Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1860-12-14

exercise. for that purpose 1t has, In
strong prohibitory language, expressly
declared that mo State shall enter into any
treaty, alliance. or confederation grant
letters Of marque and reprsaIs; coin mon
ey; emit bills OF credit; make anything
but gold and silver coin tender in pay.
ment of debts; pass any bill of attander,
er post Jacto, or law impairing the obliga.
ton OF contracts Moreover, without the
consent Of Congress, no State shall lay any
impos.s or duties on any imports or ex-
ports, except what may be absolutely
necessary fo- executing its inspection laws;
and, if they exceed this amount, the excess
shall belong to the United States.
And no State shall, without the con.
sent Of Congress, lay any duty oftonaage;
keep troops, or ships, of war, in time OF
peace; enter into any agreement or com.
pact with another State, or with foreign
power; or engage in war, unless actually
invaded, Or in such immipent danger as
will not admit OF delay
In order still further to secure the un-
interrupted exercise Of these high powers
against interposition, it is provided tina:
this Constitution and the laws of the Uni :.
ted States Which shall be made in pursu.
ance thereof, and all treaties made, or
which shall be made, under the All shortly
of the United States, shall be the supreme
law of the land; and the judges in every
State shall be bound thereby, anything in
the Constitut on or laws of any State to
the contrary Notwithstanding
/ The solemn sanction of religion has
been superadded to the obligations of Off
cial duty, and all Senators an1 Represen.
tatives of the United States, all members
Of State Legislatures, and all executive
and judicial officers, both Of the United
States and OF the several States, shall be
bound by oath or affirmation to support
this Constitution
In order to. carry into effect these pow~
ers, the Constitution has esta btished a per.
feet Government in I'll its forms, Legisla.
tive, Execn i've, and Judicial; and this
Government, to the extent Of its powers
acts directly upon the individual citizens
of every State, and executes its own de-
'rees by the agency of its own officers. II
this respect it differs entirely troM the
Government under the old Confederation
which was confined to making requisition,
I on the States in their sovereign character
This left in the discretion Of each heth
er to obey or to refuse and they often de-
cined to comply with, such requisitions
It thus became necessary, for the purpose
of removing this barrier, and lin order tt
form a'more perfect Union, to establish {
Government which. could act directly up,
on the people, and execute its own laws
without the intermediate agency of the
States. This has been, accomplished BY
the Constitution of the United States.
In short, the government created by
the c. institution, and deriving its authority
from the sovereign people of each of tn,
several Statea,has precisely the same righ
to exercise it's power over the people. of al
these States, in the enumerated cases, tha
each ono OF them possesses over subject
not delegated to- the United States, bu
reserved to the States, respectively, or t.
the peopla.' ''r
| a..
To lhe.extent Of the delegated powers
the Constitution of the United States is a
much part of the Constitution of eacl
State, and is as binding upon its people
as thought it had been textually inserted
therein.
This Government, therefore, is grea
and powerful Gpverumenh invested wit
Ill the attributes of sovereignty over til
special subjects to which its authority OK
, tends. Its trainers never intendedSto In
plant in its bosom the seeds of it's. .ow,
destruction, nor were they at its creation
guilty Of the absurdity Of providing 70
ito own dissolution. It vas not iptende
by its trainers to be the baseless fabric Of
vision which, at the touch Of the efchan
ter, would vanish into thin a;E,sbut a sui
stantial and mighty fabric, capable ofresis
Ting tie slow decay Of Slime and of defyin
:: tthe storms Of :ages. Indesd, we'll ma
the jealous patriots Of that day have in
ddged fears sthat Government Of sue
high powers might. violate the. reserve
rights Of the States, and wisely did the
adopt the rule Of aTsttict coaspucsionss
these powers,so prevent the danger Blu
they did not fear, nor ad'they any reaso
toipagine, that the : Constitution woul
over Besso Interpreted as to enable an.
, State, by her own act, and withoRt~ til
+ consent of her sister asatss; to discha,g
es her people ftsoh aft or au:gz;s8 NY theif, Fede
j raj ob1ga,io6.. ST,