The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-02-16

the minority unable to resist them, was to bt
taken az an indication Of an intention to dis
solve the Union. Sir, in looking into the Con
stituti0n find that the very first business Of the
first session Of the first Congress that ever sat
under the Constitution, was to propose twelve
amendments to it, ten of which were adopted
And, Mr.. President, the language of the pream-
BILE to these amendmenW is
The conventions Of number of the States
having, at the time Of their adopting the Con-
stitution expressed desire, in order to prevent
misconstruction or abuse Of it's powers, that
further decaratory and restrc tive clauses should
be added; and as extending the ground OF pub
lie confidence in the government, will best So
cure the benefcent ends of its institution"
That is what our fathers thought of amend
ments of the Constitution and by referring to
these amendments, allow me to ask, where do
you find the great guarantee for religious toer-
alton! Where the great right of freedom OF
speech and of the press! Where the great right
Of petition! Why sir, in the fl st amendment
to the Constitution Where, Mr.. President, do
you find the great guarantee to the citizen Of a
speedy public trial by an impartial jury of the
State or district wherein the crime shall have
been committed; the right to be informed OF
the nature of the accusation, to be confronted by
tho witnesses against him, and to have CON-
pulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his
favor? In the sixth article of the amendments
to the Constitution Where do you find the
great guarantee against excessive bail, against
excessive fines, and against cruel and unusual
punishments! In the eighth article of the
amendments to the Constitution. Where do
you find the great guarantee of the. political
liberty of the States against usurpation by the
federal government? In the ninth and tenth
articles of the amendments to the Constitution
Where do you find most of oil the great guar
antees Of personal and political liberty Of indi-
viduals, and of the States In these ten amend
ments of the Constitution. The Constitution
has been twice amended since that time, and the
country has felt no shock.
What does Washington say with reference to
amendments Of the Constitution, on account of
the suggestion of which certain individuals in
Mississippi charge US with an intention to dis
solve the Union? Though say that our party,
by no authoritative act or declaration took the
position for amendments Of the Constitution,
yet perhaps majority did take the position
that it was better to have written guarantees
than to rely on any compromise which one
Congress might make and another repeal. What
does the Father Of his Country say on this sub
ject! He says in his Farewell Address:
elf in the opinion of the people, the distrbu-
ton or modification Of the constitutional pow
ers be, in any particular, wrong, let it be cor
rected by an amendment in the way which the
Constitution designates But let there be no
change by usurpaton, for though this, in one
instance, may be the instrument Of good, it is
the customary weapon by which free govern
ments are destroyed. The precedent must al
ways greatly overbalance, in permanent evil,
any partial or transient benefit which the use
can, at any time, yield"
This was the opinion of the Father Of his
Country expressed in his Farewell Address to
the people of the country. am willing to
plant myself upon that position and stand there
with Washington. And, sir, say that do pre-
fer, at any time, if it becomes necessary, when u
majority in the government, under doubtful con-
structons of the Constitution, are usurping
powers on questions of great interest between
different sections of the Union, and the minori-
ty are not able to resist them,-I do prefer a
written guarantee, by way, if necess ary, OF
amendment to the Constitution, declaratory of
the powers of Congress and restrictive of them
in preference to compromises which are forced
us usurpations, on the one hand, and submitted
to on the other, not as benefits conferred, but
simply as pledges against future aggression
say | am willing to plant myself on that posi-
ton, with the Father of his Country; and be.
lieve if the people Of the country understood
this matter properly, they would entertain the
same opinion. j would risk myself before any
intelligent people on that position, without hav
ing any doubt that should be sustained on the
platform with Washington, in preference to the
platform of compromises I.say further, in ref
erence to compromises: If the doctrine obtains
hat ho
doubtful powers, usurping rights to which it is
not entitled-if the doctrine prevails that amend.
ments to the Constitution cannot be made, dec
laratory or restrictive, of the powers of Congress
on these subjects, and these usurpations are to
be settled by compromises, this government is
no longer constitutional government; it is a
government founded upon the legislation of
Congress, under the sanction of customs and
'precedents made by Congress; the constitution
al government has passed away, and the gov
eminent remaining rests on compromises made
by the unrestraned will of the majority usurp.
ing powers to which the minority are compelled
to submit, not rs benefits conferred, but as
pledges against future aggression.
will say further upon this subject: am not
now-l never have been--in favor of any
amendment to the Constitution, if the Constitu.
precisely what we want. That is what the
States Rights party in Mississippi wish. 1t is
what is wished by all States Rights men every
where and they ask no more. | have seen it
declared in resolution, passed by the late Dem
ocratic State convention of Kentucky, that
Congress has no power to legisate upon the
subject of slavery, and no power to exclude it
from the territories What was one guarantee
which we in Mississippi wanted? Simply a
decaratory clause saying that Congress had no
such power. Ii we could have obtained that, it
would have restored harmony between the two
sections of the country and settled the agitation
of the slavery question forever And is this
disunion? But it has been charged that we
asked what could not be granted, and that there
fore we were in favor of disunion That shows
the false manner in which our position has been
represented before the country.
It has been further said, that we in Niissis
sipp were in favor of a dissolution of the Union.
speak for Mississippi alone. | am not anthor-
lied to say what position was taken in other
States, because, if were to undertake to do so,
| might misrepresent them, as Mississippi has
been msrepresented by others speaking for her
when they were not competent to do so. thas