East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1864-09-28
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
of l79S-ee.
KENTUCKY RESOLUTIONS.
BY THOMAS JEFFERSON.

BY THOMAS JEFFERSON.
1. Resolred, That the several States
composing the United States of Amer
lea, are not united on the principle of
unlimited submission to the General
Government but that by compact
under the style and title of Consti-
tuition of the United States, and of
amendments thereto, they constituted
a General Government for special pur-
poses, delegated to that Government
certain definite powers, reserving each
State to itself the residuary mass of
right to their own self-government,
and that whensoever the General Gov
ernment assumes undelegated powers,
its acts are unauthoritative, void and
of no force; that to this compact each
State acceded as a State, and is an in
tegral party; and its co-States form
ing, as to itself, the other property
that the Government, created by this
compact, was not made the exclusive
or final Judge of tho extent of the
powers delegated to itself; since that
would have made its discretion, and
not the Constitu ton, the measure of
its powers; but that as in all other
cases of compact among powers hav-
ing no common judge, each party has
an equal right to judge for itself as
well of infractions as Of the mode and
measure of redress.
2. Resolred, That the Constitution of
the United States having delegated to
Congress power to punish treason,
counterfeiting the securities and cur
rent coin of the United States, pira-
cies and felonies committed on the
high seas, and offences against the
law of nations, and no other crimes
whatsoever, and 1t being true, as a
general principle, and one of the
amendments to the Constitution hav-
ing also declared "that the powers
not delegated TO the United States by
the Constitution, nor prohibited by it
to the States, are reserved to the States
respectively or to the people," there
fore, the act of Congress, passed on
the 14th day Of July, 1913, and enti-
tied, can Act in addition to the act
entitled 'An act for punishment Of
certain crimes against the United
States;'" as also, the act passed by
them on the 9th of June, 1898, enti-
tied, can act to punish frauds COM
mitted on the bank Of the United
States" land all of their other acts
which assume TO create, define or pun
ish crimes other than those so emu
merated in the Constitution are alto
gether void and of no force, apd that
the power to create, define, and pun
ish such other crimes is reserved, and
of right appertains only and exclu-
siyely TO the respective States, each
within its own territory.
3. Resolced, That il is true, as a gen.
eral principle, and is also expressly de-
clared by one Of the amendments to
the Constitution, that tho "powers
not delegated TO the United States by
the Constitution, nor prohibited by Il
to the States, are reserved to the States
respectively or to the people;" and
that no power over the freedom of re-
ligion, freedom of speech, or freedom
of the press being delegated to the
United States by the Constitution, nor
prohibited by il TO the States, all law
ful powers respecting the same did oi
right remain, and were reserved to
the States or the people; that thus
was manifested their determination to
retain to themselves the right Of judg.
ing how far the licentiousness Of speech
and Of the press may be abridged