Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-08-08
ri lyljIou0 Enqprrfr~
ny TYLER, MISE B ALLEGRO.
" WEDNESDAY MORNING. AUGUST t., lss4
, nsspoT REPUBLIC.

/ =, -. that whatever power government ula9
assume without. responsibility, under cover
of its sole right to Judge Of its powers
! il will assume Mt pleasure: and VIII th''s' ny
, more or less rapid cnc7oachuAcnts' oSerEioe
| iii lie paper barricr1 placed 70 FeS.'''' ~
no,v,-. H.; ,u,.ass Of constitutional forms.
When our fathers established the !a'e fcoe-
-, co7,nact. they sought to frame an extreme
i. limited government. They carefully de-
! .;,.d md circumscribel the powers OF the
s,a.T.l agen; then instituted, SO aa t" secure
the liberties oft people. The Je'm OF gov
..nrasnt they adopted was the CONSTITUTIONS!
, Republican.
! ;;;.arcaiy vas this federal constitution ADOPT
az, before party sprung up "hlch claimed
that the authorities of the federal government
we're the sole judges OF their own powers, and
i that sll their acts were binding without re-
| course or question, save when they them
selves through the appropriate department
should see fl to pronounce otherwise
! Opposed 70 this party vas another VINCE
Justly maintained that such soTaFnloaii.
was practically Of unii3s:te6 pofoeTS, seeing
that The construction OF its powers lay en-
ti7elv in its oyn discretion, It is not II Fie
| nature Of power to bind itself; Sst, On 'hc
contrary, it never isis to extend its TTsro5a-
t;ycs 10 the full limit oiimpunty. lt was held
| IS resulting from the nature Of the alliances
snl 81 absolutely essential TO the safety OF
thu liberties OF the people, that the States as
nsv:;es to the compact, were rishttui Judges
If ii. proper observance; and ii, in their
;;.l.,n"nt. tic Federal agent infracted It's pow
ers, the we're competent to determine, escll
for itself, both the extent CT the iaf.nction
and the mode ara measure Of redress.
Tie latter named party p7c"a;iec oTc7 lis
| slserssr- in inc earlier popular struggles OF
| the lais CnitcG States. But the leaven Of the
former ::,sidiously did It's "oTE, under the
Names Of both Whiggery ana Democracy.
until the people CT tie Northern Ststes
were, By great ia cr1J-. Won over TO Its Ia
tai doctrines. The number Of States Rights
nen-for so those woTv called who claimed tnT
the Suite the right Of supervising tho:
agentand resisting It's observation-disclosures
"rrr SINAI! al the 1,or;b, There was reason
for this. The cppcsin', interests and
institutions CT the several states OF the
Onion were divided hy sectional linz
! which left the larger population Oh the NoitE'
| ern side OF it. This threS the full control q
the Federal authority in the power OF tno
Northern people aud the: easily saw that by
its selfish Use they could, if unrestricted, pro-
mote their interests 4; the 22pen5e oi the South
Others saw IN this control, the opportunity
| to dictate our social institutions, matter as
Ii " hich they gave themselves great concern
Apart from The operation Of these intereste"
aul tanat!cal Ideas, the hl5t Of power, which
actua,es men and communities alike, disposed
the Northern people to that construction 0.
the Government which worli give them the
greatest sway.
Long the contest went Oh between the OPP
posing theories. The South, impelled b. neces-
sity, steadily maintained the doctrine ofstates
Fights. limits predoninance she say her only
! safety, and her people became more and more
,,,;..a =. -l-----y. SLa'--s1., ulid7r the
force OF argument ard the. appeals to justice
and fraterna! feeling, VIZ long divided Bit
the pressure Of intcrc5tt: tie restless activity
of fauaticlslu and the desire to rifle, finally
prevailed; as indeed might have been fSTcseea.
The North, Ly almcs5 unbrukcn voice, has
hence elected President who declares that
State is 10 the Union only what county is
to State: and that the Federal Government
is supreme, and the only judge Of the extent
Of its own powers. This, as before explained
is equivalent to declaring its powers absolute,
and its acts "a 10 where to be questioned
The absolute power so claimed, is to DC cx-
ercised OF the agents chosen b: 6 majority Of
the aggregate population Of the United States.
This majority is therefore the dcs2c: that dc
tates the Government, according es caprice o.
interest or fanaticisn ma: suggest.
That Such Government IL the 0o7ss int
as the late Union, sca7ccl: needs the slightest
elucidet. on. Carried out in :ts full pTeten-
sioas, as soon ). .vould be, the Gear of Russia
is not greater deSpot than would be this ul.-
tramnelled and uncomfortable majority. p
But the Gar 1ould be an infinitely justeT
ruler; for re would feel an equal interest III
al portions Of his realm, and would dispense
equal hvors aud privileges among them !:
whereas the dcspos majority" would have Pc
culiar interests to promote, and peculiar preju-
dices to indulge, ana would reap personal pro-
TT from oppression and injustice. And wnen.
US il the late United States, the majority and
! minority lay III distinct sections, and hal diff
ferent local interests, 1t is impossible 10 i'm
sgine more perfect system: to insure the
oppressive Use e absolute power against the
inority.
Such had the Government Of the United
States become, when the Confederate States left
it; an absolute dsspotism, under the forms Of
RepublicaniSm, The despot was alien to The
Confederate Stetes; vas hostile TO us in interest;
! was deeply prejuaicedSS against U.S. declared
that Our institutionsaI lis, must one CT
the other yield, Thy'hostility was shown
not by merely denying US constitutions,
rights, for we arc free 10 coufess that
practically, tney recognized 90 Constitution;
bat b! listing upon Us the H.ost unequal and
| onnrcSc:-.n lave I'll dce;u-,a IA rob is far
their benefit. They declared thai cur civil
zatioi. sro;;ld haze SNARE Il, the public ter
ritories, in order shrt they might grasp then,
al. Thcy passed most injurious taritl-bill,by
! which we were made &c pay great many
! millions Of dollars every year, dut Of our Ia