The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1860-12-11

the enumerated powers into effect Con
greSs possesses the exclusive right TO
lay and collect duties on imports, and in
common with the States to lay and col
lect all other taxes. But the Constitu-
ton has not only conferred these high
powers upon Congress, but it has adopt.
ed elfectual means to restrain the States
from interfering with their exercise for
that purpose. 1t has in strong pro-
hibitory language expressly declared
that no State shall enter into any treaty,
alliance or confederation, grant letters of
marque and reprisal, coin money, emit
bills of credit, make anything but gold
and silver coin to tender in payment of
debts, pass any bill of attainder, ex post
facto laws, or laws impairng the obliga-
tons Of contracts. Moreover, without
the consent of Congress, no State shall
lay any impost or duties, or any imports
or exports, except what may be absolute
ly necessary for executing its inspection
laws ; and if they exceed this amount,
the excess shall belong to the United
States, and no State shall without the
consent OF Congress, lay any duty on
tonnage, keep troops or ships Of war in
time of peace, enter into any agreement
or compact with another State or with a
foreign power, or engage In war unless
actually invaded or in such imminent
danger rs will not admit of farther de
lay.
In order still further to secure the un.
interrupted exercise of these high pow
ers against State interposition, it is pro
vided that the Court and the laws of the
United States, which shall be made in
pursuance thereof. and all treaties made
or which shall be made under the au.
thority 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 constitution or laws oil
any State to the contrary notwithsland
ing Tie solemn sanction Of religion
has been superadded TO the obligations
Of official duty, and all Senators and
Representatives Of the United States all
members of State Legislatures and all
Executive and judicial officers, both oil
the United States and the several States,
shall be bound by oath or affirmation 10
support the Constitution.
In order TO carry into effect these
laws, the Constitution has established a
perfect government in all It's iorms, Lee
islative, Executive and judicial and the
Government to the extent Of its powers,
acts upon the individual citizens of ey-
/ Il Il, Il
by the agency OF its own officers. In
this respect il differs entirely from the
Government under the OH CJnfelela-
ton, which was confined t. making re-
QUESTIONS Oh the States in their soyer-
| cign character This left il in the dis
erection Of each whether to refuse, and
they oflen declined to comply with such
requistions 1t thus became necessary,
! for the purpose of removing the barrier,
/ and in order TO form a more perfect un-
I ion, to establish a Government which
/ could act directly upon the people, and
/ execute its own laws without the inter
mediate agency of the States. This has
been accomplished by the Constitution
of the United States.
In short, the Government created by
the Constitution, and drawing It's author
lty from the sovereign people of each oil
the sovereign States, has precisely the
same right to exercise its power over
the people OF all States in the enumera
ted cases, thai each one of them possess.
Is over sub ect5 not delegated to the Uni
ted States, but reserved to the States re-
spectvely, or to the people. To the eX-
tent of the delegated powers, the Con
sttuton of the United States is as much
a part Of the Constitution of each State,
aud Is As binding upon the people as
though it had been texlually inserted
therein This Government, therefore, is
great and powerful government, inyes.
ted with all the attributes Of sovereignty
of the special subjects TO which its au-
thorIly extends It's trainers never in.
tended 10 mplant in its bosom the seeds
o. It's own destruction, nor We're they, at
I lis creation, guilty of the adsurdty OF
providing for its own dissolution.
1t was not intended by its trainers to
be the baseless fabric Of a vision, which
at the touch OF the enchanter, would van.
lsh IN thin air, but substantial aud
mighty fabric, capable OF resisting the
slow decay Of time, and of delying the
storm of ages. Indeed, we'll may ieal-
Gus patriots of that day have INDUCED
fears that a government OF such high
powers mi ght violate the reserved RICH
0! the States, and wisely did they adopt
the rule OF strict cons traction of those
powers, to prevent the danger but they
did not fear, nor had they any reason to
imagine, that the Constitution would be
So interpreted as to enable any State, by
| her own act and without the consent OF
her sister States, TO discharge her peo-
pie from all or any of their federal obi.
cations IL may be asked, then, are the
people OF the States without redress
against the tyranny and oppression of
the Federal Government By no means.
The right OF resistance on the part OF the
governed against the oppression OF
their governments cannot be denied il
exists independent of all constitutions.
and has been exercised at all periods of
the worlds history. Under it, old COY
ernments have been destroyed, and un-
Ger 1t new ones have been replaced. 1t
is embodied IN strong and express Ian