Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-11-10

dence read tie alien ard sedition acts and say if
the constitution has not been wise in fixing limits to
the governmentsit created, and whether we should
be wise in destroying those limits Let him say
what the government is, if it be not a tyranny;
which the men Of our choice have conferred on the
President, and the President Of our choice has as
scented to and accepted the friendly strangers
10 whom the mild spirit of country and its laws
have pledged hospitality and protection: that the
men of our choice have more respected the bare
suspicious Of the President than the solid rights of
innocence, the claims 1of justification the sacred
force of TRUTH and the forms and substance Of law
and justice.
In questions of power then let no more be said of
confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief
by the chains of the Constitution. That this com
monwealth does therefore call on its coStates for
an expression Of their sentiments on the acts
corning aliens, and for the PUNISHMENT of certain
crimes hereinbefore specified, plainly declaring
whereby these acts are not authorized by the
federal compact And it doubts not that their sense
viii be 50 announced as to prove their attachment
to limited government whether general or particu-
lar, and that the rights and liberties of their CO.
states will be exposed to no dangers by remaining
embarked a common bottom with their own.
But they VIII concur with this commonwealth in
considering the said acts papably against the
Constitution as to amount to en- undisguised decla-
ration, that the compact is not meantt be the mea-
sure Of the power Of the General Government but
of all powers whatsoever. That they Will view
this Selling the rights Of the States and consoi
dating them in the hands of the General Govern
ment, with power assumed to bind the States mot
merely in cases made federaD but in all cases what
soeyer. by laws made not with their consent, but
by others against their consent; and this would be
10 surrender the form of government we have cho-
SEN and live under deriving its powers from its
will, and not from authority; and that the CO.
states recurring to their natural rights not made
! -
no force, and will each unite with this common
wealth In requesting their repeal at the next session
of Congress.
Virginia Resolutions.
l. RESOLVED That the General Assembly of VIr-
GINA doth unequiYocaly express a firm resolution
TO maintain and defend the Constitution of the
United States, and the Constitution of this State,
against every aggression either foreign domestic
and that they viii support the Government of the
United States in all measures warranted by the
| former.
2. The General Assembly most soIemnly 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 OPP
pose every ATTRACTION of those principles which con-
stitute the only basis of that Union, because faith
full observance of them alone secure its exist
ence and the public happiness.
s. That this assembly doth explicitly and peremp-
toriaily declare, that it views the powers of the
| Federal Government, resulting from the compact
| to which the States parties, as limited by the
plain sense and intention of the instrument constitu
ting that compact-as no further valid than they arr
authorized by the grants enumerated in that com
pact; and that in case of deliberate, palpable and
dangerous exercise of other powers, not granted by
the said compact, the States who parties there
to, have the right and in duty bound, to inter
pose for arresting the progress of the evil and fol
maintaining within their respective limits, the au
thorites rights and liberties appertaining to them
4. That the General Assembly doth also expires
its deep regret that aspirt 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
dications have appeared of design to expound Ger
tain general phases (Which have been copied from
| the very limited grant of power in the former art
Giles of confederation, the less liable to be mis-
construed, so as TO destroy the meaning and etlec
| of the particular enumeration which necessarily
explains, and limits the general phrases, and so
to consolidate the States by degrees into one soveI
eighty, the obvious tendency, and inevitable resu
of which would be to transform the present Reput
lican system of the United States into an absolute
| or at best a mixed monarchy.
| 8. That the General Assembly doth particular
protest against the palpabe and alarming infraC
ton of the constitution, in the two late cases of tn
ALIEN and Sedltion acts" passed at the last sessiO
of Congress-; the first of which exercises powe
no where delegated to the federal government; an
which by uniting legislative judicial powers to thos
of the executive. subverts the general principles
| free government, as well the particular organ
eaton and positive provisions of the federal cOnst
tuition, and the other of which acts exercises in Xix
manner, power not delegated by the constitution
but on the contrary, expressly and positively for
| hidden by one of the amendments thereto; power
| more than any other, ought to produce universe
alarm; because it 10 leyelled against the right O
freely examining public characters and measures
| and of free communication among the people there
on, which has ever been justly deemed the only et
fectual guardian of every other right
6. That this State having by its convention whic
ratified the federal constitution expressly declared
that among other essential rights, ''the liberty 0
conscience and of the press cannot be Cancelled
| abridged, restrained modified by any authorit
of the United States and from its extreme anxiet
to guard these rights from every possible attack 0
| sOphistry and ambition, having, with othe
| States, recommended an amendment for that pun
pose, which amendment was in due time annexed t
the constitution, il would mark a reproachful in
consistency, and criminal degeneracy if ndiffer
ence were not shown, to the most palpable viola
ton of eli the rights thus declared and secured
and to the establishment of a precedent which ma
be fatal to the other.
J. That the good people of this commonwealth
having ever felt. and continuing TO feel, the mos
sincere affection for their brethren of the othc
States the trucst anxiety for establishing and per
petuating the union of all and the most scrupuOu
fidelity to that Constitution, which is the pledge
mutual friendship, and the instrument of mutus
happiness, the General Assembly doth solemnly ar
peal to the like dispositions in other States in cont
dence that they will concur with this common
wealth in declaring as it does hereby declare, tina
the aforesaid unconstitutional and that tn
necessary and proper measures will be taken b
EACH for cooperating with this State in mantanln
unmpaired, the authorities. rights and liberties re
served to the States respectively, to the people
s. That the Governor be desired to transmit cop
of the foregoing resolutions to the executive author
ity of the other States, with a request that til
same be communicated to the Legislature thereof
and that a copy be furnished to each of the Sena
tors and Representatives, representing this State
the Congress of the United States.