The Placer herald., 1864-10-01

their proceedings to those parts Of the constitu
ton OF the United States, which delegate to
Congress power TO lay and collect taxes, duties
imposts, cxcises to pay the debts and provide for
the common defence and general welfare of the
United States, and to make all laws which shall
be necessary and proper for carrying into eXecu-
ton the powers vested by the constitution in the
Government of the United States, or in any de-
partmtnt or officer thereof goes to the destruc
ton oil all limits present. ed to their power by the
CONSTITUTE that words meant by the instrument
to be subsidiary only to the execution of limited
powers. ought not to be so construed as them
selves to give unlimited powers, nor part of
them to be taken, as to destroy the whole residue
OF The instrument. That the proceeding Of the
General Government under color of those articles
Will be tit and necessary subject for revsal and
correction Il; a time Of great tranquility, while
those specified in the preceding resolutions call
| for Immediate redress.
s. RcsolDcd That the preceding resolutions be
| transmitted to the Senators and Representatives
in Congress from The commonwealth, who are
enjoincd to present the same to their respective
| houses, and to use their best endeavors to pro-
cure ut the next session OF Congress a repeal of
! the aforesaid unconstitutional aud obnoxious acts
Resulted, lastly, That the Governor of this
commonwealth be, and is authorized and request
| ed TO communicate the preceding resolutions to
! the legislatures of the several States, to assure
them that this commonwealth considers union for
specified national purposes. and particularly for
|
friendly to the peace happiness and prosperity
of all the States-that faithful to that compact,
according to the plain intent and meaning in
which it was understood and acceded to by the
several parties. it is sincerely anxious for its pre-
servation; that it does also believe. that to take
from the States all the powers of sef-govcrn-
ment, and transfer them to general and conso-
dated government without regard to the special
delegations and reservations, soemsly agreed to
in that compact. is not for the peace. happiness
and prosperity OF these States. And that there
fore, this commonwealth is determined as it
doubts not its costates are, to submit to undelc
gated and consequently unlimited powers in no
man, or body OF men, on earth; that if the acts
before specified should stand, these conclusions
would grow from them, that the General Gov
eminent may place any act they think proper on
the list Of crimes and punish it themselves,
whether enumerated or not enumerated by the
constitution cognizable by them, that they may
transfer its cognizancc to the President or any
other person. who may himself be the accuser,
counsel. judge and jury whose suspicious may
be the evidence his order the sentence, his officer
the eXecutoner, and his breast the sole record of
the transaction, that a very numerous and valua-
bic description of the inhabitants of these States
being by this precedent reduced as outlws to the
absolute dominion OF Que mln, and the barriers
of the constitution thus swept from all, no
rampant now remains against the passions and
the power of majority of Congress to protect
from a like expectation or other grievous pun
| ishment the minority OF the same body, the legis-
| laturcs judges, governors and counselors of the
| States, nor their other pcaCeable inhabitants who
may venture to reclaim the constitutional rights
! and liberties of the States and people. who
for other causes. good or bad, may be obnoxious
| TO the views. or marked by the suspicious of the
President, OF to be thought dangerous to his or
their election or other Interest," public or person
all that the friendless alien has been selected rs
the safest subject of first experiment, but the
citizen will soon follow. or rather has already
followed; for, already has sedition act marked
him rs its prey. That these and successive acts
of the same character, unless arrested at the
threshold may tend to drive these States into
revolution and blood and will furnish new calum-
MES against republican government and new
preeXts for those who wish it to be believed that
man cannot be governed but by q rod of iron;
that it would be a dangerous 1elusion were a
confidence in the men Of choice to silence
our fears for the safety of our rights that con-
! idence is everywhere the parent of despOtism
| free government is founded in jealousy and not
in confidence; it is jealousy and not confidence
which prescrbes limited constitutions to bind
down those whom we are obi ged to trust with
power, that constitution has fixed the limits
! to which, and no further our confidence may go:
and let the honest advocate OF confidence reld
| the alien and sediton acts, and say if the consti
ton has not been wise in fixing limits to the gov
! eminent it created, and whether we should be
wise in destroying those limits? Let him say
| what the government is il it be not Il tyranny
| which the men of our choice have conferred on
the President, and the President Of our choice has
asScntcd to and accepted over the friendly stran-
| gers, to whom the mild spirit OF country and
its laws have pledged hospitality and protection;
| that the men of our choice have more respected
the bare suspicious of the President than the solid
rights of innocence, the claims OF justification,
the sacred force of truth, and the forms and sub
stance of law and justice. In questions OF power,
then. let no more be heard Of confidence in man,
but bind him down from mischief by the chains
of the constitution. That this commonwealth
does therefore call on its cO-states for express
sion OF their sentiments on the acts concerning
aliens, and for punishment of certain crimes,
hereinbetore specified, plainly declaring whether
these are or are not authorized by the Federal
compact. Aud it doubts not that their sense will
be so announced as to prove their attachment
unaltered to limited government. whether gen
cral or PAL ticular, and that the rights and liber
ties of their co-states will be exposed to no dan
gers by remaining embarked on common bottom
with their own. But they will concur with this
commonwealth in considering the said acts as so
palpable against the constitution to amount to
an undisguised declaration that that compact is
not meant to be the measure of the power of the
General Government but that it will proceed in
the exercise over these states of all powers what
soever. That they will view this rs scizing the
rights of the states and consolidating them in the
hands of the General Government, with the power
assumed to bind the states. not merely in cases
made Federal. but in all cases whatsoever, by
laws made not with their consent, but by others
against their consent; that this would be to sur
render the form of government we have chosen,
and living under one deriving its power from its
own WILL and not from our authority; and that
the co-states recurring to their natural rights in
cases not made Federal will concur in declaring
these void and of no force. and will each unite
with this commonwealth in requesting their re-
N,,1 V1,n, ~.