Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1860-12-15

flsigned to be perpetual, appears conclusive
ly from the nature and extent Of the power
conferred by the Constitution on the fedel
Ilal government. These powers embrace TIL
f livery highest attributes of national sover
sIeignty. They place both the sword an,
the purse under its control. Congress ha
both tie power to make war and TO max,
peace, to raise and support armies and nav
lies, and to conclude treaties with foreign
governments. 1t is invested with the pow
er to coin money and to regulate the valu,
thereof, and to regulate commerce with for
leign nations ana among the several States
i 1t il not necessary to enumerate the othe
high powers which have been conferred
upon the Federal Government. In ordel
to carry the enumerated powers into effect
\ Congress possesses the exclusive right K
Hay and collect duties on imports, and il
'Icommon with the States, to lay and coilect
all other taxes. But the Constitution has
not only conferred these high powers upon
Congress but it has adopted etfectual means
to restrain the States from interfering with
their exercise for that purpose. 1t has in
a strong prohibitory language expressly de-
clared that no State shall enter into any
treaty, alliance, or confederation, grant let
tiers Of marque and reprisal, coin money,
emit bills of credit, make anything but gold
and silver coin a tender in payment of debts,
pass any bin Of attainder, er poste facto
law, or laws impairing the obligations Of
contracts Moreover, without t. Q consent
of Congress, no State shall lay any imposts
or duties on any imports or exports except
what may be absolutely necessary for exc
cutting its inspection laws, and if they exceed
this amount the excuses shall belong to
the United States, and no State shall, with
out the consent of Congress, lay any duty
on tonnage, keep troops OF ships Of war in
time of peace, enter into any agreement Of
compact with another State, or with a for
leign power, or engage in war unless actu-
ally invaded or in such imminent danger as
viii not admit Of further delay.
Tn order still further to secure the unin-
terupted exercise of the high powers
against State interposition, it is provided
that the Court, and the laws Of the United
States, which shall be made under the au-
thority of the United States shall be the Su-
ipreme law of the land, and the Judges in
every State shall be bound thereby, any
thing in the Constitution and laws Of any
State to the contrary notwithstanding
The solemn sanctions of religion have been
lsuperadded to the obligations of official du-
Ity, and al Senators AMI Representatives of
the United States and all membels of the
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 the Con
Isiitution.
In order to carry into effect these laws
the Constitution has established perfect
government in all its forns-legislatige
Executive 8nd JudicIai- ana the s,vrvsnz
ment, to the extent ofits powers, acts upon
the individual citizens of every State, and
executes its own DEGREES by the agency CT
its own officers. In this respect it differs
entirely from the Government under the
old Confederation, which was confined to
making acquisitions on the States IN their
sovereign character. This left in the dis
cretion of each whether to obey or refuse
and they often declined to comply with
such requisitions 1t thus became neces-
sary for the purpose Of removing the barrier,
and 10 order to form more perfect union,
to establish Government which could act
directly upon the people, and execute IFS
own laws without the intermediate agency
of the States. This has been accomplish
ed by the Constitution of the United States.
| Inshort, the Government created by the
/ Constitution and drawing its authority from
the sovereign people of each of she several
States has precisely the same right to exer-
else its power over all the States in the emu
merated cases that each one of them pos
1sesses over subjects not delegated to the
4 United States, but reserved to the States
respectively, or to the people. To the ex-
tent Of the delegated powers, the Consti-
tuition of the United States is as much q
-lpart of the Constitution of each State, and
IS as binding upon the people as if it had
been textually inserted therein. This GOV
lernment, therefore, is great and powerful
Government, invested with all the attri
butes Of sovereignty ofthe special subjects
over which its authority extends. Its fran
ers never intended to implant in its bosom
the seeds Of its own destruction; nor wer,
} they at its creation, guilty Of the absurditJ
Of providing for its own dissolution.
1 II was not intended by its trainers to b
/, the baseless fabric Of avis,on, which, at tn
touch Of the enchanter, would vanish int
4 thin air, but a substantial and migAty fab
ric, capable of resisting the slow decay D
sItimc, and Of defying the storms Of ages
Indeed, well may jealous patriots Of tina
day have in lulged fears, that q government
Of such high powers might violate the re
served rights of the States, and wisely di,
they adopt the rule Of strict construction
T Of those powers, to prevent the danger
but they did not fear, nor had they an
reason to imagine, that the Constitution
would ever be so interpreted as to enabl
lany State by her own act, and without th
consent of her sister States to discharg
her people from ali or any Of their Fedora
obligations. 1t may be asked, then, n
tile people Of the States without redres
againsf tyranny and oppression of the fed