Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1884-03-29

braska. The building will be AZ fee
venie mt rooms, and be fully supplied
facto law, obligation of contracts, or
duty of tonnage. .f
Article VII gives the appointment of
colonies and all military officers below
to the state legislatures. M
Article VIII. War charges shall be
borne by the United States, and shall
be raised by the several states, in pro-
portion to the value of the surveyed
lands in each.
Article TX is the most important OF
the thirteen. So far as they provide
for a government, it is to be found
here. The legislative powers are here
detailed, and are quite similar to those
of the constitution, Art. L: section 8.
The judicial are also here set forth:
courts for felonies and piracies on the
high seas. for adjudicsting captures;
special courts of commissioners for SET
tling disputes as to land between citi-
zens of different states, and for contro-
versies between the states themselves.
The nearest approach to an executive
is seen here in "a committee of the
States," to sit in the recess of congress,
to consist of a member from each state.
This committee appoints one of its
number president, who esl not serve
more than one year in t. @.
In ordinary mattersa rajority of the
states in congress can act. In matters OF
war, coming money revenue questions,
emitting bills of credit, borrowing and
approprlating money the concurrence
Of nine states is necessary.
Article x. Congress, by vote of
nine states, can empower the commit
tee of the states to exercises during its
recess any of its ordinary powers; but
none requiring the concurrence of nine
states.
Article XI. Canada may be admit
ted to the confederation on same terms
as the thirteen states; but all other COL
onies must receive the vote of nine
states for their admission. ,.s...-.
Article XII. The public debt incur
red by congress prior to the confedera-
tion, is assumed by. the United States.
Article XIII pledges each state to
abide by the acts of congress made In
accordance with the confederation; de.
clares the Articl es inviolable by any
state and the union perpetual; and as
serts that the Articles are not to be al
tered except Sin congress of the
United States, and afterwards confirm
ed by the legislatures Of every state"
This is very brief statement of the
substance of the Articles of Confedera-
ton, called by some the First Constitu-
ton. 1t is lnanifestly, however. not
strictly constitution, but, as it de-
clares itself to be "a league of friend.
ship" an alliance, offensive and defen-
sive, between the states ''for their COM
mon defence, the security of their lib
critics. and their mutual and general
welfare" 1t is not constitution be-
cause it establishes no government. 1t
establishes no government, because it
has neither the power of the purse nor
of the sword. 1t could have 10 true
legislature, no true Judiciary, no true
executive.
At the same time, it shows what we
have already seen that the states were
in heart one; sprung from the same
mother, reared under the same regi-
men, and now confronted by the same
danger, the states were thirteen but the
people were one.
The Articles were not adopted at
once by all the states, and therefore did
not go into operation until 1881, when
the war Of the revolution was nearly
over. They were seen to be defective
as soon as they went into effect, and
efforts were made at once in congress,
to amend them. Congress might pass
wise resolutions, but what did they
amount to ? They were not laws, for
the states and individuals could comply
or not as they saw fit. The courts ap.
pointed might reach very right
eous conclusions, but they were not
judgments, for there was 10 power to
make them operative. The committee
of the states, or its president, were not
an executive, because there was no law
to execute, no judgments to enforce,
and no constabulary at their bidding.
When the convention of 1877 met, it
was with view to remodel the Arti-
cles. The act of congress calling the
says that it shall be held
"for the sole and express purpose of
revising the Articles of Confederation."
This same act calls these Articles "the
Federal Constitution" The original
design doubtless was simply to change
these Articles SO as to form real gov
in order that congress might
raise u revenue.
We shall now look into the less impor-
tant documents and see what they may
contain Of interest to us. The first
presented to the convention, We're
THE ORIGINAL VIRGINIA RESOLUTIONS,
introduced by Gov. Edmund Randolph
May 20, the 3rd day of the session. !
They were fifteen in number and Judge