Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1851-09-02

Hon aeEpa1ss Gazette
In our Iast issue, weprosed from the SEoeesd-
iRgs of the fedeFaI2epBvenil1u which pEgfuized
nHr esentsystem ernme m thSt Tie tatez.
IiOa 10 Authorize Ihe nseoE lofseaPainst Slstek
so determined 4Sars f5et not 70 surrender their
sovereignty. aud efeefa ennsQ1defin omnip0tent
establishment Nke The Beitlsh gqfeEhnent-
VeEelg0iy : bat esffiet out fkeif design % fFam.
ing OmPaclB
States or nations leaving = 20 each pagtg dnIha
language of Dir. IfFson1 the right % l9ege fuf
iself. as well Of iatnledcns astEe mode am meae
So jeaIous ,seset6e States ef theIr sovereignty, .
that most, if mol aifof4hems 10 Eatifyfng tbeecm.
pact, expressly reserved tie pfieilege &C with.
drawing from The epHieleracYsW wien they deems
ed ataFthet eOnnexion Nlt1t desltncuse ottheir
interests
InpDofofibIs, we ssbmits onc in1pqtRufdocu-
meats 70 the eeusideeRiop q Az NhgdesiEe lght
upon ihBt if4gg snhJeet And hrs.
I'VE fEh0N ire sCtiar ci ttrsinl1- STATE
-Str.-E- n frsf L.
Eprop0sa esf~etlsidn4tth erticlescf ecmedera-
tiOR, which Fes9t ~ 1tcedcpionotth the present
E0ueeF66nenf = WOn refer 10 her, above
all others, for a correct interpretation Of The doe
triues upon which II Is founded. By the annex-
ed act of ratification of the GOnstitnIiun, L viii be
seen that she explicitly declared her State sOTef-
/ eighty t0 be superior 60 that OF the federal gov@
tHTumPOtt and declared toTt0eru9oTeF Gll1E Az Now
ers delegated 10 the latter by the State. Hay be
resumed by hhsm, 1eheRsrr The same shah b pr
reried 10 tkeir iEiurgbr oppression.
:" W. the delegates OF the people Of Virginia.
duly elected IN pursuance Of recommendation
from The general assembly, and now mel ii con-
venrion, having fully and freely investigated and
discussed the proceedings Of the FEDERAL eOnVen-
| ton, and being prepared as well as the most ma
ture deIiberaIiUn hath enabled us to decide there
on-Do. in the name and.behaif Of tie P~eOPleOf
Virginia. declare and make known, thGfdhe POlD-
erS graHled under the C~OHStiSWii0R, beng dsTtset
from TIE people If tie United Slates, lGgte rs4Hm-
! ed BIZ fhsIn lrhznercT Ge same shall Be PgTeytad 10
their injury or oppression and that every power
not granted thereby, remains with them and AZ
| their will that, therefore no FightOfaRF tenomi-
nation can be cancelled, abridged, restrained, or
modified by the Congress, by The Senate, or the
House of Representatives, acting In any eapaei-
~ by the President or any Department, or OIL
Ger OF The United States, ereePt m these instances
in tChich POrT IS gfreH by he Constitution, for
those purposes, dc, sc.
s we, the said delegates, in the name and be-
haIf of the people Of Virginia. do. bylhese pre-
sents, assent TO and raiily the Consultation recom-
menIed on the nth day of September, 1857. By
the federal convention for the government OF tho
United States, &c, &C.
{" Done in convention, this 26th day Of June,
1889. By order of the EDnVention.
EDM. PENDLEToN, PEST"
New York was equally cautious with Virginia,
in acceding TO the federal compact; and in raIi-
tying il made similar solemn declarations. we
quote as follows;
I'VE the delegates Of the people Of the State
of New YOIk, duly elected, aud met in convention,
having maIurPIy considered llB Constellation OF
the UniIed States of America, sgreed 10 on the
18th day of September, in the year 1857, BY the
CgeneraI) convention then aEsembIedat Philadel-
phia, "a copy whereof Precedes these PTeSent0dO
declare aud make kROYnt
THAT all power is Originally vested in and
.a,~@utrpufFv derived from tho OpOnkes mud thu
government is instituted by them for their COM
mon interest, projection, and security
That the enjoyment of life, liberty, and the pur.
suit of happiness are essential rights which every
government ought TO respect and preserve.
. That the powers of government may BE re-
SHDtcI Gy the people, trhenS0ereT Il naS become ne
ccsSuTy 70 their happiness, thai erery poorer jErfs-
diciion and right, arhtck IS tot By Ehe said CVnStiiH-
IioR clearly dsL1gOed to the COngTes. Of the URitef
SAFES, ar The department. of the government Aereof,
remains to the people Of The ssrerGt States, or 10
their resIectite Stale g~OrerRReRLs. TO hohOA ihey
(ihe PeopLe) mag hare granted the Sume. And
that those clauses In said Constitution, which de-
clare that Congress shall not have or exeTclse
certain powers, do not imply that Congress b en-
| titled To any powers not given by the said Con-
%stitutiOni hut such clauses are TO be construed
either as exceptions TO certain specified powers,
or, as inserted merely tOC greater Caution &c.
tDone in convention at POughkeepsie. in tho
county of DuIchess, in the Stale Of New YOEk, ON
the 26tl, day of JnlYsl7ss.
"Auested:
GEO. CLINTON, PEtsidsnt.
JoHN hcKEasUN, A.. d. BANKER, Sec'gs.
Massachusetts, whose leading statesmen act
upon the principle that the Union Vas made to
pander 10 the sectional prejudlees Of the North,
at the expense Of the South, Tatiied the COnsti-
tuition in the foIIbwiDg terms:
g That it be explicitly declared. that all pow
ers not expressly delegated by the Aforesaid Com
~stituliOn, are reserved TO The several States % Be
BY them exercised"
South Carolina, reyiIed and abused as she now
is for asserting the right Of secession, and indi-
eating her determination TO exercise Il, sanctions
ed the Constitution with this distinct UNDER
Tins convention doth declare, that no Sec
ton or paragraph Of the said Constitution war.
rants a constructions that the States do not retain
every power not expressly TeliBquisbed BY them
and vested in the general government Of the
Union"
And now, whea South Carolina proposes, in
accordance with this solemn declaration entered
upon her record at the time Of rafity'ng the com.
pact, to resume the powers expressly retained,
she is denounced beyond measure. Could treat
ment be more unjust-espeeIaIly when u ts con-
sidered that she proposes to retire from the CO.
partnership, because che, in common with her
Southern sisters, have been ioully wTonsed by
the violation on the part of the North 0fthe terms
of the compact? In NO instanee can II be shown
that South Carolina has made any demands that
are at all Inconsistent with her rights Is a mem.
Der Of the eOnfedeFacy.
Rhode Island ratified she Constitution with the
following emphatic declaration:
IS That tie POareTs q the GOTeyHMeHt mggbe
resumed By tie Pegpe, f~GfeHeneT Il &hGH became ne
eessary IL heir kgPptSess. Thattbe rights ofthe
States, respectively, 10 nominate and appoint an
State officers, or To the departments OF the gov
eminent thereof, remain to the people Of the
several States, or their respective State goSeEn-
Similar conditions were affixed BY nearly an