The Woodville Republican. [volume] (Woodville, Miss.) 1847-1853, 1851-07-29

Z auoui'Ssioh 10 their General Government
but that by compact under the style an,
title ofO Constitution for the United States
and Of amendments thereto, they constitu
, tel Federal Government, for special pur
poses, delegated to that Government Ger
tain definite powers, rcscrylnr each STATE
: to itself, the rcsiduary mass Of right tc
their own sell.govesument; and, that when.
soevcr the General Government assumes
undelegated powers, its acts are unautho.
rltative, void, and Of no force; that to this
compact each State dcccllcl as a State, and
is an integral party. That this Govern
menl, created by this compact, was not
made the exclusive or final Judge of the ex.
tent ofthe powers delegated to itself: since
that would have made its discretion, and
not the Constitution, rhe measure of its
powers but, ;hat as in all cases of com
pact among parties having 10 common
Judge, EACH PARRY HAS AN EQUAL RIGHT TO
JUDGE or ITSELF, AS WELL or INFRAcTIoNs,
OF as the mode and measure of REDRESS. A"
JG1crSo,
3D. RcSoLrcd That we re-aliirm the
positions assumed by the October Conveu.
ton of l8l9-lhe succeeding Legislature
of the State, and the Convention of the
Democratic States Rights party held at
Jackson in June last on the subject of onr
Federal relations and State action, as en-.
bodied in the following:
81. That we continue TO entertain
n devoted and cherished attachment
to the Union, but we desire TO have il
as it was formed, and rot as an engine
of oppression. ....
.. That the institution of slavery in
the Southern States left, by the Con
sttution, exclusively under the control
of the States in which it exists, as a
part of their domestic policy, which
they, and they only, have the right TO
regulate, abolish or perpetuate, as they
may severally judge exped ent and
that all attempts on the part of Con.
gress, or others, to interfere with this
subject either directly or indirectly,
are in violation of the constitution,
dangerous to the rights and safety of
the South, and ought to be promptly
resisted.
3. That Congress has no power to
pass any law abolishing slavery in the
District of Columbia, or 10 prohibit
the slave trade between the several
States. or to prohibit. the introduc.
ton of slavery into the territories
of the United States; and that the pas
sage of Congress of any such law,
would not only be a dangerous vola>
ton of the constitution, but would al,
ford evidence Of Fixed and deliberate
design on the part Of that body, to in.
teriere with the institution of slavery
in the States.
4. That we would regard the pas
sage by Congress, Of the "Wilmot pro.
viso," (Which would, in effect, deprive
the citizens Of the slaveholding States
of an equal participation in the terri
tories acquired equally by their blood
and treasure,) as an unjust and insult
ing observation-disclosures which these
States cannot, without political dcgra>
dalion, submit and TO which this con.
vention, representing the feelings and
opinions of the people of Mississippi
solemnly declare they will not sub
nit.
S. That the passage of the Wimot
proviso. or of any law abolishing sav-
cry in the District of Columbia by the
Congress of the United States, would
of itself, be such breach of the feds
eral compact as, in that event, will
make it the duty, as it is the right of
the saveholding States, to take care
of their own safety, and to treat the
non. .slaveholding States as enemies to
the slavcholding States and their insti-
tutions.
6. That the legislature is hereby re-
quested to pass such laws AS may, in
their opinion, be best calculated to
encourage the emigration OF citizens
of The slayeholding States, with slaves,
to the new territories of the United
States.
7. That in view OF the frequent and in.
creasing evidences OF the determination Of
the people of the non-slaveholding States,
to disregard the guaranteesot the constitp'
ton, and TO agtate the subject of slavery,
both in and out of Congress, avowediy for
the purpose of ehectiug its obligation III the
States and, also, in view Of the facts set
forth in the late "Addfess Of the Southern
Members ofCongress, this convention pro-
Z claims the dehberaie conviction, that The
tiu,e has arrived when the Southern States
should take council together for their com
mon safety; that the convention OF the
Southern States having been held Ia accof-