Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-02-04
To The Editors Of The Enquirer:
TEXAS-MR. KENNEDY'S QUIBRI

lEhAO-Nlt. hENNEDl - oUlBBl.El
1t Is fearful 10 look upon the last strong agony
of expiring nature, and the porentous energy
SURPRISING that of health, with which the victim
struggles 10 retain his hold on life. Hardly less
remarkable are the dying struggles of Federalism
to prevent the admission of Texas to her rightful
place in this Union. In this extremity, there is
no idea too absurd no device too preposterous
for their purpose and there is no man SO insig-
nfcant that he does not start up into some conse-
Quence as soon as he suggests any thing, how
ever ridiculous, which had not been thought Of
before Even Mr. Kennedy Of Swallow Barn,
a small scribbler and yet smaller politician is
hailed by his confederales as one 10 whom the
world is indebted for great light. Unhappily,
your correspondent, Randolph OF Roanoke, has
come across him, and with pun OF his breath,
Mr. KS light is extingushed, and that forever
No more needs to be said in answer 10 him. But
the discussion he has provoked suggests thought
which beg YOU 10 take Tor what il may be worth.
Ii Is very true as Mr.. K. suggests. that the
Constitution requires that the Senators Of the U.
States "shall have been citizen OF the United
States nine years" Now, il this be understood
as Mr.. X affects 10 understand it, The thing was
plainly impossible, and no man could be found on
Garth possessing ;he requisite qualification. Yet,
the words had meaning. What was it? The
proper way 10 find the meaning is, by looking 10
what the Constitution says on The subject OF CT
tizenshp Concerning this il is said, that "lhe
citizens of each State shall be entitled 10 all the
RIGHTS, privileges and immunilies Of citizens in
every other State and shat Congress shall have
mower 10 establish a uniform rule Of naturaliza-
tion"
These words deserve an attention which has
moi been of late paid TO them. Observe! Ii is
not said. that the citizens of each State shall be
citizens OF everyoher Stale, or citizens of the u
States. No-they are still TO be citizens of their
proper States, and as such, to have rights else
where To have said they should be citizens OF
all the States, would have been absurd: because
whatever rights man may have, he can owe but
one allegiance They did not, therefore, say that
To have said they should be citizens of the U.
States would have been 10 constitute the United
States body polite, and 10 merge the allegiance
OF the citizen to the State in his allegiance TO this
new body polite, so that he would no longer be
citizen Of any one State. Now, the Conyen-
ton that framed The Constitution expressly re-
fused 10 declare the United States body polite /:
and, hence, made it impossible that there should
be such thing as citizen of the u S. strictly
and technically speaking.
But they do speak in other places OF citizens OF
the United States. 1t is true, they do So and one
would think, without any danger OF being mis-
understood, when the words occur in such con-
nexion, that il they are understood as Mr.. X.
would understand them, they would involve a
plain absurdity. For beg You TO observe, thai
this phrase. "citizen OF the United States" is 10 be
found only in those very passages in which it is
required that certain functionaries shall have
been citizens of the United States from a time
long anecedent TO the existence of any such be-
ing There were certainly no citizens of the u
States under The confederation; though, in virtue
Of the privileges which citizen Of any Other
Stale might claim in every other it had become
common and habitual 10 regard them in The ligh
Of citizens in all the States. and 10 speak OF then