Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-04-16
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A POWERFUL u DOCUMENT.


AuuiherE1 Tn 933.
Z MItEREAs, ( IA Convention assembled in
the State of South Carolina, has pssseti
an ORDINANCE, by which they declare atlint
the several acts and parts bf acts of lie
congress of the United States, pnrportine
70 oe tue laws fotsthc imposing of duties
and =impasts on the importation of forcfgn
commodities, and now tdving actual opefa-
tion ano eject within tue United States,
unu more especially" two acts for the
same purposes, passed on the 29th of Nav.
1928, and on the l4th of July. 1892 I.rS
authorized by the Constitution Of the
United States, anditi0late 1he1Fue mean
ing anu intent ,thereN. and are null and
Fold, and noEigy. nor binding on the eiti-
zehs of that State or Its, Officers And nv
tue said ordinhnce it is further declared 10
be unlawful for any of the constituted
authorities of the State, or of the United
States. to enforce The payment OF the dul
tics imposed by the suid acts within the
same Stnte: and TINT it is the duty
oI the Legislature 70 pass such laws
MS may be necessary to give full eff.
leSt TO the said ordinance. And.
whereas, by tie said ordnance it is fur
theF ordained that in no case of law or
equity decreed in tue courts of said State.
wherein shill be drawn in question the
validity Of the SAID ordinance or tbe octs
.oi the legislature that. may be passed TO
give 1T effect, or of the said laws oF ,bs
uuited States, no appeal shall be allowed
TO tue supreme Court of the United States
nor Shall any copy Of the record be per-
Inltted or allowed for that purpose, and
TINT any person attempting To take such
appealshall'be punished as for n rontempt
OF court, and finally, the said ordinance
declares that the people of South Carolina
VIII maintain The said ordinance Mt every
hazard; and that they will consider the
passage of any act by Congress abnlisbin6
OF closing tue ports of the said State or
otherwlse "bstrncting the free ingress or
egress of vessels tOlaud from the said ports.
or any other act Of tue Fedeal, Govern.
ment to-cocrce the State, shut UP her ports,
uestroy or harr'ss her commerce, or to
enforce the said acts otherwise than
through civil tribunals of the countrv
as Inconsistent with the longer cOntinri.
ance of South Carolina in the Union; and
that the peopls of the said State will
tnencetorth hold themselves absolved from
all lliiurlher obligation to maintain or nre-
serve their political connection with the
people OF the other States, and will forth
with proceed to organize separate gov
ernment, and do all other acts and thinqs.
which sovereign and independent States
may of right do.
Aud, whereas, the said ordinance prc.
scrioes to the people of South Carolina n
course Of conduct in direct violation of
their duty US citizens of the United States.
contrary to, the laws of their country, sub,
yerslye otits Constitution, and havi1Y fpf
lts object the destruction of the UntOu-
1nst With nhr spPliii5
cal existence led our fathers without aTS3
other ties tInita .
rlotism and n common cause through n
sanguinary struggle to a glorious ihdepen-
dence-that sacred Union, hitherto invio-
late, which, perfected by Onr happy Com
stitntiqn; has brought us, by the favor of
lfenven, to ii state of prosperity ut home
and high consideration abroad, rarely, If
ever, equalled in the history of nntions:
To preserve this bond of our political ex-
lstence from destruction, to maintain i'm
violate this state of national honor and
prosperity and 10 Justify the confidence
my tel How citizens have repOsed in me, l,
Andrew Jackson, President of the United
states. have thought proper to issue this,
my proclamation, stating my views of the
constitution and laws applicable to the
N measures Endopted by the convention of
Sontn Carolina, and 70 the reasons they
have put forth to sustain them; DECLARING
the course which duty will REQUIRE me no
pursuei and appealing to the untlcrstand-
ing and patriotism of the people, warn
them OF the consequences tlut must inevit-
ably result from an observance of the die
tntes of the Convention "A
= Strict duty nty5wOuldreqGire of me nothing
more than the exercise of those powers,
with which am now or may hereafter be
invested. for preserving the peace of the
Union and for the execution of thelaws,-
But the Imposing aspect which opposition
mas assumed in this case By clothing it
self with State authority and tho deep
interest which the people of the United
States must oil feel in preventing resort
to stronger measures while there is a ahope
that anything will be yielded to reasoning
nnd circumstances, perhaps demanded and
viii certainly justify, a full exposition to
Sonth Carolina and the Nation OF the
views Ieutertniu of this important oues.
tion as we'll as a distinct enunciatioH of a
course which my sense of duty will require
me 10 pursue.
The ordinance is founded not on the in
deteasible right of resisting acts which arc
plainly unconstitutional and too oppressive
70 he endured, hut on the strange position
that any one State may not onlS declare
an net OF Congress void but prohibit its
exeeuiion :; that they may do this consist
emily with tue constitution; that the true
construction of that instrument permits
Ia State tosrLtain its place in the Onion
and yet be bound by no other of}its laws
than those it may choose to consider as
constitutional. 1t is true, they add, that
to justify this abrogation of law it must.
be palpably contrary TO the constitution;
but 1t is evident that to give the right OF
resisting laws OF that description coupled
with the uncontrolled light 70 decide'WhAt'
laws deserve that character, is to give the
power of resisting all IaWsAfor saS l1y the
theory there is no appeal, the reasons al.
legged BY the State good or bad. must pre.
vail, If it should be. said that public
opinion is sufficient check against the
abuse OF this power, it may be asked Wh
1t is notiaeemedsa snfiClent tIguard against
the passage of an Unconstitutional net by.
-Congress. There Is no nnnehl frnm The