The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-07-19

Mr.sVmTos Of Ohio Treasury.
Mr.. McKENNAN, of Pa.--Intcrior
4. Mr.. MoREHEAp, of N. C,--Navy,
\ Mr. CRrrrENDEs, OF Ky-Attorney General.
Mr.. Calhoun's Exposition OF what con-
stitutes Convention Of the People.
As the attempt has been repeatedly made of
Late to obtain the high sanction Of Mr. iCalhoun's
authority to Justify the assumption of sovereign-
ty on the part of the people of California and
New Mexico" it may not be arniss to give his
own expression of his own views on this topic.
With regard to the inhabitants of California, he
most strongly and emphaticay entered his pro-
| test, in the last words of warning wisdom that
he was permitted to send forth, before his going
into his eternal rest and the distinction which
he then drew between the inhabitants of a
territory and "a people qualified to assume and
exercise sovereignty, was as clear as it was con
elusive to all unprecedented understandings. &
But reference has been made to some detached
extracts from his previous speeches, by placing
a forced construction on which, when isolated
| from the context, a charge of Inconsistency, on
this point, has been based, To set at rest such
suspicion, as we'll as, TO show with what almost
prophetic foresight the sagacity Of that great
statesman had endowed him. we quote the fol-
lowing striking passages from aspeech deliver
ed by him in the Senate, on the 9Th Of January,
lS37--when the cloud that now mpends so
darkly over us was but speck in the horizon
On the occasion OF the admission Of Michi-
igan as State, some irregularities having taken
place in the formation of the convention, which
gave the assent of Michigan to the terms of adj,
mission prescribed by Congress, Mn. Calhoun
used the following language aig ig5s s4f 3s
'NIy opinion was, and still is, that the move
ment of the people Of Michigan, in forming for
themselves State Constitution without wait
ing for the assent Of Congress, was revolution-
AIRY, as ii threw Off the authority Of the United
States over the territory" &C. MI
In the course Of the same argument the fol-
lowing passages occur--the latter of which
seems almost prophetic, in, view Of what is now
liahStiiiuS ,lfl3lBa 30 ,h99l 33V i& vera LIZ
.The chairman Of the Committee on the Ju-
dietary holds that this self-eonstituted assem-
bage had the authority; and what is his reasona
Why, truly, because a greater number of, votes
were given for those who constituted that as
selnblage than for those who constituted the
convention Of the people of the Safe, convened
under its constituted authorities. This argument
resolves itself into two questionable first Of
fact, and the second of principle. III shall not
discuss the first, 1t is not necessary to do so.
But, if it were, it would be easy to show that
never was so important fact so loosely testified.
There is not one particle Of official evidence
before ms. We have nothing but the private
letters of individuals, who do not know even the
numbers that voted on either occasion; they
know nothing of the qualifications of voters, nor
how their votes were received, nor by whom
counted Now, none knows better than the
honorable chairman himself, that such testimony
us is submitted to us to establish fact of this
moment would not be received in the lowest
magistrate court in the land But waive this.
Il come to the questioned the principle involved;
and what is it |! The Argument is, that a greater
number of persons voted for the last convention
than for the first, and, therefore, the acts of the
last Of RIGHT abrogated those Of the first !; in
other words that more numbers, without regard
to the forms of law or the principles of the Con-
stitution, give authority. The authority Of Num-
bers, according 10 this argument, SETS aside The
authority Of ldio and the Consultations b Need L
show that such a principle goes to the entire
overthrow Of our constitutional government, and
would subvcrt all social order 1t is the iden-
teal principle which prompted the late revolu-
tionary and anarchical movement in Maryland,
and which has done more to shake confidence in
our system of government than any event since
the adoption of our Constitution, but which,
happily, has been frowned down by the patrot-
ism and intelligence of the people of that State
'naIf you wish to mark the first indications of
arevolution, the commencement Of those profound
changes in the character Of a people which are
working beneath, before a ripple appears on
the, surface, look to the change of language:
you will first notice it in the altered meaning of
important words, and which, as it indicates a
change in the feelings and principles of the
people, become, in turn, powerful instrument
in accelerating the change, till an entire revolu-
ton is effected The remarks Of the Senator
will illustrate what have said. He told us that
the terms convention Of the people, Were Of
very uncertain meaning and difficult to be de-
fined but that their true meaning was, any
meeting of the people, in their individual and
primary character, for political purposes /
know il is difficult to define complex terms, that
is, to enumerate all the ideas that belong to them,
and exclude all that do not; but there is always,
in the most complex, some prominent idea
which marks the meaning of the term, and in
relation TO which there is usually no disagree
ment. Thus, according to the old meaning
(and which | had still supposed was its legal
and constitutional meaning), . convention Of
the people invariably implied 4 meeting of the
people, either by themselves, or by delegates
expressly chosen for the purpose, in their high
sopersign Authority, in expressed contradistinc-
ton to such assemblies of individuals in their
private character, or having only derivative au-
thority 1t is, naword, a meeting of the peo-
pie in the majesty Of their power-in that in
which they may rightfully make orabolish con
situations, and put up or put down governments
/ at their pleasure. Such was the august concep-
tion which formerly entered the mind of every
American when the terms convention OF the