The Woodville Republican., 1851-11-11
HENRY CLAY.


is an elaborate discussion of the question o
State sovereignty, Those who know th'
political views of Mr. Clay. need not be toI,
that he utterly denies the sovereignty of .h'
Siates--Orguing that, having entered the
compact of the Union. they are morally and
( legally bound to obey all laws tina, may en-
anaIe from Congress. lie embodies in diff
ferent language, the sentiment Of Dick
Stewart, that the States "tumbled off theiI
sovereignty, on entering the Union and
compares any act on the part Of the people
to assert their supreme authority, to the re
belliou in Heaven. which resulted in the
overthrow of His Satanic Majesty. In the
opinion Of Mr. Clay, the States are creatures
but what is the creator is to him now, as il
has ever been to federalism, the great stun
bling block. In one point, he argues Con-
greSS the creator, in anothor he eonceives
the supreme court to exercise that function.
He cannot or will not see, that neither Con.
gress nor the supteme court had existence
until the States joined together, and sever
ally promulgated the authority that estab-
Iished them. MIR. Clay, declares that the
"Constitution was intended to be perpetual,
or what is the same thing, to be of unlimited
existence" The perpetuity of the Consti-
tuition we admit, was and still is the desire
of every patriot; but that this perpetui!y is
binding; that the President, as Mr. Clay
declares, has, the right to use arms to force
the sovereign people, to submit to laws pas
sed in violation OF that instrument, is doc
triie denied III dur declaration of indepen-
dence, in the articles Of agreement of the
several States in joining the Union and in
the Constitution itsef--a doctrine which
wac met, argued and totally demoish-
ed by the fathers OF the Constitution in 177s
10. Mr.. Clay further declares that the
right Of sece ssion does not now, nor never
did belong to the States and supports 1t by
the argument that before they went into the
Union, they Certainly did Hot possess the
right, because being single and disconnected,
they had nothing to secede from. Strange
doctrine. indeed At the very period to
which the writer tefers, the States were In
the operativs act of seeding from the crown
and laws of England. In the Meclenburg
Declaration. ahd in the varotis meetings oil
the people, the right Of the people TO sepa-
rate from any form of government. when IL
became subversive of thsif liberties, was
most distinctly asserted; and in Exercising
the right of separation, il was not natural
OF necessary consequence that war should
follow; this was the doetrihs Of the RepuhIi-
cans of ihat period, and when in after times
the Alien and sedition acts. brought it home
to the consideration of the American peo-
pie, as local measure, the Republicans
still maintained the right, and had to battle
against Hamilton, Otis, and finally Adams,
and the whole federal party.
Mr. Clay declares that there can be tio
grant found in the Consultation, of power to
the people, to alter, abrogate or abolish that
instrument. II this position wore not d.
rectly contrary TO fact, it would be to reason.
That people who had just won their liber'
tie. after seven years struggle, should for
ever ALLEVIATE them, by cedihe them, in an
untried Constitution or system Of govern
ment, is too ridiculous to find support in the
mind Of any man, not prone to consolida.
ton or monarchy. BY al the rules Of law
the inventor Of patent has the right to dis
pose oft, or alter it to his liking. The Con-
stitution was yet untried. Gen. Washing.
ton himself, thought it an experiment. and
had but little hope of its successful operation.
To have made il perpetual. either by the
articles Of confederation, or "the more per-
feet Union," would have been to commit our
hopes Of mans capacity for self-governmeni
70 the first and only experiment.
CoUNTERPETERs AREEsTED--The Louis.
willie Courier learns that two men aud three
women were arrested at New Albany on
the 18th uIt., charged with countefieiting.
On the person OF one them was found twen.
ty.two $50, counterfeit notes on the Bank
of Tennesse. All the implements for max.
ing bogus money were found in their pos.
session, and when they were arrested they
were just in the act Of manufacturing some
fifty franc pieces, TIE metal being on the fire
already melted and ready for the mould.
gT-A woman quareIlng with her husband
told him she believed II she were to die. he
| .s.e.,ll .r.s,,, tf,a Ia.t9se dauuhfar stTh4