The Placer herald., 1865-08-26

80 construed as 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 fit and necessary subject for re-
visal and correction at time Of great tranquil
| ty. while those specified in the preceding resolu-
tions call for immediate redress
| Resolved, That the preceding resolutions be
| transmitted to the senator's aud representatives
| in Congress from the commonwealth who are en-
joined to present the same to their respective
houses, and to use their best endeavors to procure
| at the next session Of congress repeal OF tne
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 Of 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 TO the peace, happiness, and prosper
! ity of 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
preservation; that it does also believe. that to
take from the states all the powers OF self gov
| ernment. and transfer them to a gene"a and con-
| solidated government, without regard to the
special delegations aud reservations, solemnly
agreed TO in that compact, is not Tor the peace,
UtpplNcSS Uuu prosperity vi lueSc states AHu
that, therefore, this commonwealth is determined,
as it doubts not it co-states are, to submit to un
delegated and consequently to unlimited powers
in no man. or body OF men. on earth; that if the
acts before specified should stand, these conclu-
sions would grow from them, that the general
government may place any act they think proper
on the list OF crimes and punish it themselves,
whether enumerated or not enumerated by the
constitution cognlzablc by them. that they may
| transfer its cognizlnce to the President or any
other person, who may himself be the accuser,
counsel, judge aud 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 vau-
able description Of the inhabitants of these states,
being by these precedents 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 NIL ory Of Congress to protect
from like expectation or other griGvous punish
ment the minority Of the same body. the legisa-
tures. Judges. governors aud c0unselOrs of the
states. nor their other peaceabe inhabitants who
may venture to reclaim the constitutional rights
and liberties Of the states and people, or who for
other causes, good or bad, may 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 friendess alien has been selected as
the safest subject of first experiment, but the
CltiZ"u Will soon IOllOW. OF rather mas already
| followed; for. already has sedition act mlrked
him as its prey. That these and successive acts
OF the same character unless arrested at the thres
hold may tend to drive these states into rcvolu
ion and blood, and will furnish new calumnies
against republican government, and new pretexts
for those who wish it to be believed that man
cannot be governed but by Il rod of iron; that it
would be a dangerous deusion were Il confidence
in the men of our choice to silence our fears for
the safety Of our rights; that confidence is every
where the parent Of despotism; free government
is founded in Jealousy and not in confidence; 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-
stitution has fixed the limits to which, and no fur
ther our confidence may go; and let the honest
advocate OF confidence read the alien and sedition
acts and say if the constitution has not been wise
in liking limits to the government it ere ted an
whether We should be wise in destroying those
limits? Let him say what the government is if
it be not a tyranny. which the men of our choice
have conferred upon the President aud the Pres
ident OF our choice has assented to and accepted
over the friendly strangers, to whom the mild
spirit OF our country aud 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 ri ehts Of innocence,
the claims OF justification. the sacred force OF
truth, and the form and substance of law and jus
tee. In questions OF power. then let no more be
uealu OIL commence IN man. Dut DiQu Ulm down
from mischief by the chains OF the constitution
That this commonwealth does therefore call on
its co-staes for an expression of their sentiments
on the acts concerning aliens, and for punishment
OF certain crimes hereinbefore specified, plainly
declaring whether these are are not authorized
by the Federal compact. And it doubts not that
their sense will be so announced as to prove their
attachment unaltercd to limited government,
whether general or particular, and that the rights
and liberties of their costates will be exposed to
nc dangers 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 as to
amount to an undisguised declaration that the
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 whatsoever That they will view this as
selzng the rights Of the states and cOnso lidatng
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 surrender the form of government
we have chosen, and living under one deriving
its power from its own will, and not from our all-
thority; and that the cOstates recurring to their
natura! rights il cases not made Federal will con-
cur in declaring these void and of no force, aud
will each unite with this commonwealth in re-
questing their repeal at the next session Of Con-
grets.