The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-04-03

known MS state hignts Democrat. This was
when the term State Rights was intended by
those who approvngly used it, to include the
idea OF State remedies also.
Thus Mr.. Livingston, who, in the great de-.
bate IN the United States Senate of 1880, took
the middle ground between notification on the
one hand and consolidation ON the other, said !:
f" But if the power commended for on the one side
be dangerous, the doctrine by which it is OPP
posed on the other seems no less so. If this be
strictly popular government, as commended for
by the Senator from Massachusetts,, (Mr. Web
ster) that is to say, government formed by the
people of the United States, considered In one
mass, without any consideration of the relation
in which they stand TO each other as citizens of
different States, then the following important
consequences follow: not denial of State
Rights But, sir. although
his argument acknowledges the existence Of our
reserved rights, vet it took away the means of
preserving them" This is the speech which
was published in the Washington Globe of Sept
81, 1885, in aid of an exposition of the princi-
pies of President Jackson's proclamation of
1892
Mr.. Grundy, of Tennessee, whose claim to
the appellation of Democrat, cannot, suppose.
be denied, in the same debate, after having op
posed the doctrine that State legislature could
nullify and make void an act Of Congress, and
having referred to the manner in which the Con.
stitution was adopted, said Let the injured
and oppressed State, then, assume its highest
political attitude--a convention in the State for
the purpose of deciding whether the great fun
damenta law, which unites and binds the States
together, has been violated - 4
Ii the State possesses the power to act as /
have shown, the necessary consequence is, that
the act of Congress must cease to operate in
the State; and Congress must acq uiesce, by
abandoning the power or obtain an express
grant from the great source from which all its
powers are drawn. The general government
would have no right to use force *s \
What can be more rational? What more con-
sisteEt with the spirit of our system, than where
there is conflict between a sovereign State Ia
party to the compacD and the general govern.
ment, as the powers which have been Welded to
the latter, that it should be compelled to decide
the question by an appeal to the source of all
it's powers? / do not hesitate to say that the
power on the part of the States to compel such
an appeal is indispensable to the existence of
their sovereignty, and to the preservation of
their reserved rights ~
If three-fourths of the States shall not con.
cur in admitting the contested power or shall
not pronounce that it already exists, Congress
will be constrained to abandon the exercise of
it, inasmuch as no new power can be granted
without such concurrence. The decision of
loss number ought not to be obligatory, when
State has solemnly pronounced that such grant
Of authority was never made" This doctrine
that the ultimate arbiter between the States and
the federal government was convention of the
deputies of the people Of the Union, Mr..
Grundy claimed, as an ahumble disciple of an
Did school," to draw from Mr.. Jefferson, who
said: 1t has been the peculiar wisdom and fe-
lefty of our Constitution to have provided this
peaceable appeal, when that of other nations
8 at once to force" But why multiply proof
hat the Democratic is the State Rights party
He must be ignorant indeed of the political his.
tory of our country, who has yet to learn that
act. Heirs of the principles of the old Repub-
lean party, we also inherited their hostility to an
extension of federal power by construction.
This, is State Rights" This, like,an impassa.
Die wall, has kept our people divided into two
political parties, from the foundationof the gov
srnment, up to the present hour; and this is
low, as it has been, the vital principle of the
Democracy of the United States 1t was, then,
no change of principle or of name, to designate
he Democracy of the Democratic State Rights
party.
On what then, did Gov. Foote rely, when he
said assuredly was not nominated by the true
Democracy of the State for the Office of gov
ernor;" but which he said he would anot stop
here TO shown He acted with his usual cum
ming in this Had he stopped there until he did
show it. he never would have progressed farther.
To say that was nominated aonly by a little
squad of avowed secessionists." was TO utter
great even for him. Here IL il known
that was not nominated by a convention or
but by Democrats and Democratic
presses in every section Of the State and that
the committee to oil vacancies in the Democrat
&c ticket announced to the public, that when
they met they found that nomination had been
made, and that il only remained for them to
ratify il. OF the impotent reflection which he
casts upon those gentlemen, will only say, ]
am sure there is not one of them who would
not, and ought not, 10 feel himself humbled by
being placed in any moral sense on an equality
with him. Bot i'll was not the nominee OF the
true Democracy" who was! Was he And
was il TO be found in the convention which nomi-
mated him--a large majority of the delegates 10
which were Wings; one Of whom; dstin-
guished man in his party, wittily objected TO
taking the "foot Of one party TO make Il The
head Of anotherw Few If any among us can
believe thai that convention selected its candi-
date for governor became IF their devotion 10
Democratic principles" Does any one doubt
that u was done for the purpose Of distrsctng
and dividing the Democracy The distinguish.
ed and honorable members Of the Wing party
controlled that convention, am sure, will
not claim 10 have represented the true Democra
W Of Nissssippi and when they revert to the
history Of that question by which the Democra.
" was divided and their victory achieved, do
not doubt they must blush to possess
"Ths spoils from such foul foray borne"
lie brings forward extracts from Wing papers
which never supported me, 10 show my position |
n Is4s, and quotes the Mississippian, for which |
am no more responsible than for any other |
PAPER TO which ] give general approval, and
PRESENTS them rs conclusive evidence. because
We says he has never heard Of my having con. |
radcted the reports, as he terms the mesgre |
'ketches Of the Wing papers, nor Of my having !
denounced" an editorial paragraph which he |
'ays was contained in the Mississippian
will follow his example but half way, and |