The weekly standard. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1865-1867, 1865-12-16

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within its il jurisdiction are so numerou
i that it must even naturally refuse t
be embarrassed by questions that Ii
beyond it. Il Were it otherwise, the Ex
ecutiye would sink beneath the burden
i the channels of justice would be cho
ked; legislation would be obstructet
by excess, so that there is greater
temptation to. exercise some of :. the
functions Of the General Government
through the States, than to trespass Of
their rightful sphere. The absolute
aequiescence in the decisions of the
majority was. at the beginning of The
century, enforced by Jefferson as the
vital principle of republics, and the
|eYents Of the last four years have es-
Etabished, we will hope forever, that
there lies no appeal to force. The
maintenance of the Union brings with
it the support of, the State govern
ments in all their rights, but it is not
one of the rights of any State govern
ment to renounce its own place in the
Union, or to nulify the laws Of the
Union. The largest liberty is to be
maintained in the discussion of the acts
of the, Federal Government, but there
is no appeal from ats laws except to
various branches of that Government
itself, or the people who grant to the
members Of the Legislature and of the
Executive departments no tenure but
a limited one, and in that manner, al
ways retain the powers of redress
The latter contains emphatic words
the Constitution of. the laws of the
United States, which. .shan be made in
pursuance thereof, and all treaties
made or which shall, be made under the
United States, shall be the supreme
law of the land, and the Judges In
every State shall be bound thereby,
anything. in the Constitution of any
State to the contrary Notwithstanding,
Certainly the Government of the Uni
ted States is admitted Governments
and so! is every sort of government d
limited government with us. Thisiidea
Of lin limitation speaks through every
form Of administration, Federal, State
and municipal, and rests ON thesgreat
distinguishing principle of the ireeoga
milton of the rights of man. The an
Gent republics absorbed authority. '.s
Of the Constitution Of the United
States, the perpetuity Of the Constitu-
ton brings with it the perpetuity of
the States. 3 Their mutual relation
makes as what VIC are, and IN our po-. po.
litical system their connection is IN
dissoluble, The whole cannot exist
without the parts, ,norpthe parts withs
out the whole. So long as the Consti-
tuition of the United States endures,
the American system rests on the as as
sertion Of the equal right of every man ma u
to Life, liberty and the pursuit, of hap
piness, to freedom of conscience. to
the culture and exercise 6foall his FAC
ulties. As consequence the State
government is limited as to thegenea1ra1
government in the interest, of union,
as to the individual citizea in the, inter
terests of freedom. Statess with prop
er limitation of power, are essential to
the existence of the Constitution Of
the United States. At the very very com ON.
mencement, when we assumed q place
among. the powers Of the earth. the
Declaration of Independence was
adopted by the States; SO were all the
articles of confederation, and when the
people of the United States ordained
and established the Constitution, it
was the assent of the States, one by
one, which gave it vitality in the event
of any amendment of the Constitu-
ton, the proposition of Congress needs
the confirmation of States. Without
States, one great branch of the legiis-
latiye government would be. wanting,
and if we look beyond the letter of
the Constitution to the character of
our country, its capacity for compre-
hending within its jurisdiction most
continental empire, is due to the sys-
tenn Of States, the best security for. the
perpetual existence of the States, is
the supreme authority of the Consti-
tuition Of the United States The per-
petuity Of the Constitution brings with
it the per petuity of the States, Their
nauss..lal relation makes us what we are,
and in our pcitical system their con-
neetion is 'indissoluble The whole
cannot exist without the parts, nor
parts without the whole. So long as
the Constitution endures. the States