Mississippi Democrat., 1846-05-06


late II, because, BY SO doing, they are guilt
Of moral wrong, and Of an act ol o.
preston towards The rest Of the people,
By the constitution, the rights of the nino
rlty are protected against The oppression O
the majority, and the whole people agains
the tyranny and oppression Of those II
power. One Of the celebrated Kentucky
Resolutions Of 1903, reads as follows:
"That the several States, composing III,
United Statct, are not united on the pdncipl,
Of unlimited admission 10 the General Go
yernmeutt but HAT the Contribution af the Uni
ted States Delegated to the General Govern
ment certain definite powers, tpd that whenso
ever The General Government assumes undelo
gated powers, its acts are unauthorized, void
and Of no force
In the same spirit have the people o.
the State Of Mississippi resolved, that, IN
flaming their State Government, they
did not unite on the principle of absolute
submission 10 the acts Of every legislature,
but that they had reserved to themselves
tho right OF judging Of those acts, and
more particularly Of any one that had for
its object the borrowing Of money, or pIedg.
ing the faith Of the State for the pa ment
ol loan, Consequently, il foIIows, that
any Indebtedness made in the name Of
the people OF tho State, without their CON
sent had and Obtained previously, is q vi
olation Of tho compact made when they
entered into a state government, lis un-
authorized aud void Such is the law of
the fifteenth Of February, 1888, pIedgng
the faith Of the State for five millions Of
dollars The people Of the State had ne.
yer given tho legislature authority to make
any such contract, and il cannot be fairly
considered any other than u contract be.
tween tho Leglsture Of the State, and
the purchaser of the bonds. The yene.
rabIe james Madison, on certain occa-
sion, uses the following language;
Thepcope, not the government, possess tho
absolute sovereignty. The Legislature, no less
than the Executive, is under limitations of
power. EncrJaohmenla are regarded No posi-.
bic from one, as well as from the other Hence
the great aud essential tights Of the people are
secured ngainst legislative, as well as executive
ambition. They are secured not auly by mws
paramount TO perogatge, but by CONSTITUTIONS
PARAMOUNT TO LAws,n
This is exuctIy IN point osrcgards Mis-.
sIssppi.
The people of tho State, in framing
their constitution, regarded legislative Gu.
croachmets as possible, more particularly
as respects the making of de6ts,--conso.
quenlly, they very wisely refused to dele.
gate this power, but reserved tho right of
making the contract to themselves. Their
rights are secured from encroachment by
an ignorant, corrupt or ambitious Iepsla. |
lure, and, arc we TO be told, that because
the legislature of 1888 borrowed this mo.
noy, the people are bound to SEQ il paid. |
where the supreme law of the State pro.
lects them against such imposilion2 AS
well nigh we be told, that il the legisa.
ture were to pass a law, compelling every
person in tho Stato to attend some par,icu-
lar church once week, the people would
be bound TO obey One would not be
more clearly unconstitutional than the 9th.
Or, They would disregard such a law, be,
,ausc violation Of their reserved rights. ,
FOR the same reason, they disregard the {
0w of 1898, pledgng the faith of the
State, without their consent
We recollecl that, two or three yenrs {
Igo, the eloquent and patriotic McDuaie Q
declared, in the Senate OF the United (
States, that il the debts of the States we're i
ssumed by tho General Government, he G
would 60 for the Reputation of the debt. t
o assumed, because such law would be a r
lolatlon of the reserved rights Of tho &
ilates, and Of The constitution of the same Il
The people of Mississippi occupy this il
cry ground They repudiate and disa. "
ow the bonds, issued in their name, by d
le aforesaid Legislature. The act by Il
hich these bonds were issued in order 10 Il
ave been constitutional, and binding, on il
le good people OF the State, should have
cen submitted to them, latter being ad. II
irllsed for three months in three papers.) &
the regular election, in November 1889. r
ld passed by the Legislature then elected. "
The question resolves itself into ths:- p
o which do the people owe allegiuuce-- II
an act Of the Legislature, or to the con p
tuition of the State The response of Il
very man ought to be, TO the constitution n
rst, and then to all laws made in pursuance c
that instrument, and in accordance with p
'e reserved rights of the people. n
When a law is presented to the people a
a State, the first inquiry is, or ought to p
}, Is It in accordance with their constiu.
On, and the rights thatthey have reserved /
1t is, then It is binding on them--other. b
lse, II is u nullity, aud void. We should
1t have such confidence in those in pow. Il
!, us TO sanction every thing they may do II
say. Power and office are corrupting. h
is characteristic for a freeman TO doubt Il
ose in potrer, He naturally suspects v
ID ,edtcheS them. Here we will again b
fer to The celebrated Kentucy Resolu. Il
N. One OF them uses tho following 4