Arkansas true Democrat., 1860-09-15

. ~rug,s so his or their elections CT other inter
 Xatgse or pez s01al; that the frIe1dless alien
 Zen selected as the sssest suts ec. ct Erss eI-
 hui The cssi1en will soon follow, CT rather 5 s eadv foll0wed: for. already has sedirion acs ! n kd him 4s prev That these and successive : ss3f the same charictsr. unless arrested on Iae g rs oEd rssT tend to GriEe these States inso Fe- ls lon znd Hood, and will furnish new calumnies szi1s republican gOvernnsaEs. and new pzelexts q ose xho wish IL 10 be belleEcd. thai z,1n can , A be governed but hy rod of iron. that would . d2ngex0Es Geius70n were confidence in shs & of cur choice silence OUT fears for the s2teEy I CT rights; that coaHGencs Is every where the zens Of despotisnl; free government Is founded a a&aoGsy and nor ia confidence; iE Is jealousy and t1c0nFdence which DrescrSbes limited colstlin sW n bind down those whom Ee gre obliged 10 IF with power, that our constitution has accord n&y fixed the limits 10 which and no further our sU11ence may go; and let the honest advocate oi
 hdence read the alien and seditiOa acts. and say fae constitution has not been wise in fixing limits ~ the government i. created. and whether we 2 fHld be wise in destroying Ibos e hmitsf Let : say what the government is, If il be not a ty- l06ny. which she men 0t our choice have conieETea M the president, and the presden. of our choice has
 ented 10 and accepted ovsr the friendly stran- Eers, to whom the mild spirit of our country and E laws had pledged hospitality and protection; 4at the men cf cur choice have more respected
 e bare suspicious of the president than the solid Ehts ot innocence, the claims of Justification, he Gcred torce ot truth, and the forms and substance f law and justice.
 In questions of power then let no more be said Df confidence in man, but bind him down from mis- ehief by the chains of the constitution. That this commonwealth does therefore call on its co-states For an expression Of their sentiments on the acts concerniRg aliens and for the punishment of csr- lain crimes heielnbetOre specified, plainly declar- ing whether these acts are or are not authorized by the federal compact. And it doubts not that their sense will be so announced as to prove their attach ment to limited government, whether general or particular, and that the rights and liberties of their O. states will be exposed 10 no dangers by remain ing embarked on common bottom with their own. But they will concur with ths commonwealth in the said acts Ealpahy against the constitution as 10 amount 10 undisguised declara ton, that the eompac. is not meant to be the mea SUI of the powers of the genera government, but that it will proceed in the exercseover these States of all powers whatsoever. That they will view this seizing the rights of the States and consol dating them in the hands of the general govern ment, with power assumed to bind tle States lnot merely in cases made federal) but in al eases what soever, by laws made. not with their csnsent, but by others against their consent; and thh would be
 
 chosen, and live under one deriving its powers from its own will, and not from our authority; and that the co-staes recurring to their natural rights not made federal, will concur in declaring these void and of no force. and will each unite with thin com monwealth in requesting their repeal at the next session of Congress.
 Virginia Resolutions
 l. Resolred, That the General Assembly of VT ginia doth unequiyocally express firm resolution to maintain and defend the constitution of tli, United States, and the constitution of this State. against every aggression, either foreign or d0mes tic and that they will support the government of the United States ill all measures warranted by the former.
 ?. The General Assembly most solemnly declares warm attachment to the union of the States, to maintain which, it pledges all its powers; and that, for this end, 1t is their duty to watch over and op pose every infraction of those principles which con stitute the only basis of that Union, because faith ful observance of them can alone secure its exist ence and the public happiness.
 3. That this assembly doth explicitly and per emptory declare, that 1t views the powers of the federal government, resulting from the compact. to which the States are parties, as limited by the plain sense and intention of the instrument cOnsti- tutiHg that compact-as no further valid than they are authorized by the grants enumerated in that compact; and that in case of deliberate, palpable
  by the said compact, the States who parties thereto, have the right and are in duty bound, to interpose, for arrestng the progress of the ev and for maintaining within their respective limits, the authorities, rights and liberties appe.t .taining o them.
 f That the General Assembly doth also express it's deep regret, that spirit has in sundry instances been manifested by the federal government, to en- large its powers by forced constructions of the stitutional charter which defines them and that in dicationshave appeared of gn to eXpound ceT- tain general phrases (which, having been copied from the very limited grant of powers in the former articles of confederation, were the less liable to be misconstrued,) so as to destroy the meaning and effect of the particular enumeration which neces- sarily explains, and limits the general phrases; and to consolidate the States by degrees, into one sovereignty, the obvious tendency, and inevitable result of which would be to transform the present republicaa system of the United States into an ab solute, or at best mixed monarchy.
 ,. That the General Assembly doth particularly protest against the palpable and alarming inirac- tions of the constitution, in the two late of the '' Alien and Sedtion acts,' passed at the last session of Congress; the first of which exercises T power no where delegated to the federal govern ment; and which by uniting legislative and judicial powers to those of the executive, subveItS the ge- neral principles of free government, well as the particular organization and positive provisions of the federal constitution and the other of which acts exercises, in like manner, power not delegated by the constitution, but, the contrary, expressly and positively forbidden by one of the amendments thereto; power, more than any other, ought to produce universal alarm; because it Is leveled against the right of freely examining public char acters and measures, and of free communication among the people thereon, which has ever been justly deemed the only etiectual guardian of every other right
 +l. ba,- k,- ion which ratified the federal constitution, expressly declared. that among other essential rights, ' the liberty of conscience and of the press cannot be cancelled, abridged, restrained, modified by any authority of the United States,' and from its eN- treme anxiety to guard these rights from every pos sbe attack of sophistry and ambition, having, with other States, recommended an amendment for that purpose, which amendment was in due time annex ed to the constitution, it would mark reproachtu inconsistency, and criminal degeneracy, if an in difference were not shown, to the most palpable violation of one of the rights thus declared and cured; and to the establishment of precedent
 which may be fatal to the other.
 l :. That the good people of this commonwealth having ever felt, and continuing to feel, the mos
 sincere affection for their brethren of the other
 States. the truest anxiety for establishing and per
 petuating the union of all and the most scrupuuu:
 fidelity to that constitution, which is the pledge o
 mutual friendship, and the instrument of mutua | happiness, the general assembly doth s0emnly ap
 peal to the like dispositions in other States, in
 fdence that they will concur with this common
 wealth in declaring, it does hereby declare, tha
 the acts aforesaid are unconstitutional; and that thu
 necessary and proper measures will be taken D,
 each. for cooperating with this State in maintain
 ing unmpaired, the authorities, rights and ibertie
 reserved to the States respectively, or to the peo
 pie.
 s. That the governor be desired to transmit
 copy of the foregoing resolutions to the executiv
 authority of each of the other States, with a re
 quest that the same be communicated to the legs
 lature thereof and that copy be furnished to eacl
 of the senators and representatives, representing
 this State in the Congress of the United States. John G Co1houn