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

yereign powers. Sucn rs L.:
cate to an agent the poser to exercise tns,t
Sovereign will t. q restricted extern, ~l'nou.
surrendering their own sovereignty .osaN
YOU delegate to your o%Verseer, upon your ia'u'
certain powers for the management anu eon-
troll of your estate; and cannot YOU IN the %.
crcise Of your sovereign will, divcst that agent
of the sovereignty with which you nave IN.
vested him cannot you revoke the powers
YOU have delegated ? That is the question anu
the ONLY question. 49,.
MI. Chairman, I do not propose, atth's time
70 90 into any argument. Edo mean at the
proper tune to present M views IN 'Ese"So
,non this question, for the purpose, 1t afoTuS
me infinite pleasure to sag. Of calling the at
tention of the people of Virginia to the TACT
that there is an attempt in this Convention 10
nut forth to tho world the dogma that there Is
/ such a thingsas a sovereign nation IN tnls
land, and thatthe States are mere dependencies
| IF that. is so, then farewell TO your hoerty.-
We will sit down uader-not 4 monarchy,
but under y dcspotism Of mcrc numerical
numbers. .. -
But" says the gentleman, 'ifFirginia IS SOW,
ereign, Virginia could form a monarchy.
ask YOU, MT. Chairman, | ask the gentleman l
ask this whole Convention, il Virginia Is Hot
sovereign, why is this Convention mere: y
did you get here in amy other way t4ar ~ ope'
Iicucs to Virginia's sovereign viii! 'Hs'
MAS sovereign call: Sir, il the doctrine Is
sound, that the government 1t Nash!hse'h Is
sovereign, then may Lincoln and Oen. ocott,
at the head Of the Army Of the United States;
come here and by force dispense this poay anu
sntiugate the Cd Dominion 10 the will oi tive
SOVEREIGN government 1t Washington. IS
that the doctrine Of tie people OF Virginia
Hrt Mr.. Chairman. ! DO not desire TO take
M III. time of this Committee by discussing
,bcse questions here aid now. | intend to 90
it as r~illyas | can Oh some future day. uesiTe
Ibis Convention, by this vote, to put them'
selves upon the recurd-up9n this amendment.
You may be able, by a majority, to carry your
point, against this little m!ncrlt,y, with oolu aha
defiant front but | TIL you that you can
never get your masters, the people oil ,lrSih'a,
10 entertain your doctrine vi conol'datlon.
Go be.ore the people oi hlielnia upon
the naked question, ihtt tAs o!atc mas
lost its sovereignty ard independence, ana "heil
you 20 into the conflict, although tue ce;coTa-
tel war horse OF Prince George may he Inc
leader in the charge, a little corporars gusrd
will he all that wi!l be lett, wren the battle Is
over. The simple question l',:le INC STATES SOW
urcicn now? [ ho!d that they are, and | nave
offered this amendment ;Or the purpose 81 get
ting the sense OF this House upon that ques'
ton.
Mr.. CARL1LE.-Mr. Chairman, respectfully
call the attention OF the gentleman from Mi'.'
dIesex. and those who advocated his amend
mest, to what | shall read. And will remark,
that if he and those gentlemen who think
with him are Correct, the authors OF the De.
c~laration Of Independence and the trainers Of
tue Federal Constitution, certainly did not IN,
derstand their own work. On the 18TH oil
January, 1888, the Constitution OF the United
States being under consideration in the LegiS'
lature of the South Carolina, General Plnckn J.
who Was a one Of the trainers uf the Fedora!
Constitution, and was member Of the Leglsli.
ture at the time this question MAS considered,
said
.sThc gentleman had mentioned the treaty
of prucc in a manner as if our independence
had been granted us by the King Of Great
Britain. But that was not the case we were
independent before the treaty, which does not
in fact grant, but acknowledges our indepcn'
dence. We ought to date that invaluable
blessing from Il much older charter than the
treaty CT peacc-.ron q charter which our
babes should be Taught TO lisp in their cradles;
which our youth should learn as 4 earmeh
necessarium, or Indispensable lesson which,
our young men should regard as their compact
Of freedom; and which our oil should repeat
r with CALCULATIONS Of gratitude for the bountleS
it is about to bcstow on their posterity-.l
mean the Declaration Of independence. made
in Congress the An Of July, l71G. This ad
T., mirabIe manifesto, which, ior Importance O
matter ard elegance OF composition, STANDS
unr!vallcd-sufficicnt!y confu!cs the honorable
genticmall's doctrine Of the individual sove'
reirnty and independence Of the several States
IN that Declaration the several States ar'
not even enumerated, but after r~ecitlDg IL
j., nervous language, aud with convincing arsu
! ments, our right 70 independence, usd the ~
runny which compelled Us to assert 1t, thu
Declaration is made in the following words
. we, therefore, the representatives Of the
United S,a:.s Of America in General Congress:
t assembled, appealing 20 the Supreme judy,
: CT the world for the rcct!tude Of our intentions
|, do, in the name and by tho authority of TIT
good people Of these Colonies. solemnly pub
D lish and declare, that these United Coionic!
are, and Of right ought TO be FREE AND ISDE
PENDENT STATES The separate independence,
and individua! sovereignty Of tie seyera
States We're never thought Of by tie cnlIght
> cncd band Of patriots who framed this Decla
\. ration ; the several States are hot even men
; toned by name in any part Of it-as if it wa!
intended to impress this MAXIM on America
, that our freedom and independence arose from
, our union, and that without it. We coul(
neither be free nor independent. Let us ther
consider all attempts to weaken this Union BY
maintaining that each State is separately and
individually independent, rs a species Of politi.
cal hercSy, which en- never benefit us, bu
may bring on us the most serious distreSSeS.
| will now read from the speech made BY
Mr. Madison, in the Convention which franco
the Constitution oil the United States. While
that instrument was under consideration, be.
fore that body, i'll reply to II gentleman who
asserted The individual sovereignty Of the State:
under the articles Vi Confederation, Mr.. Madi
son said:
Some gentlemen are afraid that the plar
IS not sufficiently national, while others,
that it is too much SO. II this point o.
representation was once well fixed, We would
come nearer to one another in sentiment. The
necessity would then be discovered of circum,
scribing more cT.ctnaily the Stat. govern.
mcn;s, and enlarging the bounds of the Gene.
raj Government Some contend lhafStates arc
sovereign, when in fact they are only political
societies. There is 4 graduation Of powcr in all
societies, from the lowest corporation to the
highest sovereign. The States never possess.
cd the essential rights Of sovereignty. These
were always vested in Congress. Their roting
as States, in Congress, is 10 evidence Of sove.
reignty. The State Of Maryland voted by
counties. Did this make the counties SOW.
reign? The States, at present, arc only great
corporations, having the power Of making By.
laws, and these are ~ttlectral only il they are
not contradictory to the General Confsdcra.
ton"
Now, sir, one more remark upon this point.
If my friend from MiddIcsex, Chr. NoSrA.
GuE) who | know is a great admirer of Cal,
hOun, will turn to his speech on the Force Bill,
in the Senate Of the United States, which |
hara =, a.-ss Lxi. -