The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1844-03-22
FROM THE RICHMOND WHO.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, ls4i.
70 The Editors of Tie Wig :

borrowed name, 10 q distant quarter. 10
Virginia, however, and 10 the hopes there
OF that public cause for which he labours,
hin thoughts instinctively revert, whenever
the necessities OF a very busy life give him
q moments interval. In such an instant,
aud under such feelings, he trusts you will
be pleased to hesr from hlm, at conjunc.
ture as remarkable, as worthy Of public at.
leniIon, as is the existing one.
The political porteul Of the day lie, be.
yond question, the strange, the wild, tho
utterly monstrous series o. acts, by which
The temporary majority in one branch Of
the National Legislature has just aided
forr recusant States, without grievance,
with scarcely the decency Of a pretext, and
absolutely with hardly even the palliation
ofany party necessity, TO irample on sound,
Just and highly useful law of the land,
violating, 10 order TO accomplish this extra.
ordinary purpose, not merely oil form, all
precedent, and even that legislative right
Of protest which Tyrau,s themselves have
always respected. but, to strike down the
enacimeuis of their ENTHUSIASTICALLY
declaring, in effect. that their own are
without authority and void, whenever any
body, upon no matter what preteuce, shall
choose 10 assume that they are SO
Hadlhe present House Of Representatives
voted, in form, tina, No law, though pas.
sed by both branches of the Legislature
and with the Executive assent, was bind
ing, how would it have differed from what
they have done?
The annals Of all Legislation refuse any
parallel 10 such an act. Tue illegaity OF
the proceedings, the con,emp'uous disre.
gard Of law and right is beyond example
the senseless subversIveness of the thing,
totally beyond all conception. When or
where before did it ever enter into the i'm.
agina,ion Of such body, solemniy 10 de
cree that their own DEGREES Chat ore Of
course lncluded) we're binding upon no bo-
dyl Who ever before heard Of a Legisa-
ture's ANNOUNCING, by statute, lis own iatui
ty? AT Common Law even, no man is al.
lowed 10 come into Court and plead agaius.
his own competency 10 act for himself; il
is his next of kin or his trustees alone who
can IN this manner set aside his coptracts
rs idio,c. Is Legislature, then, TO stul.
:ify ;seifl Had this one no friend who
could come forward TO save it IRON the
self contradiction Of passing an act disquaii
sing itself 10 pass any act and proclaimiDg
is naJ..ily to make valid laws
Why, ofter such vote, sit there any
FURTHER! Can any man divine a reason
why they should any longer stay 7 What
business have they 10 act as Legislators, il
their acts have no authority But clearly,
they have either Too little authority 10 be
law makers, or shafts equally Destructive
too much: we want no, Il rhole LeeiSld-
ture, il It's acts are mere nuiluy and sill
less do we want p1rt of one, whose acts, as
those Of part, are thus to be obligatory,
though those Of the whole are void.
What was Modification 10 lhis-the
crime against the supremacy of Congress
which this rery purity proposed to punish
by the bayouet and g,b5et 7 What was its
theory That if Congress enacted a law
plainly unconstitutional seriously oppres-
sire, from which there was no hope of re
lief in any other say, the States nigh,
nuiife, in order TO compel the assembling
of Contention, which should decide Oh
the disputed power.
Now, here, the power to pass such law
has never before been questioned and is q
unqles,ionabIe as any in The entire Coaai-
tuition instead Of being oppressive, il is
admitted to be saIu!ary 10 all It's repeal
has not been attempted 40 arbirameu, Of
a Convention is designed and above all
other absurdities, it is not State, but
Part &C Congress Itself that is 10 nuIliry =
What Nollifcr 10 willing to say upon bis
honor and his understanding, that these acts
are 40, far beyond any claim, any doctfine,
Of 5. Carolina Modification Observe the
difference Il was abused perverted, fraud
ulent Modification, when the four States
only i,aMpled on the law, in scorn Of the
limits which tho theory itself had set TO the
right OF multiplying but when Congress it
self, with a complication Of chaotic folly
such as no brain Of even Mormon, or fol
lower Of Joanna Souibgaie, had ever before
conceived, came in to rally, by the vote of
one Of its branches, the dissolution Of all lis
own laws, and nllhfed iself, then, i, must
be confessed, pitch Of extravaganza was
reached, at view of which Mr.. Calhoun
himself, at his most soaring height Of inn
agitation, must fee iha, lie IS a mere creep
er, and grow giddy. The FIRST step THAT
Of the States ,rampIed on tie Laws, the
Constitution, aud even Notification but
the second Chat Of the House OF RepreseB.
tatiyes) leaves far behind il all memory Of
such things aud Of common sanity into the
bargain. |, is s1per-ultra- Nullificaioa.-
Let us, however, examine the grounds on
which these proceedings are justified. The
entire arguments eau, | think, be brought
within very brief space. Ga the side Of
the ultra Nulhders, it really consists of but
few chief propositions; aud these can be
dealt with by very shor, replies.
Often as you have lately bad occasion 10
recite the Constitutional tex: on which the
matter resls lllh clause, 4 h section Of | ST
ariicle,) need no, here repeat it. Upon
this, comforting as clearly as possible upon
IL