Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-10-16

discussions before the People in the present can
vass, we have had occasion more than once to re-
mark. That "platform" is little more than mere
repetition of stale dogmas and tedious plattudes
but 1t contains ae,0 feature, which, in this con-
nexion it is important to bring to the notice Of our
readers. That feature consists OF the following re-
solution, which for the first time makes its appear
ance as an ingredient of the National Democratic
creed
Resoiced, That the Democratic party win faithfully
abide by and uphold the principles laid down the Ken
lucky and Virginia Resolutions of 1893 and the report
OF Mr. Madison to the Virginia Legislature in 1799 that
IL adopts those principles constituting Of The main
foundations Of as political creed and is resolved to carry
them out in their obvious meaning and import"
If this declaration of adhesion had been confined
| to the Virginia Resolutions of 1859, we should
have considered it only clap-trap for the State
Rights division of the Democratic party, who swear
BY these Resolutions as other men do by the Holy
Bible. But the introduction of the KeatucIy
Resolutions into it changes the character of the Re-
solve, and stamps it as deliberate attempt to en-
courage resistance to the laws of the country.
The second of the Kentucky Resolutions is in the
following words
Resored That the Constitution Of the United States
having delegated to Congress power to punish treason
counterfeng the securities and current coin Of the Unit
ed States praces and felonies committed on the high
seas anu ocno@s AGAINST the laws of nations and no
other crimes whatever; and it being true as general
principle and of the amendments to the Constitution
having also declared that the powers not delegated to
the United States by the Constitution prohibited by
it to the States reserved the States respectively
to the people, therefore also, the of Congress-
passed on the 14th day of July 1913, and entitled an
act in addition to the entitled act for the punish
ment of certain crimes against the United States as al
SO the act passed by them the 9TH day of June 1898
entitled an act to punish frauds committed on the Bank
of the United States, land all other their acts ,rch assume
to create define punish other than those enumerated
IN The Conshtaton VOID and Of no force
the power create Define and punish such other
crimes reserved and of right appertans solely and
clusvey to the respective States each within its own
territory
The carrying out of the principle of this Resolu-
ton would, as every intelligent reader will per-
ceive strike at the root of nearly all the penal
actments made by Congress since the beginning of
the Government. The proposition of the Ken
lucky Resolution is, to be sure, absurd enough,
keeping out of view as it does the material clause
in the Constitution which gives to Congress the
4 power " to make all laws which shall be necessary
"and proper to carry into execution the foregoing
! "[enumeratedl powers, and all other powers vest
"ed by this Constitution in the Government of the
United States, or in any department thereof"
! We might fill columns with the titles of Laws Of
the United States which would be made "null and
void if this principle were carried ont, as the
Democratic Platform promises that It shall be- g in
4 its obvious meaning and import" We will cite
only case, though many parallel instances might
be adduced to show the utter absurdty and wicked
ness of such proposition. We will take the case
Of the Post Office Establishment for example, per-
vading as it does the whole Union, and even
ing the seas. What would become Of the system Of
ma-transportation, &c. if all laws for Furnishing
distractions or robbery of the mails were to b
stricken out at single dash of the pen as proposed
by the above resolution Of the. Baltimore Democra
tic Convention /?
1t would be very curious inquiry, By chose con
htrance that Resolution put into the Platform
of that Convention. Whatever was the intention Of
the mover thereof, it is a coincidence to which no
one can shut his eyes, that two very important
acts Of this Government much debated about of late
in many parts Of the country, will be most eff
fectively nuUfed, if the Democratic Party, coming
into power, shall "carry out" the principles laid
down in the Kentucky Resolutions as its Conyen-
| ton has bound it to do
First The Democracy will, in carrying them
out have declared null and void" the act for pun
shing the offence of contrivng, organizing and for
wardng unauthorized hostile expeditions, from the
territories of the United States, against the terri
tories of friendly foreign Powers.
Secondly. The Fugitive Slave Law (and with it
the principle of the Compromises passed at the
First Session of the Thrty6rst Congress will have
been made "null and void as if it had never
been passed
Put this and that together, worthy reader, and
determine for yourself whether you can vote for a
Presidential candidate who has been mounted by
his nominators upon such Platform as this
MARYLAND