Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-01-24
Fer tic Enquirer
TIE RANDOLPH EPISTLES.-Ner Series
No H.

Fer tic Enqnirr
TIE RANDOLPH EPISTLES.-.Ntw Series.
10. II.
"Slyld Construction = IIhA @Ocs 1t a,con?-Ay.
piicd 10 fonieAs fer powcr defceeA he ftls,m
and State G,rcrHmcnk-TG Lar Of Nations,
part ofom Cote Inier Hai re mayacguirc, e.
= Grcai Brli0in-O Our Porcrs no less Man hcf's
IN our raierior riatOns-No0c Of h1e po,rcys
oH,c's the "reSc,rcf rights ~ tie 5 dtes.-T.rGS
as an o,is1mai qaesiion.--.LGerson tie fa'ic
Of "Shirt Coas'ruciina'-1 ht yowcfs he crcr-
fiud as Pr.Ndcm TIE C,Ssoa Of Gemsia-
Tie Mississippi T,niiory- TIE Treaty Of Len
isana-!H. Domingo-Emb0r.o-.Nm Inter-
course, &c.-So ~ .N.ss,S. .hG@tsm aad .1lon-
roeS Administrations, Sc, 81.
WASHINGTON CRY, Jan. 70 1915.
Dear Sirs Among other bugbcars, the Wings
have conJured up 10 frishicn Democrats from
'iheir propriciy," is their charge OF Inconsistent
cy in maintaining the power Of Congress 10 ac-
quire foreign territory through Implications, which
they say The ".Srid CONSTRUCTION" doctrines 0.
The Democratic creed most solemnly Gisavow,
and il has become quite The ten III This debate, 10
chde our parry aloud and amain, for these here
sizes against the orthodoxy of her own church,
Very well; lie il So Whenever Democrats, upon
questions OF Constitutional power, shall depart
from lhoseTreai Conservative principles, which
their fathers maintained, and which have come
down 10 us, As glorious heritage 10 preserve
the Constitution and The Union, as they are, and
sol right ought 10 be- le, them lie bcrated for
their leterodoxy, say |, and ohas,iscl back 10 dn
H. But have a care, Messrs. Wings! ACCUSE
ton is rot proof cxac!ly-and conviction is quite
useful guide 10 conduct 10 right Judgment
Are they very sure tina. they know what Strict
Construction" means, and how, and 10 what ex
- ..l
the Constitution?
"Srict Construction" concede, is vital
doctrine OF the Democratic creed but though al
WAYS directed 10 great ends il has ever been ,ai
led 10 special objcc,s:'ro preserve The Con>ti-
tuition in all time, FROM Federal ENcRoAcHslENT
UPON TIE RIGHTS ASp SOVEREIGNTY Y: TIE
STATES ANp THE PEOPLE, are The very purposes
and all The purposes il has ever aimed 81. A
nst and enlightened Interpretation and ob>erv-
ancc, hr the powers that be OF that admirable
amendment which provides. That The powers
no, delegated 10 the United States, by The Consl-
tuition, nor prohibited by il 10 the States, are re-
arred 10 The States respectively or 10 The people
-coEpriscs the whole aim OF "Strict Construc-
ton" in The settlement oi Questions OF Federal
power. Whenever power is claimed Tor The
Federal Government, which can be shown 10 be
"fcM,red' 10 tie States CfiaHtdh OF The people
acknowledgements diSavows ard iorbids lis
exercise. II there be, however, class ol pow
cls, which are neither "rtSfrfd" 10 the SlaieS
nor TO the pcople-,nor enumerated in The Consti-
tuion and are vet such essential elements OF Ma
lonaity and Sovereignty, as 10 have been exer-
ciscd for the public good BY all Administrations
nh urJc cond,ia, TO the present day, what is 10 be
said or done against it? Take this as an Illus
tralion: Congress may declare war, ana The IRE.
sident and Senate, (marI what | @dd; Tor shaii
rccur 10 il hcratler) on CONGRESS- may make
peace; but what are The powers, rights and duties
of these important relations, 10 us AMI TO The
world; and how are they 10 be exercised, enjoyed
or discharged We turn 10 the Constitution IN
vain-There is nothing there, which instrnrts or
informs us. Hence we must looS elsewhere ana
BeY0nd Tie Constitution or abandon 10 diners
those powers rights and duties altogether
The statesmen who framed cur Constitution
did not overlook the controlling circumstances,
that we were a nation am0rg antions, and would
have part 10 perform in our intercourse WIN
,hem-that no provisions they should emhody IN
orr municipal Constitution could cXiend beyond
our municipal jurisdiction, nor reach others, nor
bind ihem-hai orr Legislation n,rs. lie confined
TO matters which concerned ourselves only, ana
did moi concern olhcrs-and that reciprocal pow
ers, rights and duties, were 10 nc regulated ana
controlled BIZ laws that were common 10 all, and
"A
OF nations, the common law Of the weird, which,
by The common consent OF mankind confirmed in
times "whcreoi The memory OF man runneh not
to the contrary" with jurisdiction extending
over all nations and with an authority that pre-
scribed 10 them, thai what Il enJoined al must
obey and what IL forbid none musl 10. W hc'her
The Convention expressly adopted this code, or
expressly repudiated il, il vas all The same oni
very nationality made it our law ~ all our exc,
rior relations, and mere municipal power couia
not abrogate il. The most The Convention could
have done would have been 10 have Trnoaneed
lis bcnrfis-o.her nations would nave taken care
that we did not Slight its ocG0i""s,a wisdom
did moi counsel us to pan with The Blessings while
wc held on 10 The Lijtffns-noI was such a thing
proposed, or attempted, or done. True, the Con
yenlion did mol re-enact tie laws OF nations ny
an express adoption, nor incorporate them mo
The municipal Constitution, nor enumerale there
in The powers, rights privileges and duties, they
conferred or enioined. This was unnecessary
because they are nuniments OF nationality which
pertain to all nations impcrscririibly and UNI,
verSally without il; nor is II ever done, nor could
il be done, without hloaiinS ou The CONSTITUTION
10 dimensions that would take IN 'he ioi4s OF T,ro
lius Pufiendort, Vaite Bcrlamaqul and The Doc
tors
Nations cannot acquire or part with. provision
alIy or absolutely, wholly or partly, their powers
or their rights, their people or their territories,
their ships or their Notifications, through conquest
or nesoiintion, nor enlarge them BY diseorl,M
without affecting 10 some extent The balanced in
terests of the whole; and, though none may in
tertere 10 resist acquisitions which The laws OF
nations permit, all have right 10 lake care that
common usage be observed, and public justice
maintained.
Great Britain was once bat spcck upon The
ocean. Her whole possessions could have been
held in the hollow OF the Worlds hand. Now,
her Empire ranges over Hemspheres-and, al
the yery moment that her morning drum-beat is
heard upon one Continent rousns her steel-clad
veterans in their bivouacs her FURNISHED bayonets
are cleaning in the beams Of setting sun in
another. Her discoveries, conquesis and neso-
tiations her power, valor and knowledge; her in
dnslry science, and The arts. have given her what
She has, and made her what she is. Then, Sirs,
desire TO know, il Great Britain may change
The ownership Of enemies goods or possessions,
baule.ships or territories, by capture or conquest
or peacefully acquire the latter by negotiation
or accent them as donations-or legislate them
hers, bv virtue OF the abandonment of one peo-
pie and the occupancy Of her own, why may not
we? Wba, is there to forbid it? The Consttn-
Ia Into. md