Des Arc citizen., 1859-03-04

lie to have an influence on the rights ot the States and the liberties of their people second, only, if at all, to that ol the seces- sion of the thirteen colonies from Great Britain.
 The French revolution, with its saturna- ,lia of blood, burst on the nations like so.ae frightful comet, filing the minds ot men with horror. Monarchists in the old world, ;sad their kindred Centralists in the new, gloaled over its excesses, as Erooi that the masses could not govern them selves. This Was the prevalent sentiment though were those who thought and said, that much-might be palloued to the spirit of liberty, frenzied by the wrangs of grey centuries and reeling under the intoxica- ton of tyranny's overthrow. Republican France, beleaguered by the armies of the kings of Europe, called on her American sister for return of the aid given by La fayette and his sovereign. To have acce- ded to this request would have been mad ness, and it was refused. But there was many a sympathetic responses ,as well from nalve-born citizens, as from French re- fugees then in the United States. The fervor of those responses irritated the Centralsts in power, who resolved to stl- Ae them by legal pains and penalties. In pursuance of that determination, they passed, in June, l79S, 'an act concerning |aliens." The constitution at the tune guarautied the right of jury-trial in all criminal prosecutions, bat this act nullIfied that guaranty by empowering the Presl- dent by his mere order, 10 drive into exile any alien obnoxious to him. With the same view, they passed, in July, l79S, an act usually called the "sedilion law" The constitution prohibited Congress from ma king "any laws abridging the freedom oi speech or of the press" but this law set aside those provisions, and made il an of- fence for any person to be concerned In s'wrltng, printing, uttering or polishing words calculated to bring either house of Congress or the President into disrepute. Arrests were made and punishment in- hicted under these alien and sedtion laws. There was no grim and fearful Bastile in America, like that then just demolished ln France, yet many victim of Central ty- ranny groaned despairingly in the poison ous iaiIs of the country. There was no Iremorseless Jeffreys, to enforce despot's behests with hand and heart of iron, yet that English butcher had his imitalors in our vaunted "asylum of the oppressed. " There was no anointed king, exercising sovereignty in his own right yet, by the predominance of Centralsm, the elected President of the Union and his jodiclal appointees, were vested with authority over the free people of the States, almost equal 10 that of the Russian Czar over his serfs.
 Patriots were justly alarmed at these ra- pid strides towards absolutism and tremen- dous assumption of powers not delegated. At this iuncture, Thomas Jefferson, the cannonized "Apostle of Liberty appear ed as the Savior of State Rights and the Restorer of Freedom in America Exert ing allthe enthusiasm of his warm nature, the force of his great intellect, and the ln- huence of his worldwide reputation, he caused 10 be passed, by the Legislatures of Virginia and Kentucky, the immortal resolutions of l79S
 The Virginia resolutions were drafted by James Madison. quote from them as follows:
 That this assembly doth explicitly and peremptorly declare, that 1t views the powers of the federal government as re- sulting from the compact to which the States are parties--as limited by the plain sense and intention of the instrument con- stituting that compact-as no farther valid lahan they are authorized by the grants enumerated in that compact; and that, Tn case of deliberate, palpable and danger ous exercise of other powers, not granted by the said compact, the States have the right, and are in duty bound to interpose for arresting the progress of the evil and for maintaining, within their respective limits, the authorities, rights and liberties appertaining to them"
 The first of the Kentucky resolutions IS | in these words:
 "Rssotped. That the several States com posing the United States of America, are not united on the principle ot unlimited submission to their general government but that by compact, under the style anc title of constitution for the United States and of amendments thereto, they constitu ted general government for special pur poses-delegated to that government cer tain definite powers, reserving, each State to itself, the residuary mass of right tt their own and that when
 soever the general government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthor
 itative, void and of no force-that to thl
 compact, each State acceded as State
 and as an integral party; that this govern ment, created by this compact, was no
 made the exclusive or final judge Of ih
 extent of the powers delegated to itself
 since that would have made its discretion
 and not the constitution, the measure ol Il
 powers; but, that, as in all other cases C
 compact among parties having no commo indge, each party has an equal right { judge, Tor itself. as well of infrac,ons a of the mode and measure of redress These are the words of Jefferson hin
 self-they were written by the same han
 that wrote the Declaration Of lndepen dence, and are entitled to as high a plac : even as that renowned aud sacred mani
 festo in the affections of the people. A