Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-10-29
The Eleventh Amendment.

Translated from the Richmonono Dispacciol
To the editor Of the Alexandria Gazette:
lfthere is anything on earth that Virgin.
ians ought TO love and venerate, it is the
Eleventh Amendment.
10 the first place, it is printed on page 81
OF the Virginia code of 1878; it will be 100
years old the Sth day of January 1885, it is
written 10 the language of Shakespeare and
Milton (English); its grammar is faultless,
its punctuation perfect, and all the words
are spelt correctly. Alexander Hamilton
was the author of the punctuation and Gen
eral Washington of the spelling. 1t is there.
fore more Virginian than New Yorker.
In the second place, it is the highest point
OF the Federal Constitution, having been
thrown up by volcanic eruption, which
originated in the case of Chisholm, E.rr as.
the State of Georgia, 2 Dallas, 41e. decided
In 1873. Since his upheaval, the grand doc
TRUE of State sovereignty hes lowered above
the grand doctrine ofState honesty however,
Ikea mountain abovea mole bill. For, q State
may now say to her creditor. II confess |
have violated one part of the constitution,
because [ have passed laws impairipg the
obligation ofmy own solemn contracts; hut
II you undertake TO sue me, will. immedi
nteiy fly up is the top of the Eleventh
Amendment, where your prayers and your
processes alike can never reach me. In
short, the Eleventh Amendment is at once
the assertion, and the guarantee of my SOW
erlgn CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT OF REPUDIA
TOM"
We fully concur in these remarks of the
sovereign State (supposng them to be made
by State). Indeed, in our Commentaries
on Constitutional Law, we have elaborately
argued the right of State to repudiate her
obligations, upon this general ground a
State IS great big Sovereign and creditor
10 but one little man or woman, as rule.
Now, on the principle of Gresham's Law,
which is 1.-THE greatest good to the greatest
number" (Jer0ns on Money aud EXCHANGE.
chap: s., it is perfectly clear that reputation
will do less damage to the creditor, because
be is one, than paying the debt will do the
Sovereign State, because it is many, @. E. D.
In this connection We might also invoke
Sir VIM. Hamilton's familiar claw of parsi.
mony," Philosophy Of the Conditioned, chap.
y, for parsimony in Sovereign would be
nothing more than simply economy in an
individual.
Moreover, Honor wont bug breakfast"
10 fact, Virginia's honor would hardly buy
a ten cent lunch, juat at this particular time.
Then why attempt to deal in houor, OF all :?
Certainly, we cannot excaim with ST.
Chrysostom, the golden mouthed, There's
millions in it," N. B.-We are we'll aware
that the opinion of an attorney general is
not so weighty as judicial decision or q
constitutional amendment.)
Questions of public faith and finance were
formerly considered very difficult and per.
picking, but since the canonzation of the
eleventh amendment it has become an OK.
| iom in the matter of State debts that mere
| argument can be made equivalent to actual
payment, that Is to say, the debtor can be
convinced. and it makes no difference
whether the creditor is or not. This expe-
dent dates from remote period in respect
to private debts. For example, Strepsiades.
one of the most celebrated Gnanciers of an
tiqulty, once visited the school of Socrates
at Athens for the express purpose of learn
ing how to repudiate by simply arquiuo his
creditors out of their claims but the great
loglcian, so called for some reason or other,
dismissed the honest pupil in disgrace. So
much the worse for Socrates Evidently he
paid his taxes in coupons, or else the true
principle of the eleventh amendment was
never "dreamt of in your (his) philosophy.
Now Sweepstakes is one of the most inter.
esting characters in 1.-THE Cloudsn of Aristo.
phanea, and would make e capital study in
the art Of financiering.
The translator must stop at this point.
pat he hopes to make some further contri.
| buttons. DA,rTu