The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1861-08-17
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Nfitssa ssS tbs Hosstais Dssosrs..
Ths Rssolutlons sfI7as.,0S.

4
wish 10 cay few words with respect 70 States
Withdrawing from the Union. The subject Is
not well understood End III shAIl succeed IN
throwing little Democratic light 90 it. shall
be content. All true Democrats regard Jeiier.
son aud Madison as Democratic authority, and
I will, therefore, quote their language - peril.
nent 10 the issue.
The sovereign right Of Withdrawing from the
copArinership, or league Of States, is not claim.
ed a. Constitutional right, or recognized
right, within the Union, but - right Deces-
Sarily resulting from all cOpaFt0ershipS, and
portion, as essentially belonging 70 sovereign
coPartners; 30 that each partuer may have the
same option 70 withdraw ~ each bad to enter
into the alliance. union, league or compact
This is the precise aud obvious ground upon
which oil true Democrats have based the cove.
reign right OF States, via: That they ere unde'
niably paramount 70 all constitutions, or arti.
Giles Of confederation. or powers Of attorney
and will quote Mr.. Madison's own language,
in those famous resolutions OF 1873, which. to-
gether with Mr.. JeneTsOO's, constitute the best
Interpretation Of the Constitution, BY one Of itS
own trainers and founders:
This Assembly doth explicitly and peremp.
torily declare that il views the powers OF the
Federal Government "a resulting from the com.
pact, 70 which the States are parties, aS limited
BY the plHIn sense aud intention Of the instFu.
ment constituting the compact, rs no further
valid than they are authorized by the grants
enumerated in that cOmpact, and that in case
of deliberate, palpable and dangerous exer.
cise Of other powers, not granted BY said com.
pact. the States who are parties thereto have
the right, and are in duty bound, u interpOse
for arreStinR the progress Of the evil, and for
maintaining, within their respective limits. the
authorities, rights and liberties appertHiniDg to
them"
Again, the Kentucky resolutions Of Jefferson,
Of 1899. which are 80 frequently referred to, 30
little read. and which caused m animated de.
bate in our late State Convention. declare:
THAT the principle and construction contend.
ed for that the General Government is the ex.
elusive judge Of the extent of the powers dele.
gated 10 il, sOp RoLhiBJ shOrf NJ d.vpofisHr since
the diAcrst'Dn Of those who administer the Gov.
Crnment and mt M (oNattUtion, would be the
measure oftheir powers: that the several States
who formed that instrument, hing aorerei1n
and ini(p|ndCRt have the MnqU.AtOR0bie right
10. judg, n the inJrOcfiOH and that = nulliica.
tion, by those s"vereignties. Of all nnauthor.
ized acts, done under color Of that instrument,
is the rightGul remedy"
Every Democrat who has studied the Con.
stiiution in the school If jefferson and Madison,
a. interpreted by these resolutions every
statesman. every lawyer. and every scholar
knows that il is not only an impossibity in its
nature, but an utter absurdity to declare that
u sovereign State can commit treason at all,
much less against mere agency, appointed to
attend TO war and commerce. and nothing else
aud every student knows that, by the pow CT Of
attorney called the constitution, the sovereign
States did not les Edward Livingston dccIared)
part With or give away one single right or
power whatever, but only delegated or en-.
trusted certain powers for certain Specihed
purposeS-the word delegated being the one
used in that instrument, and the tenth amend.
ment expressly declaring that "she powers mot
delegated to the United States BY the Consii.
tuition, nor prohibited BY ii to the States. are
reserved to the States respectively, or to the
people,"
What Is the Specification If the word un ion
Does not the word itself imply = league, ALI
ance or partnership Of two or more pArtics
Is it not, therefore. palpable contradiction to
declare that out form Of Government is not .
compact or "copartucrShiP, league or al
lance?
WHAT'S the sole Specification of the term
"federal'" Does it not SIMPLY mean (being
derived from the Latin J;SiuS. a league or ALI.
Ance) what simply aPper,aius to q covenant.
league or contract between Partles"!
What docs the very title with which our Gov.
eminent was babtiIed, and by which it is
known everywhere, signify the Limited
States" And is not the expression, 1--WE, the
people Of the United States" explicitly used in
the Constitution? Did not each one 81 the
several and separate States act independently
and separately in adopting and ratifyinS the
Federal Constitution. or compact IT alliance.
BY which they agreed to establish q central
agency or Government ct Washington! And
did that instrument, agreement or compact
have any validity or effect whatever 10 each Of
those separate States until each had adopted
/ and ratified il?
! When the thirteen Colonies declared their
independence Of Great Britain, did they not be.
come thirteen independent and sovereign
States! And. such being the case, have these
States ever done any Get whstever BY which
they have abandoned. resigned or given up
that sovereignty? Can such abandonment be
inferred from their having united together in
the Union Of sovereign States?
Was not the convention which framed the
Constitution authorized and called together BY
the Congress Of the Confederation? Aud did
not that Congress vote by State delegations,
each State having one vote'
Did not this Constitution, when % framed,
60 back to the Congress Ofthe Confederation,
TO be BY them approved. before it could be sub
mitted BY them to the several separate States
for their ratification? And could not this rati.
fcutiOn have been defeated BY the several small.
er States With Oue-third the population Of all
the States! Isit not, therefore, perfectly man
fest that the majority Of the people had no
agency Whatever in either recommending, fra.
ming or ratifying the Federal Constitution
Did not several Of the States a. Virginia,
New York, and Rhode ISIand.) expressly re.
serve the right to secede or Preserve the pow.
ers Of Government"
Could it be denominated treason il the ma.
j"riiy, say even three-fourths Of the States,
should choose IN withdraw from the Union.
and should leave one.fourth remaining in the
league or alliance as constituting the sole par.
ties to the Federal Government: Could, then, |
that Government or agency Of one-iourth, em.
ploy force against the three.fourths who had
Withdrawn, to compel them 10 return?
have stated historical facts, we'll known to
the statesman, lawyer and student, aud shall
rest the matter With an intelligent people.
UNION.
GARBLED.-The Sacramento Union, the
hired defender and spOlOgiSt Of the Re.
publican party, with characteristic base
ness, publishes the following garblOd ex.
tract from the speech Of Mr.. Clay, in the