The Oxford intelligencer. (Oxford, Miss.) 1860-18??, 1861-01-02
preamble, that IN order 70 FORM more perfect
u !" &c, ordaine md tstabI ted the
4 |stitu.iOn the Uas Stits,i" - sOme.
ii - Ike tins a guass v "a has 3 - used
4 4 tps pee Of the ''riean Uni'u in or
d - @perss deths presep "a State gov ra ments
aad = Asali<k tsse s4ks mo ORG political

aad : &salijk S'sss Sos mo one political
body, &c. do ordain and establish this Consti-
tuition for the Republic Of America. But such
was not the purpsss efshs ceasentieh That
body-itsoif was not composed of members rep
resenting ths people Of the yUpion. as az asgrs-
gate body 6h6s f dslsgat& fona the ldifsrcut
ss.sss-ss .isdspsndsas. ssseremsafs. appointed
by their respeciiye legislatures each delegation.
as . sort Of plsnipotuntizries to Congress Of
nations, representing the organized sovereignty
Of It's own State. Ny POSITIONS further proven
by various provisions Of tbe Constitution ITSELF
which in detail would too greatly extend the
limits Or this article. The equality Of repre-
sentafi0n in che Senate; The provision that each
STATE shall have one vote in the election of
President, whepeyer that election is thrown into
the House, q Representatiyes- appointment Of
presidential electors by the States as States and
! not BY the people in ths aggregate !, and the
reservation to the States respectively or 70 the
people, Of all powers MT delegated to the Fed
sral Govsearnment nor prohibited to the States,
are instances. But i any thing else be wanting
to remove all doubt the inal or attcsting clause
or the Constitution seems toput the matter for
ever at rest 1t begins, with these words !:
haDone ii Convention by the ananinaous consent
tof thc States present" &c. Nothing could be
t'ihore plain ana explicit If the Constitution as
some contend, was the work Of the people Of the
whole Onion cotlectbely, as one body polite,
That clause should have been to this effect
t'"pohe by the people Of the United States, by
the unanimous consent Of neir Representatives
! ii Convention assembled &c. -. b.s4.r.
{, But this is not, all; This Constitution, ike
al other cpmpacts between sovereign powers,
Vas not to take effect nor be Of any validity in
any State, until ratified by a Convention Of the
people thereof !, The delegates Of the contract
ing parties, in this International Congress. ifor
the Convention which framed the Constitution
MAJ. be properly, so called, like the pleppoten-
tiarcs Of an civilized, nations in modern times.
did not undertake 70 bind thc. States, which they
represented; but when they had mutually
agreed upon the terms of the compact, reserved
ts those States, in their sovereign capacity eae
Jor it.el to accept, or reject i. The PeqpleIoi
no State were 70 be bound, until, ip q coRyeEp-
ton representing their, own sovereign wiz asa
separate and, independent political community,
they, shOpld, atiGy il, Though twelve Of the
thirteen States then exstpgshapld ratify 1, and
one only should refuse. that Stats vas netlto be
affected by its provisions, but to remain an in
dependent sovereignty as Rhode Island actual
ny did for nearly two years ailer the constitu-
ton had bsep adopted by the requisite number
Of States for organizing the Government Now,
II the Constitution bad bcerrthe act Of the peo.
pie Of The United States asone body polite, the
ratification of majority would have bound the
whole, And in, that case totally different
mode OF ratification would have been adopted.
Instead of having been referred to Conventions
in the several States, it would have been sub
mttcd to vote of the people of the whole
Union at the ballot box, or to one general ton
yention representing them, without reference to
Statclncs or State distinctions. ut $500
think I have now shown conclnsivcly, that
the Constitution is the creation of the States,
acting in their separate capacity as independent
sovcreiguties, and not Of the people of the
whole sconntry as an aggregate body. In my
next number propose topursue the subject
still further, and to develop some Of the logical
SEQUENCES that necessarily flow from this doc
trine audatoD show that the right Of a State to
secede stands upon impregnable foundations.
Holly Springs Mss So @'oT SOY SIGMA.
t-.gl, "a, . s,,-As-.l -. L-l.zh ilrCw T.