The Placer herald., 1865-11-11
20 construed as To give unlimited now ers. nnr

60 construed as to give unlimited pow ers, 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 fit and necessary subject for re-
visal and correction at u time oil great tranquil
ty, while those specified in the preceding resolu
tons call for immediate redress
Resolved, That the preceding resolutions be
transmitted 10 the senators and representatives
in Congress from the commonwealth, who are en-
Joined to present the same to their respective
houses and 10 use their best endeavors to procure
at the next session Of congress a repeal OF the
aforesaid unconstitutional and obnoxious acts.
Resolved lastly, That the Governor Of this
commonwealth be, and is authorized and request
ed to communicate the preceding resolutions to
the legislatures oi the several states, to assure
them that this commonwealth considers union for
specified national purposes. and particularly for
those specified in their late federal compact to
be friendly 10 the peace, happiness, and prosper
ity ol all the States-that faithful TO that COM
pact, 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
prpservation; that it does also believe, that to
| take from the states ali the powers Of self gov
ernment and transfer them to general and con-
soidaed government, without regard to the
special delegations and reservations, solemnly
| agreed to in that compact, is not Tor the peace,
happiness and prosperity Of these states. And
that. therefore, this commonwejlt Is determined,
as doubts not it co-states arc to submit to un.
| delegated and consequently to unlimited powers
| in no or body OF men, on earthi that II the
acts before specified should stand, these conclu-
| sions would grow from them, that the general
government may placcany act they think proper
| on the list OF crimes and punish 1T themselves,
| whether enumerated or not enumerated by the
| constitution cognzablc by them. that they may
| transfer its cogniZance to the President or any
l.. l,.,
! counsel, lIdge 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 very numerous and valu-
able description Of the inhabitants Of these States
| being by these precedent> reduced as outlaws to
| the absolute dominion of one IN n, and the bar
| riers OF the constitution thus swept from us ALL
| no rampant now remains against the passions and
| the power of Il majority OF Congress to protect
| from like expectation or other grevOus punish
ment the minority of the same body, the legsla
| lures Judges governors and counselor3 OF the
states. nor their other peaceable inhabitants who
may venture to reclaim the constitutional rights
| and liberties of the states and people or who for
other causes, good or bad. MY be obnoxious to
| the views, or marked by the suspicious of the
| President, or to be thought dangerous to his Or
their election or other interest, public or person.
al: that the friendiess alien has been selected as
the safest subject of a first experiment, but the
| citizen will soon follow. or FATHER has already
| followed; for, already hasa sedition act marked
| him as its prey. That these and successive acts
| OF the same character, unless arrested at the hres
| hold may tend to drive these states into rcvolu-
| ton and blood and will furnish new calumnes
against republican government and new preteyts
| for those who wish it to be believed that man
| cannot he governed but by rod OF iron; that it
would be 4 dangerous delusion were a confidence
in the men of our choice TO silence fears for
the safety Of our lights; that confidence is every
,bavn ib, Il I'M frna Unru uont
| is founded in jealousy and not in condolences it is
| jealousy and not confidence which prescribes
| limited constitutions to bind down those whom
| we are obliged TO trust with power, that our con-
| sttution has fixed the limits to which, and no fur
! thcr our confidence may go; and let the honest
vocate OF confidence read the alien aud sediton
acts. and say if the constitution has not been wise
in fixing limits to the government it ere tied AMI
| whether We should be wise in destroying those
| limits? Let him say what the government is, If
| it be not tyranny. which the men of our choice
| have conferred upon the President, and the Pres
ident of our cE dice has asseuted to and accepted
| over the friendly strangers to whom the mild
| spirit Of ohr country and its laws have pledged
hospitality and projection; that the men OF our
| choice have more respected the bare suspicons Of
the Presid ent than the solid ri ehts Of Innocence
| the claims of justification. the sacred force OF
| trnth, and the form and Substance of law and JUS
| tce. In qu stions 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 com mmonwealth does therefore call on
| its co-states for an expression Of their entments
on the acts concerning aliens, and for punishmen,
OF certain crimes herenbeIore specified, plainly
| declaring whether these are or are not an thorzed
| by the Federal compact. And itd0ubs not that
their sense will be so announced as TO prove theiI
| attachment nnaltercd to limited government
whether general or particular, and that the rights
and liberties of their co states will he exposed tC
no dangers by remaining embarked on Il common
bottom with their own. But they will concur viii
this commonwealth in considering the said act
as so pa,pablc against the constitution as tt
amount to- IN undisguised declaration that thu
compact is not meant to be the measure Of thu
power OF the general government, but that it will
| proceed in the exercise over these states of al
powers Whatsoever. That they will view this a
sezng the rights of the states and conso lidatn!
them in the hands of the general government
with The power assumed to bind the states, no
merely in cases made Federal but in all case
whatsoever. by laws made not with their consent
but by others against their consent; that thi
would be to surrender the form of governmen
VIC have chosen, and living under one deriving
its power from It's own vii and uot from our al
thorty; and that the cO.states recurring to thei
natural rig hts i'll cases not made Federal will con
cur in declaring these void and Of no force, ant
will each unite with this commonwealth in re
qucsting their repeal at the next session Of Con
grets.