Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1852-01-17
Virginia Resolutions Of 1898.
bv james Madison .

Dram up by James Madison.
In Tie Virginia House IF Representot;rc. !,
dan. December 81, 1893: IN
ResokVed, That the General Assemble ~,
ginia doth unequivocally express frm resnl.'.r'
to maintain and defend the Constitution Of ~
s.. and the Constitution of this State, aeaips, T.
nv aggression either foreign or domestic anS.
we will support the Government of the q mat mat
measures warranted by the former. aR
That this Assembly most solemnly dec.,.
worm attachment to the Union of the Stat
maintain which it pledges its powers; and fb,, 10
this end, it is their duty to watch over and os' %
every infraction of those principles which cpp pue
tute the only basis of that Union, because ei%
full observance of them can alone secure ITS owl.
ence and the public happiness.
That this Assembly doth explicitly and n4ro,..
torily declare that it views the powers of the IT.
eral Government as resulting from the comnact =.
which the States parties, limited bv ~
plain sense and intention of the instrument 90. '
stituting THAT compact, as no further valid tba,
they are authorized by the grants enumerated; :
that compact and that in case of deibersa
papable, and dangerous exercise of other powers
not granted by the said compact the States vb'
are parties thereto have the right and are in duv
bound to interpose, for arresting the progress q
the evil and for maintaining within their RESPECTIVE
limits the authorities rights ana liberties apper.
tanning to them.
That the General Assembly, doth also e1nrs,,
its deep regret that spirit has, in sundrv insan.
ces, been manifested by the General Government
to enlarge its powers by forced constructions Of
the constitutional compact which defIes them
and that indications have appeared of design Ia
expound certain general phrases, (which hayiDr
been copied from the very limited grant Of powers
in the former Articles of Confederation were the
less liable to be misconstrued, so as to des,rov
the meaning and effect of the particular enuner
alton which necessarily explains and limits the
general phrases, and to consolidate the States
by degrees, into Sovereignty, the obvious ten.
ency and inevitable result of which would be to
transform the present republican system of the L.
S. into an absolute, or at best mixed MONARCHY
That the General Assembly doth particularly
protest against the palpabe and alarming infrac.
tons of the Constitution, in the two late eases Of
"Alien and Sediton Acts passed at the last ses-
sion of Congress; the first of which exercises
power no where delegated to the Federal Govern.
ment, and which by uniting Legislative and Judi.
cial powers to those of Executive, subvertS tbe
general principles of free government, as well as
the particular organization and positive provisions
of the Federal Constitution and the other Of
which Acts exercises, in like manner, power not
delegated by the Constitution, but on the contrary
expressly and positively forbidden by one of the
amendments thereto power, which more than
any other ought to produce universal alarm, be-
cause ii is leveed against the right of freely exam
ming public characters and measures, and Of free
communication among the people thereon, which
has ever been Justly deemed the only efectual
| guardian of every other right.
| That this State having by its Convention which
ratified the Federal Constitution, expressly declar-
ed that, among other essential rights, the lber
ty of conscience and the press cannot be cancelled
abridged, restrained or modified, by any author
ty of the U. So and from its extreme anxiety Il
guard these rights from every possible attack o
sophistry and ambition, having with other States
recommended amendment for that purpose
which amendment was in due time, annexed to th'
Constitution, it would make reproachful incon
sistency, and criminal degeneracy, If an ndiffer
ence were now shown to the most palpable viola
ton of one of the rights thus declared and secu
red, and to the establishment of precedent whc
may be fatal to the other,
That the good people of this Commonwealth
having ever felt, and continuing TO feel the mos
sincere affection for their brethren of the othe
States the trueSt anxiety for establishing and PEI
tpetuatiHg the Union of ALL and the most scrupu
lous fidelity to that Constitution which is the pedg
of mutual friendship, and the instrument of mutu
al happiness, the General Assembly doth solemn
y appeal to the like dispositions in the other state.
IN confidence that they will concur with this Com
monweaith IN declaring as it does hereby declare
that the acts aforesaid are unconstitutional an
that the necessary and proper measures will be ia
Ken by each, for cooperating with this State i
maintaining unimpared the authorities, rights an
hbesties, reserved to the States respectively or
the people.