Mississippi palladium. [volume] (Holly Springs, Miss.) 1851-1852, 1852-05-06

ments should claim each the same SUBJ
iect, where is the umpire to decide be-
tween theml In cases OF little urgen-
cy or importance, the prudence of both
parties will keep them aloof from the
questionable ground; but, ifit can neith-
er be avoided nor compromised con-
vENTIoN OF THE STATES MUST BE CALL
ED to ascribe the doubtful power to
that department which they may think
best" Thus spoke the illustrious sage
of Monticello. Mr.. Jefferson, howev-
er,was the author of the Declaration of
American Independence, and great
practical statesman, therefore, HE could
not be secessionist, a aisanionist, or
traitor; but, if Mississippian should
entertain the same opinions that Mr..
Jefferson taught, and dare to give ut
terance to them HE is so wofully degen-
crate and so basely corrupt that it at
once becomes SECESSION, DIsUNIoN AND
TREASON TO THE GOVERNMENT. have
no faith in the patriotism of him who
lauds to the skies the opinions of a
great man, simply because he IS great,
and looks upon one of less note who en-
tertains precisely the same opinions
with such jaundiced eye, as to as
cribe 10 the latter all sorts of evil and
unpatriotic motives. If Mr.. Jefferson,
in cases of the exercise Of doubtful OF
usurped political power by the federal
government, believed that "a conven-
ton of the States must be called to as
cribe the doubtful power to the depart
ment whichthey may think best;' also,
that the States were "the righttuljudg-
es Of tie mode and measure Of redress" "
let those who SO much delight to deal
in bitter denunciation of the advocates
of strict construction of the federal
constitution, and in fulsome adulation
OF Messrs. Clay, Webster, Fillmore, et
i'd omne genus, hurl their anathemas at
him. Mississippians have never be-
lieved in secession any further than
; Jefferson and Madison taught them, nor
have they ever in any organized and
authoritative form that know of, pro-
posed to carry it further in practice
than Mr.. Jefferson's recommendation
The friends of the Nashville con.
yention. as / underssood thsr.,-for
: was not numbered among its advocates
never proposed to accomplish more
by its action than seems to have been
: contemplated by Mr.. Jefferson, in his
: language quoted in the above para
graph. And, if there should always
: be enough virtue, and patriotism in
2 those who administer the federal gov
| ernment, to bind them by their oath
TO support the constitution, the States
: would never have to 60 further in de-
D fence of their reserved rights than to
S remind their common agent, the gen.
S eral gov ernment, that it had transcen.
: ded the bounds of its delegated trust
:. But, unfortunately for the sacred cause
E of liberty, all the checks and balance:
e of our once beautiful system-all ths
/ effective ramparts of the constitution
/ have been we'll nigh broken down, ant
i for all practical purposes our once fed
: erative republic has been converted
e into gigantic consolidated democracy
l. Instead OF common agent acting il
o obedience to the powers delegated b.
l. the principal, the States find them
e selves confronted by their creature
t. who is disputing the palm with its ere
s. ators. This, however, has been tn
n work of time, progressing by slow AIT
= measured steps, but tending with un
r erring certainty to ultimate consolida
/. ton and, SO far as | have been capa
y bic OF judging from the lights befor
e me, the people of Mississippi have nev
# er proposed to change the inevitabl
D, tendency of political events, either b
n resort to force, or by the Resumption
e of their reserved rights. Indeed, tn
r great body of our citizens understan
D too well the theory of the governmen
O. to resort either to forcible "nuAifcd
n ton of its laws" or to secede from tn
N Union; and this knowledge of ou
D. complex federatiye system, be it spe
i ken with all becoming Difference, is nc
E. confined exclusively to the "Union re
y volutionary" party. On the contrar,
S, those who admit, as the State-Righ1
IS men do, that the federal government
Of complete sovereignty within its ow
er proper sphere and to the extent of tn
IS powers delegated by the tates, its crs
al ators, in the national compact, an
I, confined to its proper orbit by ih
10 checks and balances OF the constltl
ton, and restrained from the exercis
e, ofdoubtlulor usurped constructivepo'
:e ers by the sovereign rights reserved
!, the State and 70 xb> 1ooplo eeox, IN ,,,