Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-08-09
IND1yIsIBILIrY OF THE UNION.


We are indebted to the Lynchburg I" Virginian"
for opportunity bringing to notice, at this moment,
the precise language Of the Preamble to the origi-
nal Articles Of Confederation agreed upon by the
Delegates Of the old Thirteen States, as follows:
. Whereas the Delegates Of the United States Of
= America in Congress assembled did, on the ff-
y. teenth day Of November, in NE year Of our Lord
one thousand seven hundred and seventy seven,
and in the second year of the Independence of
America, agree to certain Articles Of federation
z and PERPETUAL UNION between the States Of New
!. Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and
I. Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York,
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland,
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and
Georgia, in the words following" &c.
OF these "Articles'' the 18th was as follows: \
Every State shall abide by the determinations
Of the United States In Congress assembled, on
all questions which by this Confederation are
submitted 10 them. And the articles Of this Con-
federation shall be inviolably observed by every
State, and THE UNION SHALL BE PERPETUAL nor
shall any alteration at any time hereafter be made
in any Of them, unless such alteration be agreed
to in Congress Of the United States, and be
afterwards confirmed by the Legislatures Of every
s-State.n
The clause Of Ratification, embracing as well
the Preamble as all the Articles, was in the follow
ing words 4:
And whereas it has pleased the great Governor
of the World 10 incline the hearts Of the Legisa-
II lures we respectively represent in Congress to
approve Of and to authorize us 10 ratfy the said
- Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union,
Know YE that we, the undersigned Delegates, by
virtue Of the power and authority 10 us given Tor
Z that purpose. do by these presents, in the name
and behalf Of our respective constituents, fully
and entirely ratify and confirm each and every Of
the said Articles of Confederation and Perpetual
Union, and all ard singular the matters and things
therein contained; and we do further solemnly
plight and engage the faith Of our respective con-
stituents that they shall abide by the determine
tons Of the United States in Congress assembled,
4 on all questions which by the said Confederation
are submitted to them and that the articles there
Of shall be inyiolably observedby the States we
respectively represent, and that THE UsIos SHALL
BE PERPETUAL"
Ten years afterwards, in the year seventeen
hundred and eghty-seven, the more fully to secure
and carry out the objects of the Confederation
prominent one of which was The "perpetual union"
Of the States-another Convention was called,
by which the present Constitution Of the United
States framed and submitted to the States, and
by them solemnly concurred in and approved. The
Preamble to that Constitution commences in these
words: We, the People Of the United States, in
order to form MORE PERTEcT UNION, establish
i" Justice &c. 1
In their first convocation (says the Virginian)
the States resolved that the Union should be per-
0efual" They met second time to make that
Union MORE PERFECT" Having consented to
the articles binding the Union by a perpetual"
covenant. and having gone into second Conven-
tion the prime object Of which was to make that
9 UNION" more perfect no State had right to
make any reservation in passing upon the Consti-
tuition. And if the right to make reservations had
passed out of the power Of the States then, for
tiori is lit now out Of the power of single party
to the covenant to violate and dissolve that CO.
venant.
This is precisely consonant, as the reader will
perceive, with the opinion expressed by Mr.. Ma
OLSON to Mr.. HAMILTON, whilst the present Con-
ssttuton undergoing ratification by the States
>that the ratification of the Constitution by State
with any condition whatever must viiate the rati-
,fcation; and that the Constitution required an
adoption IN TOTO AND FOREVER.