The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1870-12-01
Calhoun's Reply to Webster.
"a Crushcr, an Extinsus',er. an
AnnillilatOr."
If the Constitution is a Compact
the States have the Right
to Secede,
Or to Nullity an Unconstitutional
Act of Congress.
The Veto Power OF the States the
Only Bulwark OF Liberty.
ICDSTlNUED.l


Snow, as all admit. and as 1t is expressly
provided for in the Constitution, the re-
| serced powers are reserved TO the States
respectively, or to the people, None viii
pretend that, as far AS they are concerned
we are one people, though the, argument
| to prove it, however absurd. would be ia!
more plausible than that which goes to
show that we are one people to the extent
of the delegated powers. This reservation
to the people might in the hands OF
subtle and trained logicans, be a peg to
hang doubt upon; and had the express
sion to the people, been. connected. rs
fortunately it is not with the delegated
instead OF the reserved powers, we should
not have heard of this in the present dis
cussiOn.
IL have now established, hope. beyond
the power OF controversy. every allegation
contained in the first Resolution that the
Constitution is Il Compact formed ny the
people of the several States, rs distinct
| political communities and Subsisting and
binding between the states in the same
character; which brings me to the consid-
Grafton Of the consequences which may be
| fairly deduced, in reference to the charac-
| ter OF our political system, from these es-
tablished facts.
THE first and most important is. they
concusively establish that ours is Fed
cral systenl--a system of States arranged
| in a Federal Union. each retaining its dis
| tinct existence and Sovereignty. Ours
has every attribute which belongs to Il
Federative System. 1t is founded on COM
pact; it is formed by Sovereign commune
| Ties. ana is binding betwern.them in their
Sovereign capacity. might appeal, in
confirmation of this assertion. to all clc-
mcntury writer's on the subject of Govern
Sncnt, but will content myself with citing
one only. Burlamaqui, quoted with APP
probation ~ Judge Tucker. in his COM
mcntary on Blackstone, himself u high
authority. says:"
Here Mr.. Calhoun quotes from fuckers
Blackstone as iOllowsl:
.: Polticdl bodies, whether great or
small if they are constituted by a people
formerly independent, and under no civil
subsection. or by those who justly claim
independence from ANY civil power they
were formerly subject TO. have the civil
supremacy in themselves. and are in a
state OF equal right and liberty with re-
spcct to all other States, whether great or
| small No regard is to be had in this mat
ter to names, whether the body-poitic be
called n kingdom, an empire. Il prncipalitv.
Il dukrdom, country, republic. or free
town. II it can exercise justly all the cs-
seniial parts of civil power within itself
independently of any other person or
body pOltic,-and no other has any right
to rescind or annul its acts,--it has the
civil supremacy. how small soeyer it, ter
ritDry may be, or the number of it. people.
and has all the rights Of an independent
state.
This independence of States. and their
being distinct political bodies from each
other is not obstrnctcd by amy alliance or
cOnte.lcracies whatsoever. about exercising
jointly any parts of the supreme'powerS.
such rs those of peace and war. in league
offensive and defensive. Two States. not
withStandng such treaties, are separate
bodies. and independents
"Thcse are, then, only deemed politi-
cally united when some one person or
council is constituted with right to cXer-
else some essential powers for both. and to
hinder either from exercising them scpa-
ratcly. IT any person or council Is EN-
powered to exercise all these essential
powers for both. they are then one State:
such is the state OF England and Scotland,
since the Act oil Union made ut the begin
ming Of the eighteenth century, whereby
the two Kingdoms were incorporated into
one. all parts CT the supreme power of
both kingdoms being thencciorward uni
ted. and vested III the three Estates of the
realm of Great Britain; by which entire
coalition, though both kingdoms retain
their ancient laws and usages in MANY re-
spccts. they are AZ elcctually united and
incorporated as the several petty king
,,,,nr', th,t ,,r;,'i '''0 NV p'''io''l' "cic
'V.c' M t''". h pr'" ,i,. ..,.
,ro,no Wv" 'iv II'n nn AMY p'l'nI' o, 'ne SUI
pr ,.nnnc;, fdr hoth ro1,'u II, one persol
and ~ ,r or Of dnc;li i,'r" a, .aa. vi petce
wnon I;mernrt Siatn oo, tIl, s,,; w.
Iii L iii ''''' e"oJo,'''
',rt, n, IVA s " ,'no,,, uA.,1nscs 9sntr
iw -, al, th. otbn r p1mi'' anu'p i
,,ial r,stos ~ o. '''a ', t"so , my ale
n,i IaGm"" t H.. '"a "' Inn ~ ',
Gn 10, St 81" 'n;tsI y, p'''oe'
.on,,, , h'nI go .,i,sy, "n'',u y, S"'he
t L,t s,o " h5, 'i ;t, '"vs see,'' W ,.'hc
az az silly 10y WV, icHp.cl W t'iose
,,,, WHY. an.vnust .i'Cnh III common;
ou Iao" I,o,nu1 ~, SOVEREIGNTY; iul
'.u :n,iG' m'''ionoIno't vi "ll o,ncIs'
CIV, en-. !" .n,, 49, NV u.h ."o ,onleucrale
5 ~, tna"Se w oao,, o.icr o'liV 10 eNer-
c.se; VIII common consehi certain paris
VI t.'e oo.srclsn.y. Especially lf'it Wnicl
ntla.es w .io'' ',u,ua, ueience against Ior-
o,Sn u..',os. n.; oIu.l VI lIe Nollieaer-
'tcs iG.a's an ea.''u llocrly vi exercising
~ !. .n,ans pl1poi. .nose pti.s ol tne SOY
,ru,sn'y M I,;n are i,ol ,iien'loneu IN tne
,iea.y vi h.om ~ ln'rIS '''L ou9mG 10 oe
. ,,s , III eVm,, n;ll anu oi lhia ma
.uI. - thc ;.,icitc"li oohleoeracy, III
n.o" rarh o.a,o n"' lts'Sheu certain
p lM VI ann s'l hn, o'via power winch
.".{ i o's.ssou .o.oiI IcNceP. III common
itn l;,c ot'eI o.a'es ,n 'iie ',ohieusfacy).
.esc'v"s w. themselves az, lheir FORMER
I E,,;,s wn,eh az ~ .o. ue,cIa.eu 10 we
W m''eo ''a'es ny 'he co"''''oh DOM Oh IN
WI =, ~, ,.,.,...
'.sloie u.stlic'lon, anu not less I'm
"I!al' ,han obvious 9cc.lrs 40. 10 our 0Dser-
'.i Ir' ih c4,nparih2 tncse s'nerent kihdS
;, unlo, Inc hinSuon,s Oh England ana
vi H., a., alo u,'..cu my Vic hinSuoul,
~" ro s"" i2m.,'amH o'a'ts' ny sucil an
I,'J.. po1 p'n, Un'on' arg. III '"e oPin,on 81
y, n,a.Ns'"nc, so.aty "hh,liia,eu;