Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1861-02-26


simply 10 advise tie members Of political oonlnupi''
to observe The laws. If il msaos no more Il Is PAD
selection OF language. Il II Dears Tbs, then govern
rnent is no more than an advisory counc The oFgane
law Of the Federal Government has its sanctions IKE
other laws. Il could not be law without them. III
the language Of Judge Blackstone ut Is but ioS' 'Aoe'
TO say Do this or arod hat unless we also declare fns
sbaH BE- rhs consequence Of your noncompliance. We
must therefore observe that the main strength ana force
oC Law Consists in the penalties annexed 10 II 80,
while the Constitution X quirss perpetual obedience the
b,br pripcipes Of Justice and sef pr servation require
the people 20 abandon that Constitution when Is pei
verted from It's true Objects and is made an instrument
Of Injustice and oppression The right to abandon IN
such case was reserved by implication when II was
adopted The reservation was necessity 10 omit IL
wos an inpcssibiity.
If then. proper demands had been submitted to the
North and had been rejected it would be the duty oil
the South to reasert that independence and sovereignty
which she possessed before she into the Coniede
r,cv and to maintain her action by all honorable and
rroper means that Providence may have put into her
hands And in so doing she should set forth no false
/ aud cowardly constructions OF the CONSTITUTION She
should be afraid neither to admit the truth nor defy the
| consequences.
controversy has long prevailed in regard to the re-
specve powers of the Federal Government and oil the
States l. has been held that the Federal Constitution
compac. between the States and that the States are
,vereipgn Again the sovereignty of the States has
been denied Aud sgan it has been held that neither
the Federal Government nor the States are sovereign
Inn that the people are the only sOvsreigss The exist
epee Of such a controversy is remarkable. It Is plain
that the sovereignty Of State is the supreme power OF
that STATE And it So how ia it possible 20 suppose that
mower 10 exist in anything TO be anywhere except IN
the people of the Staes The difficulty has possibly
,r;,a, from failure to Distinguish between the power
itself and the exercise Of that power The abstract
roer exists in the people that compose the State, ire
s,ively Of any compact or agreement between then;
AID there it lies ike msrbe.in the quarry, until it is
called into action I is susceptible Of form, and motion,
and direction and States appear only as these attributes
Of power are developed By the will OF the people What
ever NAV be the form Of the government-whaever may
be- the compacts between the peope-the abstract pow
or "a awsvs and under all circumstances in the people
themselves. But men the elements of States; and
Safes therefore Ike uen, are subject to moral laws by
which they are bound no less than men. Or, it may BE-
h,,sr said that States 70 than men bound TO-
.bar nv and living under solemn compacs Of govern
-, states then, are political organ zItions, acting
lr tho same moral laws which govern the individuals
from whom they derive tn ir existence And this being
"a, follows that When ent,r into political society
s;,5 each other, under eompacts of government they
hs,ne p,orqlle bound-al to esoh-tO abide by and to
o,..,rm those eoupac,s The sovereignty, therefore
ia ,,,rri1y in the government long il exists. To
bsr,e these compacts the duty of ALL aud 1t is du
~ which no man can neglect without mourning the pen
,ls Of the Divine as well as human law The sanctiCy
Of the government is great by Of the greatness
or ,be consideration which moves it. The guilt of its
pscton +, great because i, the shield which wisdom
and virtue, aud power have appointed to protect us
from the iuuumerable evils of anarchy.
In adopting the Federal Constitution, it was necessary
FOR h, reo,e 20 act by States because they could not
,s,r II. wi,hou, modifying their State constitutions aud
+, voting by States they decided at once, and by The
same vote both 90 adcpt the Federal Constitution and
q, modify m, State constitutions far as in conflict
With the former And the result was in eject to make
,o Federal Constitution par, OF the Constitution Of
zach State adopting e.. The vote on the adoption OF the
v4srsl Constitution was necessarily vote on the State
Constitution Aud though the people adopted the Fed
oral Constitution by Sstcs, yet in adopns 1t they said
ti't 49,
&c was aiog.ed by 'ae'n as 'ne P''P'' % 'De N'u
States In adopting the constitution 'o'l aooP ever!
part OF t.. AM oae Pa'' Oh Is We, inc peof' %,
United States. ~ lae a'' o' "u'P.o' 'o''
th - State cols'i'--oos 50 d. 10 '"a@s '-.'
with them ecd thus me sovereign Peop'' o' 'D' O"eO
s'aes' IN 'n' exercise 81 '''''' -, 49,,
two p.'.'.' .'"'''.s' ''.' O1 t'--. =
pc PIE q '.'. 80 - -
'1' ''n's w =,
az lA' p''P' VI '--
sgset OF 'Ae several .''J '''''''''
era' Cons t''''o"' 'l'' -
doctrine OF ''e sovereign! VI '-' t''P'''
5,Iates hor they nave 'AeIt''- 'l'' '0'''''S"'!
irs sovereign power rs is a'Sso' 'eS *
are.se ~ aEd 'Aey "lue ''' 'A' ,'s fS4e'a Oo'S''''
ton Ihe '''o' W. W.
submitted 20 'u' 'a'''''1 ~ '''' y
SAFES argues .''~- '"'! "'',
rae power anu sD'' -.1-.-.'.Y-,
power e' '-s -, r.
adopting 'o' a''S- =
veauons IN "h.'N me-
'en7n'''oA'' Jaw, i'''' -,
ave 60 .nr,r, :, ro,,5 t,vo bser
ply '''-.F ,.s,l., c., H.. H.
-, a., ,o.,;,,,iors Of
! eN'''o'' ~ ~ - ,..-,;.,,,;,, :.
zoe 9'''7' 80 ,,,..,,.;o,,. ,,,1 no
7 WIS P''P0''' ...-,,t,;
people OF '1e $40 ,.c -.
sovereign ana '''"'''o -
several save o'''' -.
H "A