Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1861-01-16
Tbe Con,entiuu.

Eger since the adoption IT the Federal
institution, there hss been Waria eou-
les, between the siries Cou.irueliouis's aul
those, whu under the lead el Mr, Hamilton
and h;s successors, have ihclinel In a lat
A,dinarian Interpretation 0f that iEfirn-
meui, AZ iimcs, The e'airsi has Nah'd
warm, VarAl ing in Intensity as II 'n'''e"
certain localities, certain men and- CERTAIN
measures. The state Rights parry have
earnestly contested every inch al ground
with these sho faVoscd central oo'ern-
m,ni with consolidated powers ani IN
more instances than one the contest has
Lrsairnel the stability Of the government
anl has brought together the ahles' eN-
pnunders at the Constitution, rs q as, aud
has placed upon reeo,'l, the haesi political
aud intellectual eladialiun the world has
ever seen. The Strict usl'ucli"nis's have
claimed with great Justice that all l"Nors
nol delegated Ia C"ns'ess and the "cHeral
Government, shall he rcsery,'l 4" The States,
and a. this end the fTamers of the tom
slilulion acted with great caution, THE
powers Of lkc ,irneral GoVernmenl have
been the r"ck nu which Toli'ical PARTIES
have split, riom tie days al lIS', down to
the present lime,
Ia the great crisis that now shakes the
government To liz foundation may he seen
We think, a CLEAN of hope for the future
adjustment of all polilical differences IN re-
gard to the power. of the General Go'ern-
mcni, The great cause ~ all the distress
amd endorsements under which the
country has lahorei for forly yeart, Is To
tx artribnic,i. We think Ia a isiii"''i"-"i".'
construction Of the Constitution. Should
this government ever he reconstructed or
u Southern conieleracy be formed, no bet
ter opportunity eUuld be offered for settling
all disputed paints bcyand cavil and beyond
lilnnm than the present. The Southern
States are moving, under The mighty I'M
pulse of self prcscryationi conventions are
assembling composed OF Delegates fresh
from the people, AMI authorized TO act on
| all questions involving the welfare of their
respective States, New England was con-
yulscd 10y the Embargo, in 1907, and South
Carolina, by the Tariff Of 1852. Each be-
lieycd then That Congress possessed danger
aus powers aud Ind exercised them uhcon-
stimiiunally. Mr.. Webster, in his eolc-
bratcd speeches on Foot's Resolution, in re-
ply TO Mr.. Ilaync appeared n: defendant
in behalf VI the General Government,
while the great lights Of South Carolina
acted ON the part Of the States rs plaintiff
These great minds differed aud each in turn,
claimed the Constitution MS his great text
book, on which his strongest arguments
were based. These men still have many
successors to their peculiar vicws, differ
, ing ms widely now as their predecessors had
done. In view of this fact and in order to
avoid n recurrence OF ..similar;..sccncs, We
have recommendation to offer to the con
sidcraiion of our State Convention.
In all probability the ordinance Of Sc
ccssion will be passed at nm carly day
When that is done, let Texas require ms on
ultimatum that, before she will reunite her
destiny with another Confcdcracy, that
Constitution shall be adopted with the
powers of Congress so well defined, so cx-
plcit and so guarded that in future, we
shall hear no more about the changer
Gus powers of the General Government
If Southern Confcderacy be formed
and the old Constitution DO adopted, lei
the amendments be such as to reach all OF
these issues. We believe that one amend
ment in particular is imperativcly demand
ed. We alludc TO the 4th clause of Section
Sth Article LIST, which delegates to Con-
grcss the power "to regulate commerce
with 70, cign nations, and among the sew
eral States and with the Indian tribes. =
Here we believe has been the greatest
danger to the institution of the South from
the delegated powers of Congress. In reg
Mating commerce, Congress, according tt
Mr.. Webster had the Constitutional. power
to Inv the Embargo in 1907, MS well as II
pass the Tariff net of 1882. With n decd
ed majority in that body favorable to tho
measure, what could prevent Congress from
passing an act to prohibit the expectation
If cotton for II certain time? and villa
would more cffcctMally destroy the slav
interest of the South, than such an actl-
Mr.. Seward said last fall, in many Of hi
,pcechcs that the time was fast coming
when Congress would conshtntionaHy de
stroy the slave power. Dido he moan thi
clause, or did lie allude to the constitution
nj freedom of speech that lie claims for al
men? In either case, the danger is great
and the present secession movement ha
only anticipated the time predicted by him
Let Congress prohibit for one year, tn
expectation Of cotton,-what would be tn
consequences to the slave interest in tn
Sonth? 1t would be disastrous in the e1
trcmc, With cotton reduced to cent pc
mound and all the markets Of the work.
closed but those of the North, SLAYER.
would die, and the slave holders would b.
impoverished. Many cxpoundcrs OF tn
Constitution believe that Congress posses
ses this power, as it possessed the power t.
lay the Embargo. 1t was in vain tina
New England rebellcd against this meas
ure md denounced it as unconstitutional
She took the case before the judiciary ant
the Embargo was pronounced TO be Consti
tutional. 1t WAS in vain that Mr.. Samue
Dexter, whose Every statement was arSll
ment, and whosc inference was dcmUnstra
tion.'--in vain did he argue the case, tn
\ judicial tribunal were against him ana HI
cause was lost If the Embargo act wa
constitutional then, and was considered a
coming under the power to regulate com
merce, could not and would not Congress
| xou,,;.,,t;opo1 y,nUar In nrOlibl