Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-03-30

II those great powers which properly pertain
10 sovereignty and with which she has par'eo;
for. alone She can exercise none OF them: Dull
is restricted, is dependent upon the VIII o. tet
Confederate States for their exercise. trus1,
that it will not be the pleasure OF Inc
Committee to engraft the amendment upon
this resolution, which would make us speak SO
contrary to the fact. -,
Mr.. WIsE-We are going over the olu
ground now that we went over, rs IS very
we'll known, in the Committee OF twenty-ohe'
I rise to say directly in the teeth Of the argu.
ment of the gentleman from Fauquier tAat
the State Of Virginia is more independent
this day than she was when George III recos'
nized her independence; more independent now
after the formation Of the Federal Union than
she ever was before she formed that Union
And Why The Union.was one intended and
calculated only to strengthen her indepenA
dencc. and it is so declared on the face OF the act
and deed Of Union. | mean what 1 say. L
mean to answer the gentlcman's question as to
the attributes Of sovereignty. l might ask
him what are the attributes Of sovereignty
lie mas not defined them, and he cannot, and !,
to help him, cannot define them. The best
writers on the law Of nations never have been
able to define the attributes Of sovereignty
lie asks me if Virginia has the power to de-
clare war. | say yes, emphatically. How
Through her General Government That is
her power. Has shc the power 10 regulate
commerce? | say yes. How? Through the
Federal Government. That is her power, and
she never parted with the war making power.
She never parted with the commercial power
when she merely created all agent by whom to
exercise the power. The compact of the Fed
crul Government, in that respect, is nothing
more than q compact with co-Statcs to exer-
else their respective powers jointly, yet indc'
pendcntly, more independently now thun ever,
because the independence thereby has been, |
| repeat, made stronger Than ever. If the gen
| tlcrnan;s rule be trur, will he please tell me OF
Il nation on the face Of the earth that Is indie.
pendent? will tuke Il nation that is just
| formed and has no treaty with any other upon
earth, if there be such an one that is recog.
nized de ftcto and de jure; is that nation, If
his rule of construction be true, independent !
No, sir. Why nUty Because there is q code,
| an international code, binding upon nations,
| plcdgiug the nations in the great family OF ma
tons, which itself creates in one sense the de-
tendency of the nations. All nations are de-
pendent in the sense in which the gentleman
SAYS we are dependent.
re- further, sir. Ii his mode Of reasoning
be correct, France is not independent, England
is not independent Why? She is not only
dependent upon the law Of nations, but upon
SPECIAL contracts and treaties, ~bindlng-uiusty
from time, sanctioned by iteration oft repeat
ed-governed by international laws. from
L.. H.. o.,ot o1.cn1un hurSnlF In that
sense she is us materially dependent as you
are upon any compact you have made Win co
States. Yet France and England, presume
the gentleman will say, are indepeI.den 50
v%ereignties.
/ 90 farther still. Not only are the powers
which you refer to, the power of warand com
MERGE, not granted away lrom Virginia; no;
only were they never ceded-but they were in
what is called the grant, expressly recognized,
called, named, known az thc powers of the United
.Stntcs-the powers Of the States Chited-
their independent powers, their co.powers,
their Union powers, independent and separate
brought together by consent into the hands Of q
common agent. Did any man who evci
created al agent By power Of attorney, sup
pose that he parted with his rights Of property
Of proprietorShip, Of control over the suffice
matter Of the agency: No, sir! go farther
still, and, especially as 10 the war power, vii
show that the Constitution Of the United State:
expressly reserves to Virginia, and 10 every
other State in the Union, the very speclh'
lover called The war power. Whenever she
IN her sovereign, independent Judgment, shal
declare that her safety requires the exercise o
the war lower, by and according to the Con
s"titution Of the United States, she has tn
power to engage in war. She has the powe
to make treaties, coinpactS or agreements Will
other States, or with foreign powers also an'
I presume if she has the power to make com
pacts and engage in war, to make compact
and treaties with other States OF with fureig
powers, she will have the power to reg,
+ late commerce., or to do anything else
| knew, sir, that your report would brlni
up the fundamental principles that have guide
Us in this State, at least from 1900 down t.
this time. 1t is impossible to keep them dowr
The old strict construction OF the States Right
principle meet an d an!aSNaHiStMa -bsNe; c uhf fa I'd
Dc better and more strongly stated than the
have been stated in the questions put TO US b
the gentleman from Fauquier, (Mr. ScoTr.)-
This very amendment now moved, / tried I
have inserted in the report Of the committed
It failed there, and | supposed it would ia
: here.
Mr.. BRrcE-I beg to make a single observa
ton. 1t seems TO NE that if the States wer
Independent under the old articles of confet
cracy, they are independent under hi
Constitution. The argument Of the gentlemar
FROM Fauquier (Alr. ScoTr) would 20 10 prov
that this resolution itself is not true, becaus
under the old articles OF confederation tn
States had evidently parted with a large por
ton Of what he calls their sovereignty. En
the sovereignty Of a State, We who belong Il
the school Of States Rights hold cannot b
alienated, and that o sovereign State canno
part from her sovereignty without an ensir
destruction. If you give way any amount 0
power; If n sovereign State parts with an
amount Of power and leaves but little, to tina
little ciings the sovereignty Of the State, ant
that little she has q right to protect. That i
my idea Of a sovereign State. 1t is the sou
Of q State. You may lup off the hand ant
the arms from the body; you may cut oil th'
leg; you may mulilatc the (ace-but if yot
leave the soul, that entity which We call thu
soul still exists. \ nation may part with al
most every power without parting with hel
sovereignty. The gentleman from Princes.
Ail'S Nhi' h!sbJ WY tulS ieHialho lLeL C'cIl
nation has compacts and treaties which ar,
binding upon them, and which do, in fact in
tcrfere with her sovereignty. We know thar
England cannot tax the wines OF Portugal
nsr can Portugal tax the woollens Of England
But dies that interfere with the sovereignty
Of either Of these Governmental
Mr.. RvEs addressed the Committee. Iii:
speech will appear hereafter.
Mr.. MoNrAGrEo Of Middlescx.-M.. Chairman
[ wish to make Il few remarks. | shall not at
tempt to reply to the gestures of the gentleman
from Prince George, (Slr. RIvEs) | mean no dis
respect to that gentleman when ! say that it is
evident from the applause which followed The
close Of his remarks that his gestures consti
tuted the most interesting part Of his discus
sion. When ! first knew him be stood upon
the platform ] stand on to-day, Of State Sore
reignty. Subsequently he went over, and de
nied the doctrine OF State Rights. After being