Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1852-01-10
An Extract from H.. MadiS0R'S Report on tie
Sd Of the Virginia Resolutions.

The Sd Resolution is in the words following:
. That this Assembly doth explicitly and per
emptorily declare, that it views the powers OF the
Federal Government as resulting from the
pact TO Which the States parties, limited by
the plain sense and intention of the instrument
constituting that compact-5s TO further valid than
they are authorized by the grants enumerated in
that compact; and that, in case of a deliberate,
palpable, and dangerous exercise of other powers,
not granted by the said compact, the States who
are parties thereto have the right and are in duty
bound to interpose, for arresting the progress of
the evil, and fer maintaining within their respcc-
tivleimits the authorities; rights and liberties, a-
pertaining to them. -
On this resolution the Committee have bestow-
ed all the attention which its Importance merits
They have scanned it not merely with a strict, but
with severe eye; and they feel confidence in
pronouncing, that, in its just and fair construc-
ton, 1t IS unexceptionaby true in its several posi-
tons, as well constitutional and conclusive in
its differences.
The resolution declares, first, that 1t views
the powers of the Federal Government as re-
Sulung from the compact to which the States
are parties ;" in other words, that the Federal
powers are derived from the Constitution t; and
that the Constitution is compact to which the
States parties.
Clear as the position must SEEM that the Fed
eral powers are derived from the Constitution, and
from that alone, the Committee are not unappris-
ed OF late doctrine, which opens another source.
OF Federal powers, not less extensive and impor
tant, thar 1t is new and unexpected. The exami-
nation of this doctrine will be most conveniently
connected with "a review of a succeeding resou-
tlon The Committee satisfy themselves here
with briefly remarking, that in all the contempt
rary discussions and comments which the Consl-
tuition underwent it was constantly justified and
recommended, on the ground that the powers not
given to the Government, were withheld from it
and that if any doubt could have existed on this
subject, under the original text of the Consttu-
ton, 1t Is removed, as far as words could remove
It, by the 10th amendment now a part of the
Constitution, which expressly declares s'that the
powers not delegated to the United States, by the
constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are
reserved to the States respectively or to the peo-
pie. -
The other position involved in this branch Of
the resolution, namely, THAT the States are par
ties to this Constitution or compact" is in the
Judgment of the Committee, equally free from
objection 1t is indeed true that the term States
is sometimes used in a vague sense, and some
times in different senses, according to the subject
to which it is applied. Thus, it sometimes means
the separate sections of territory occupied by the
political societies within each sometimes the par
ticular Governments established by those socie-
ties; sometimes those societies as organized into
those particular Governments and lastly, it means
the people composing those political societies, IN
their highest sovereign capacity. Although 1t
might be wished that the perfection of language
admitted less diversity in the Specification of the
same words, yet little Inconvenience is produced
by it where the true can be collected with
certainty from, the different applications In the