Year: 1866

80 construed Us to give unlimited powers. nor
part OF them to be taken, as to destroy the whole
residue of the instrument. That the proceedino
ofthe general government under color of thosee
articles will be fit and necessary subject for ~
visal and correction at time of great tranouiI;.
ty, while those specified in the preceding resoin.
tiOns call for immediate redress.


Resolved, That the preceding resolutions h.
transmitted to the senator's and Representative.
in Congress from the commonwealth who Arc On.
joined to present the same tC their resnnc,ir.
houses, and TO use their best endeavors to nrocn,e
at the next session OF congress repeal of the
aforesaid unconstitutional and obnoxious acts -S


Resolved, lastly, That the Governor of mi.
commonwealth be, and is authorized and reouos.'
ed to communicate the preceding resolntion. ..
the legislatures of the several states. to oss,.o
them that this commonwealth considers un;on -.
specified national purposes. and particularly for
those specified in their late federal comma; ~
he friendly TO the peace, happiness and prosner'
ity of all the States-that faithful TO that np,a
pact according to the plain intent and me,n;n,
in which it was understood and acceded to hss
the several parties, it is sincerely anxious for \.
preservation; that it does also believe, that to
take from the states all the powers of selT coH,
ernment. and transfer them to general and en-
solidated government, without regard IN tho
specia delegations and reservations solemnlu-
agreed to in that compact, is not for the peoces
happiness and prosperity OF these states And
that therefore. this cOmmonwe;lt lth is determined
as it doubts not it co-states are, to submit To nm
delegated and consequently to unlimited rowers
in no man. or body OF men, on earth; that II the
acts before specified should stand these conclu-
sions would grow from them, that the genera,
government may place any act they think proper
on the list OF crimes and punish it themselves
whether enumerated or not enumerated bv the
constitution cognizablc by them. that thew nav
transfer its cOgnizance to the President or any
other person, who may himself be the accuser
counsel judge and jury, whose suspicious NAV be
the evidence, his order the sentence, bis officer
the executioner and his breast the sole record of
the transaction that a very numerous and vain
able description Of the inhabitants of these states.
being by these precedents reduced as outlaws to
the absolute dominion of one man, and the bar
riers of the constitution thus swept from US all
no rampant now remains ogainst the passions and
the power OF Il majority OF Congress to protect
from like expectation or other grievous punish
ment the minority Of the same body, the iegisla.
lures, judges, gtvein and c0unselors Of the
states nor their other peaceable inhabitants who
NAV venture to reclaim the constitutional riphts
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 thu
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
citizen will soon follow, or rather has ALREADY
follow ed for, already hasa sedition act marked
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 revolu.
ton 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 rod OF iron; that il
would be dangerous delusiOn were n confidence
in the men of our choice to silence our fears for
the safety Of our rights that confidence is evpry
where the parent OF despOtsm; free government
is founded in jealousy and not in confidence; il is


jealousy and not confidence which prescrbes
limited constitutions to bind down those whom
we are obi ged to trust with power, that our con
sttution 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 fixing limits to the government it created, and
whether we should be wise in destroying those


limits? Let him say what the government it, if


it be not tyranny. which the men of our choice
have conferred upon the President, and the Pres
ident of our choice has asseDted to and accepted
over the friendly strangers to whom the mild
spirit Of our country and IFS laws have pledged
hospitality and projections; 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
tice In questions OF power then let no more be
heard of confidence in man. but bind him down
from mischief by the chains OF the constitution.
That this commonwealth does therefore call on
its co-states for an expression Of their sentiments
on the acts concerning aliens, and for punishment
of certain crimes hereinbeiore specified, plainly
declaring whether these are or 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 cO-states will be exposed to
no 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 inc
power of the general government, but that ltwlii
proceed in the exercise over these states OF oil
powers whatsoever. That they will view this %
sezing the rights of the states and consolidating
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 th's
would be to surrender the form OF government
we have chosen and living under one deriving


lis power from its own will, and not from our ao'
thority; and that the CO. states recurring 10 the'r
natural rights in cases not made Federal will con-
cur in declaring thesevoid and of no force, aho
will each unite with this commonwealth IN re-
questing their repeal at the. next session Of Con-
gress.