The southern aegis. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1857-1862, 1861-07-20

other two States ofrcpublican policy. Mr..
Madison came into the Virginia legislature
x * Your father, Col. w. G.
Nicholas, and myself happening to be to-
gether, the engaging the cooperation of
Kentucky in an energetic protestation
against the constitutionality of those laws,
became subject of consultation" The
rest is aready explained as above. The
part taken by Mr.. Jefferson in this matter
was not generally known till after his de-
cease. Mr.. Lincoln in his inaugural, holds
that our central agent is ga government
proper" by which I understand him to
mean, that it has the right to judge for
itself as to questions that might arise con-
hicting with the exercise of powers that
might be claimed to be reseroed to the
States, or not mentioned among the powers
expressly conferred on it by the States
The central government has no such pre-
rogati0e, its discretion was neOer made the
measure Of ats pocers. 1t has no powers,
except those expressly delegated none to
be assumed by it as implied, beyond what
may Eo drawn from actual necessity in car
rying the power expressly granted into
execution. He further holds that if it be
"but an association of States in the nature
Of contract merely, that the contract
" cannot be peaccabH unmade By less than
alt tile po,oors acho made It," | hold, on
the contrary. that in cases of compact be-
tween contracting parties, without any
specific limitation as to duration, no one of
the parties can be under obligation to await
the will or pleasure or caprice of his CO.
partners, or any number Of them, should
they attempt by a majority of different in-
terests, to cote dOwn has right for their
Snneisi hGaatit f.. ! sSS1relA have deter
nhleRin his own mind, that his ,GQntlnu-
ance as a member of the compact has
become injurious or detrimental to his in,
terest or happiness. Much less would I
admit that an AGENT of the COMPACT, APP.
pointed and delegated by the parties, with
certain specific duties, entrusted with the
COMMON PROPERTY and from time to
time with the revenue derived from the
common resources of the parties, to carry
those powers into efect,-I say much less
would admit that such an agent might
assume to itself the powers of common
arbiter and decide on questions of power
between itself and its employers, vitality af.
fecting the reserved rights of the original
parties to the compact; and more especial
ly when there is no such word in the bond
But | will proceed to show authorities ]
had proposed to offer, and which 1 trust
will be amply sufficient to overthrow Mr.
Lncolu's position that the central govern
ment over which he now presides is to ex,
ercise the prerogative of using the force
intrusted to its hands to resist the right o.
any State to retire from the compact and
thereby to extend its jurisdiction over every
INCH of its original territory "The sew
eral States of America are NOT united or
the principle of unlimited submission tc
the general government, but that by COM
pact under the style and title of the UNIT
ED STATES, and of amendments thereto
they constituted general government fol-
special purposes, delegated to that govern
ment certain definite powers, rcservin.
each State to itself the residuary mass o
rights - THEIR own sELF-GovERNMENT.' ,
-Kent9chy Resolutions 1898.
"To this compact each State acceded a
q ,State and as a, integral party, its CO.
States forming as to itself the other parry
--Idem.
The gCTsrnment created by this compact
was not made the exclusive OF final judy
Of the e.ctent Of the poaocrs delegated tt
ITSELF; since that would have made ITS
DISCRETION, and not the CONSTITUTION
the measures Of ats poacers. "-Idem.
'As In all other cases of compact among
parties ha0iag no common judge, each part,
has AN EQUAL RIGHT TO JUDGE FoF
ITSELF as yell Of INFRAoTIoN as Of RE
DRESS. "--Idem.
Wherever the General Government as
sumcs undelegated powers, its acts are UN
AUTHORITATIVE, VOID, and of NO FORCE
-Idem.
The following is an extract of q lettel
from Mr.. Jelferson's correspondence:
"I have been blamed for saying that
prevalence of the doctrines of consolidation
would one day call for reformation o.
reuolsttion. answer by asking if ,
single State Of the Union would have
agreed to the constitution had it given al
powers to the general government? If thu
whole opposition to it did not proceed from
the jealousy and fear of every State Of be
ing subjected to the other States in matters
merely It's own? And if there is any
reason to believe the States more disposed