pnssi.
BILE actlpn upon The domestic institutions og the several
States: is the very teeth Of the Constitution, BY which
Il control over these institutions is expressly assert
I'd. II The resolution had said that the institutions
OF the South ought To be r%eliginusly preserved. ex-
cept in those cases where the ConslAuaon gave a title 10
interfere, all would have agreed with him. But there, on
the contrary, is a sweeping clause, a vague generality,
tending 10 affirm that there exists no power ~hulrrcr
above the separate power ni the separate STATES. This
| Is 10 lnHtnIElte the OentTnl Government, ana 10 MAKE
each State paramount. It would he idle TO talk of "re-
served powers, if The States had (accoriing to the dc.
trine OF these res0lutions) retained all and every power
To themselves, and acknowledged none whatever in the
Genera! Government.
MI. w. then inslancpd the judiciary in the several
States, and also the subject Of commerce, 80 being Go.
mystic institutions, and yet, BY The Constitution, subject.
ed, to 4 certain exieat, to the General Government. IN
these and other respects, he mair:ained that the Con-
s,i,ulion expressly gaze to lhe Government Il general
contrnl over the domestic institutions of thu Safes. and
therefore the sweeping proposition that there existed no
such control whatever over State institutions could not
be sustained. To come 10 the question Of slavery as n
domestic institution, this subirc, was expressly named
in the Constitution, and in express terms n power IS gr-
ven To The General Government over the cxportulion OF
slaves from oNe State into ano:!rr. II MIR. Calhoun
would pnt his resolution in tie plain language Of The
Constitution, i lie would content himself whit terms,
and reafirm It's provisions in relation 81 the lnviolahi!iiy
of acknowledged rights, he (Air. w would have been
ubfe 10 understand him, ard would be ready 10 vote 10
realirm The docirtae Of the Constitution rs sften as the
gentleman pleased. IS il was, he cnuld not vote for Ike
resolutions in their actual shape, and with their loose
phraseul"gy.
Mr.. Calhoun wnald inquire of Mr.. Webster il he
meant tn say that the States had no domestic Institutions
Mr.. Webster. Far from il; all their institutions are,
in general, domestic institutions, whichtePen upon the
State laws for their exIste nee.
MIR. Calhoun proceeded &c defend mis- proposition that
there are domestic institutions in each State which are
entirely beyond the power CT the GoYerr-ncnt To touch.
Mr. Webster saJ taut tknt was not the question:
Tiirre are sumo Institutions which are oct ut the rcacii
Of the General Governments; bal the question: was, whe-
Their all Of them we're out OF the reach oi Congress
Such was the proposition o! MIR. Calhoun. lie en-
braces all in his resolution, aus, therefore, his language
appeared 10 Mir. w far too comprehensive aud sweeping.
MIR. Calhoun replied at seine length, asserting the
principle OF exclusive State sovereignty.
MIR. Young proposed, as a modification, to insert alter
the word police, ''u Inc full er'ent to 1chtch those p0'c"S
rcrc not granted"
MIR. Calhoun accepted the amendment as 4 modiiica.
ton.
Nj. Suulliard said before he voted lie would he glad
u understand whct was TO be voted. The rrsolGtIoI', as
now nodiSed, merely says, in substance, That The States
have al such powers as they have; this, in fact, is al! II
means OF says; and is se SENATE soiemnly called upon
10 affirm such n proPoSItI"n: ohe So ice, unnecessary,
and unneaning?
The question was then taken on the second resolution,
thus modified, and The resolution was adopted by u vote
as follows:
Yeas -Messrs. Allen, Black. Brown, Bnchanaa, Cal
houn, Clay Of Ala Clay Of Ky, Clayton, C~ulhbetI,
Fulton, Hubbard, King, Linn, Lumpkin, Lyon, Niche
las, Niles, No.vell, Fierce, Preston, Rivrs, Roane, Sc
rier, Smith of Conn, Spence, Strange, WaIer, white,
Williams, Wright. ioung-3l.
Nay-Messrs. Davis, Morris, Prenliss, Smith OF Ia,
Southard, S %ill, Tiplon, Wall, Webster-9.
M. Swift sid, it having been stated in the course" ct
the debate that he had liked upon 10 morro~ (Thursdayl
Tor tue introduction of the Vermont resolutions, lie hes-
nd to cnrrert the mistake; he (Mr. S had, at no llme,
fixed upon any particular Gay for their introduction.
The Senate thea, on motion oi MIR. Davis, adjoafnec.
Tuysdny, .Lanuary 4, 1899.
The Senate resumed the consideration Of ;he resolH-
tons offered by Mr.. Calhoun, the Third Of The serirs te-
ing before them.
MIR. !Norvell moved 10 amend this resolution 20 as 10
REQUIRE the General Government rnt n aa m sustaining
The Slate ins!:i u,iuus, but merely tU refrain ticm inter.
rprinp with them. Mr.. n. expressed hs great ablioE.
renee of The abnli:onists, but still thought the State IN.