The Arkansas banner., 1845-11-12


 common danger first suggested common
 union; that 1t considers union, for specified national purposes, and particularly for those specified in their late federal compact, to be friendly to the peace, happiness, and prosper-
 ity of all the States; that faithful to that con-
 pact, according to the plain intent and mean
 ing, in which 1t was understood and aeceded
 to by the several parties, it is sincerely anx-
 ious for it's preservation; and that it does al-
 so believe that 10 take from the States all the
 powers of sell-goYernmeut, and transfer them
 to genara and consolidated government,
 without regard to the special delegations and
 reservations solsmnly agreed to in that con-
 pact, is not for the peace, happiness, or pros
 perity, of these States; and that, therefore, this Commonwealth is determined, as t
 doubts not its co-States are, to submit to un-
 delegated, and consequently unlimited pow CTS, in no man or body of men on earth; that Lin cases of an abuse of the delegated powers, the members, of the General Government be-
 ing chosen ny the people, change by the
 people would be the constitutional remedy; but, where powers arc assumed which have
 not been delegated, Modification of the act is the righful remedy; that every State has
 
 [casus non federis,l to nulily, of their own
 authority, all assumption of power by others
 within their limits: that without this right
 they would be under the dominion, absolute
 and unlimited, of whomsoever night exercise
 this right of judgment for them; that, neyer-
 theless, this Commonwealth, from motives of E regard and respect for it's co-State, has wish
 ed to communicate with them on the subject;
 that with theHl alone il is proper to commit
 nicate, they alone being parties to the com
 pact, and solely authorized to judge, in the
 last resort, of the powers exercised under 1t,
 Congress being not party, but merely the
 creature of the compact, and subject, as to its
 assumption of power, to the final judgment
 of those by whom, and for whose use, itself
 and its powers were all created and modif-
 ed; that, If the Acts before specified should
 stand, these conclusions would flow from
 them, that the General Government may place any act they they think proper on the list of crimes, and punish it themselves, whether
 enumerated or Hot enumerated by the Con-
 stitution as eongnizable by them; that they may transfer it's eognzance to the President,
 or any other persen, who may himself be the Z accusers, counsel, judge, and iurY, whose
 
 sentence, his officer the executioner. and his
 breast the sole record of the transactions; :;
 that a very numerous and valuable descrip-
 ton of the inhabitants of these States being
 by this precedent, reduced, as outlaws, to the absolute dominion of one man, and the
 barrier of inc Constitution thus swept away
 for us all, no rampant remains against the
 passions and the power of a majority in Con
 gress to protect from like expofiatian, or
 other more geeVious punishment, the miaori- ty of the same body, the Legislatures, judges, governors, and councillors of the States, noI their other peaceable inhabitants, who may venture to reclaim the constitutional rights and liberties of the States and the people, or who, for other causes, good or bad, may be . obnoxious the views, or marked by the sus- plcion, of the President, or be thought dan gerous 10 his CT their elections, CT other in- ierests, public or personal that the ffieud- less alien has indeed been selected as the safest subject ef first experiment., bHt the citizen will soon follow, rather, has already , followed; for already has Sedtion Act mark , ed him as its prey: that these and successive
 acts of the same character, unless arrested al , the threshhold, necessarily drive these States ',
 new calumnies against republican goYcfn- l ment, and new preteEts for those who wish I 1t to be believed that man cannot be govern- cd but with a rod of iron; that 1t would be a | dangerous deIusion were a confidence in the men oi our choice 10 silence our fears for the safety of our rights that confidence is every e where the parent of despotism. Free govern n ment is founded in jealously, and not in con l lidence, which prescribes limited Constitu- . lions, 10 bind down those whom we are obli- - ged to trust with power that our Constiiu- s ton has accordingly fixed the limits to which, 0 and no further, our confidence may %. And - let the honest advocate of confidence read = the Alien and Seditioa Acts, and say if the - Constitution has not been wise in fixing lm- Q its 10 Inc government it sfeated, and whether we should be wise in destroying those limits: ' Let him say what the government k. if it be t moi tyranny, which the men of our choice have conferred on our President, and the Pre- : sident oi our choice has asssented to and &C., ! ccpted, over he friendly strangers 10 whom J the mid s2frito our country and its laws had .' pledged hospitality and pgotecton; that the !, men ot our choice have more epected the D bare suspicious Of inc President. tdan the so- q Id rights oi innocence, Inc claims of justice = the sacred force of truth, and the forms e and substance of law and justice; in questions : ol power, then, let no more be heard of con : iidence in man, but bind him down from mis- q chief by the chains of the Constitution that t this commonwealth does, therefore, call on its d co-States foran expression of their sentiments i on the acts concerning Aliens, and for the e punishment ol certain crimes, hereinbefore specified; plainly declaring whether these [ Acts arc, or are not authorized by the fedcr-
 al compact' And 1t doubts not that their
 sense will be so enounced as 10 prove thelr
 attachment unalteroI to limited government, 9 whether general or particular; and that the I rights and liberties of their co-States will be r exposed 10 no dangers by remaining embark l cd in common bottom with their own; that T they w!ll concur with this Commonwealth f in considering the said acts as so palpably against the Constitution as to amount to an undsguised declaration that that compact is