Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-02-28

necessary 10 Ienutf tt6 bOftotett't'N''
: the Federal Government adequate to q
=. exigencies thereof
Pennsylvania, considering the repr
sentations made "by the United Stat
" in Congress assembled to the Legisl
S lures of the several States IN the Ciito
% was fully convinced of the necessity .
As rerisiaq The Federal Constitution,
North Carolina empowered her Con
m missioners to " discuss and decide upo
50 the most efficient means tc remove u
% defects OF our Federal Union, and to pr
y cure the enlarged purposes which 1t wa
intended TO effect
> Delaware vas fully convinced, also, {
= / the necessity of "revising the Federc
: C0,sstitptiOa,u and adding thereto sue
. further provisions as may rende
a the same more adequate to the exlgen
D eies Of the onion"
r The ordinance of Georgia was entltle
An Ordinance for the appointment
E deputies from this State, for the purpos
of repiSi10 the Federal Constitution =
and the authority given by 1t, as wen q
r Delaware, was - 10 devise and discus
such alterations and further provisions
as may be necessary TO render the Fede
rat Constitution adequate to the eXigs
: cies Of the U57iOa."
The same phrase, 4" Federal CoIaStitlt
tion, % was used by Virginia, in the tlti'
and body of her. act for appointing
, | Deputies and by Pennsylvania, NORTH
s'e..,e,li.la and Delaware, in the titles O
their acts; and New Jersey tefllIeu tif'
, Articles of Confederation, the ConstHet
! ton of the Federal Government"
New York appointed her Delegates, II
order to render the Federal Constitution
adequate to the eXigencies of gOUeTnHeiu
| and the preservation of the U1iOl.'
South Carolina empowered her depu-
ties to devise and discuss all such alter
ations, clauses, articles and provisions
as may be thought necessary TO reRdel
the Federal Constitution entirely ade-
uuate to the actual situation and future
good government of the Confederate
States
Massachusetts quoted the resolution OF
| Congress containing the same phase,
! Federal Constitution
Connecticut empowered her Delegates
"to discuss upon Slch alterations and
| provisions, agreeable to the general prln-
ciples of republican government as they
| shall think proper to render the Federdt
| Constitution adequate to the eXigencles
Of GOpeT7meat and the preservation OF
| the Union"
MARYLAND appointed her Deputies " for
/
| iela.H and to consider "such alterations
and further provisions as may be neces-
| sarv TO render the Federal Constitution
| ADEQUATE to the exigencies Of the Union" F"
Aud New Hampshire, declaring that
! it was not possible, in the formation OF
! THE FEDERAL COMPACT, which frames
| the bond of UNION OF the American
| States" to devise q perfect SYSTEM em-
powered her Deputies to discuss and
| decide upon the most effectual means TO
remedy the defects of O1fT Federal UalOn,
and to procure and secure the enlarged
! purposes which il was intended to effect
These were the letters, patent OF au-
| tbority To the Commissioners, Delegates
and Deputies of the several states. Ihat
they deliberately transcribed the au-
thority thus given, is not TO be pre-
sIimed, but only admitted when proven
They were authorized to make any
alterations and changes whatever, IN the
FedeI al Constitution Of articles OF Con
federation, which might seem TO them
fl i, proper and necessary to preserve the
existing Union of the States or Fed
eraI Union and render that 'Constitu-
tion of the Federal Government ad-
equate to the exigencies of the
G0ueTRHcHt. The power was, wholly,
10 preserve and perfect what already
existed, the Federal Constitution and
the Union and not 20 destroy; and
make and substitute something new and
different. Whatever they drafted and
prepared, was to be agreed to by the
States in Congress, and then confirmed
by each State for itself. 1t is, of course
possible, that the delegates, forgetting
that they were but the agents of their
States, with specified and limited powers,
determined to set at naught the funda-
mental principles Of republican govern
ment, and, imagining themselves om-
nipotent and wiser than the people OF
| their States, to manufacture new
| Government of The People, not
| Union of the States; a Federal Con-
| stitution in which there was no longer
to be any JOCduS or league OF the
States or Union of the States, but only a
! Union Of all the people of all The states;
and so to set The People Of all as Sow
ereign over the Stato5, until then by
the grace OF God, Free, Sovereign and
Tadenandeut: " Notwithstanding the
poeat reluctance of many Of themi
Heretofore, to permit the joint exercise
and administration of their powers or
Sovereignty even in regard to trade and
revenue; q reluctance which to Rhode
Island was so iusuperable, that she
would neither consent to lend the power
of LAYING duties to the Congress, nor
send deputies to the Convention. ANY
stretch of usurpation, any degree OF
forgetfulness of the terms and tenure by
which men hold their little brief author
ity, we now know is possible; but the
men who framed the Constitution OF
l-S7 were not Of that class of men in
which the grub of subseryiency to the
idle humors of tie people becomes, IN
the warmth of the sunshine OF power
the chrysalis Of self-sufiiclent and AFRO
gaut usurpation.
On the 18th of September, l7S7, the
convention finally agreed upon the draft
Of a constitution; and gave 1t as the
opinion Of their States that the cOnstitu-
ton ought, after being laid before Con-
gress, O. to be submitted to o convention
of delegates, chosen in each State by the
people thereof, for their assent and ratl-
fication :" and that, when " the cOnven-
tions of nine States y should have rati-
fed it; the United States IN Congress as
seBl6led, should fix day on which
Electors should be appointed by i" the
States which shall have ratified the
same" All this was done in c0nven-
tion, by the unanimous consent OF the
States present.
The letter, addressed by unanimous
order of the convention, to the Presi-
dent Of the Congress, and signed by
WAsHINGTOE as President of the Con
vention, does not hint at the formation
of a new government taking the
place of the Union of the States but,
saving that the friends of the country
had long seen and desired that certain
great powers "should be fully and
| efectually vested in the general govern
ment OF the Union,n and speaking of
/ Tie impractiaability, "in the Federal
| government of these States, to secure
| an rights of independent sovereignty to
eaeh, and vet provide for the interest
and safety of al, - it declares that the
| convention always kept steadily IN view
| - the consolidation of the bniOn,' y
/ which led each State IN Convention TO
| make concessions, and the constitution
| to be the result of ga spirit of amity,
| and that mutual Difference and eonces-
sion which the popularity of our politi-
cal,situation rendered Indispensable"
III the constitution was intended to
nut an end 20 the existing Union OF the
States, not to be a compact between
them, but a government power over
them aud the people Of ALL If the exist
ing Union was not to be made more
close and more solid, but to disappear
if the constitution did not contain con-
cessions made by the StatGs, and did not
show the mutual difference Of State to
State; If Union and Constitution
and Government and Federal were
words To be hencefOTward taken in new
sense, this letter was more jesuiticSl and
more reticent of the truth, more disin-
genuous and dishonest, than any Other
ever written, and Machiavelli had q
pupil who excelled his master, in the ar
of using wnrds to conceal the meaning
, On the 2sth Of September, Congress:
ordered the Constitution reported TO be
transmitted to the several Legislatures
Gin order TO be submitted TO a conven
= tion Of delegates chosen in each State by
the people thereof"
, By the 7th Article OF the Constitution
: the ratification Of it by the convention
r of nine States was to be sufficient for it
establishment, between the States 81
ratifying the same" On the elst o
: June, l7SS, the ninth State, New Hamp
shire, ratified it. Virginia did so on th'
: 26th Of June; and New York on the 26u
4 of July. On the 18th Of September
: Congress, finding 1t so ratified, fixed, b.
= resolution, the days for appointing elec
= tors, for the electors TO assemble and vete