Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-03-05

tnoSe limitsY Let him say what the Go
ernment is, If it be not tyranny, whit
the men of our choice have conferred {
the President, and the President of OF
choice has assented to and accepted ov
the friendly strangers, to whom the mi
spirit OF our country and its laws ha,
pledged hospitality and protection; that Il
men of our choice have respected the bal
suspicious of the President than the soil
rights of innocence, the claims of iustific,
tion, the sacred force of truth, and the form
and substance of law and Justice. Inquestio,
i or poceTS, then, let no more be heard of COM
dence IN man, but bind him do,on from nsischi
0y he chains Of the Constitution. That tn
commonwealth does therefore call on its &C
States for an expression of their sentiment
on the acts concerning aliens, and for th
punishment Of certain crimes, hereinbe
lore specified, plainly declaring whethe
tnese acts are or are not authorized b
the Federal compact. And it doubts nc
that their sense will be SO announce
as to prove their attachment uhaltered 3
limited government, whether general o
particular, and that the rights and libertie
OF their co-States will be exposed to n,
dangers by remaining embarked on com
mon bottom with their own. But they vii
concur with this commonwealth in con
sidering the said acts as so palpable agains
the Constitution as to amount to an undis
guised declaration that that compact is no
meant to be the measure of the power O
the General Government but that 1t will
proceed in the exercise over these States O
all powers whatsoever. That they will
view this as seizing the rights of the States
and consolidating them in the hands of the
General Government, with the power as
sumed to bind the States (not merely in
cases made federaD but in all cases whatso-
ever, by laws made, not with their consent,
but by others against their consent: that
this would be to surrender the form of Gov
ernment 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 repeal at the next session
of Congress.
VIRGINIA RESOLUTIONS, BY JAMES MADISON.
]. Resoloed, That the General Assembly
OF Virginia doth unequiyocally express Il
firm resolution to maintain and defend the
Constitution Of the United States, and the
Constitution of this State against every ag-
gression, either foreign or domestic, and
that they will support the Government of
the United States in all the measures war
ranted by the former.
2. The General Assembly most solemnly
declares warm attachment to the United
States, to maintain which it pledges all its
power; and that for this end, it is their du-
ty to watch over and oppose every infrac-
ton of those principles which constitute
the only basis of that Union, because
faithful observance of them alone can Sc
cure its existence and the public happi-
ness.
3. That this Assembly does explicitly and
peremptorily declare that 1t views the pow
er OF the Federal Government as resulting
from the compact to which the States are
parties, as limited by the plain sense and
Intention of the instrument constituting
that compact, as no further valid than they
are authorized by the grants enumerated in
that compact; and that in the case of a de-
liberate, palpable and dangerous exercise
of other powers not granted by the said
compact, the States ioho are parties thereto
haze ,He, right and are in duty bound TO inter
pose, for G,resting the progress of the evil, and
for maintaining ,oithin their respective limits
the authorities, rights, and liberties appertatn-
ing TO them. .g' ~ BIS
4. That the General Assembly doth, also
express its deep regret, that a,spirit has in
sundry instances been manifested by the
Federal Government, to enlarge its powers
by;a forced construction of the c0nstitu-
ti0nal meaning and effect of the particular
which necessarily explains
and limits the general phrases, and 30 as to
the States, by degrees into one |
sovereignty the obvious tendency and in
evitable result of which would be to trans !
form the present republican system of the
United States into an absolute, or, at best, a
mixed demonarchy. b re@lT r. hfit
5. That the General Assembly doth par
protest against the palpable and
infraction OF the Constitution, in |
the two late cases Of the "Alien and Sedi-
tion Acts" passed at the last session of Con-
gress; the first Of which exercise power |
nowhere delegated to the Federal Govern
ment; and which, by uniting legislative and |
Judicial powers to those Of the executive, !
subverts the general principles of free gov
as we'll as the particular organiza-
tion and positive provisions, of the Federal |
and the other of which actss
exercises, In, like manner, o powernot dele
gated by the Constitution, but on the con-
trary, expressly, and positively forbidden |
by one of the amendments thereto; power, |
more than any other, that ought to produce |
alarm; because 1t is isleveledagainst |
The right Of freely examining public char
icters and measures, and of free communi- |
cation among the people thereon, whichhas
ever been Justly deemed the only effectual |
guardian of every other right.
6. That this State having by its eonyen- |
tion,. which ratified the Federal Constitu- |
lion, expressly decided that, among other |
rights, 'the liberty of conscience and
2f the press cannot be caticeled, abridged, re-
strained or. modified bg any authority Of the |
United States, and from its extreme anxiety |
TO guard these rights from every possible |
attack of sophistry and ambition, having,
with other States, recommended an amend |
ment for the purpose, which amendment
was In due time annexed to the Constitu-
tion, 1t would mark reproachful incon-
sistency, and criminal degeneracy, If an in
difference were shown to the most palpable |
violation Of one of the rights thus declared |
and secured, and to the establishment of
which may be fatal to the other.
! Z. That the good people of this common
wealth, having ever felt and continuing to |
feel the most sincere affection for their
brethren, of the other States, the truest |
anxiety for establishing and perpetuating
the union offall; and the most scrupulous
fidelity to that Contributions which Is the 4
pledge ofmutual friendship, and the instru-
ment of mutual happiness, the General AS
sembly doth solemnly appeal to the like
dispositions In other States In confidence |
that they win concur with this common
wealth, In declaring, as It. does hereby de-
clare, that theacts aforesaid are unconsti-.l
tutionaE and that the elnecessafy and proper
measures WI be taken by each, for co-ope-