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Show 262 TilE MISSOURI QUES'riON. any th.m g c1 s 0 , provo wh'a t the power to regulate commerce among the several Slates means. 'l'hc gentlemen, being Llri ven from t~t csc grotuH1 ·'.como l ihen to w 1 tl y call their great and llll prrgnablc n ghl- u1.1.. lC . . . . l tl t hirc.l sec lion of the four th ar Llelc, 1L IS lh n.t, UIICI Cr \C . 1 1 SII,I CS mn.y be admi tte<l iuto tl\ls Union uy dec aret , new "•" ' . 1 C nnd th •tt by the latter clau se ol the samo itc ougress ;.. ' ' . 4. ll ConoTc . shall havo power to dn~p oso or, U.llU SCC111011, 10 b ' . . . ma1 ~ c a ll nee",l fttl r·ulcs and rc<,.ulatwns, resp.c eLmg the tern· tory or ·other property belonging to the Untied States. By the first clause they con Lend, that Con g rc~s has an n.mplc and unlimited r.ommand over the whole subJect; thut they can reject the adm i. sion of a. ~Utlo altogether, or can admit one, and impose such condtllons, or make such com-t pac s W·1h h a. Stctlc as they may please ; and. that, unless a ) State accepts the oO'crs they may make, th ey may refuse bcr :~;.::..;::.::::::~~r~p;;::;;;;;;....-- admission. Let us fLrst inquire what the laws of nations call a Siato. Vullcl says, "Nations or States nrc bodies politic : societies of men un itcd togeth.er t.o pr.ocurc their mutual safety and advuntagc by means of thea· muon. Such a society has its afTairs and interests; it deliberates ~tnd resolves in common, o.n<l thus becomes a moral person, Laving au un<lcrstanding o.nu a will peculiar to itself, and is susceptible of obligations and. laws." This is what he calls a State. What do wo call ono? A territory inhabited by a people living unucr a government formc<l by themselves, which govcrnrucui possesses, in a republican form, all the legislative, executive, an<1 judiciary powers necessary to l.lte protection of the lives, lilJ rti cs, characters atHl properttes of their citi~e ns, or which they can exercise for their benefi t, anll have not delegated to tho gen rn.l government, for tho eommon defense and general welfare of a union, composed of a number of States, whose rights and political powers are a1l perfectly equal; that, among these, ono of the most iml) Ortant is, that of deciding for themRcl vos what kind of per· I t r 'l'liE MISSOURI QUESTION. 263 sons shall inhabi t th eir cou nt ry, no others bciug either 80 capaule or fi t to judge on this very important poiut as re:-~ p ee t s their pri vate happin c'ss a:; thcmsr lve.·, us they alono nrc ·iihcr to sufl'c r or benefit from t he' ir1jud ic ious or wiDe c h o i ~c th ey 111n.y make; ll tai us lhc other 1 l nl<'~ posses::; completely th is power, l\1i:;;: ou ri has the Ramo righ t ; that, if she was inclin ed, she could not give to Congress the right to decide for her, nor could tho latter accept it; thai all the inlmbi ta nts of :Misso uri being ngain si tltc prohibiLion, to in ~ i ·t OH ii, is to entirely pn t iL out of her power t.o enter the Union, :w<l to keep hct• in u. Hlltlc or colonial tyranny ; tlmL, if you cnn exercise t his r igh t, where will you stop? .May you not d iciato to her the natu re of the govemmcnt she shall have? may you uoi give her a plu rnl executive, a legislature For six and judges for one year ? If you s1ty there shall l>e 110 slave ry, may you nut say there shall be no mnrrin ge ? may yon 110L in sist on l1er b •i ng <l iff<' rcnt in ev<·ry rcsp \ct from tho otl tc• rs? ~ ir, if you nrc determin ed to brenk 1110 Consti tution in this im port11 nl point, yon may even proceed io do so i 11 ihc cs.'cnccs of tho very form you aro bound io guaran tee to th em. I ns tead of endeavoring to lessen or injure the force n.nd spirit of tho State govern ments, every true fri cuJ of his country ought to endeavor, as far as he can, to strengthen them; for, be assured, it will be to tho sircll gth and increase of our State govcm· mcnts, more than any other, that tho .American Republic will owe its firmn ess and dunttion. rrhc people of Europe, from their total ignorance or our coun try and governm ent, have always augured that its grcnt ext nt, when it came to bo t hi ckly peopled, would ocea.- ion ils separation ; ibis iH still tl10 opiniou of all, and tho hope of many there ; whereas, nothing can bo mot·c t rue in our politics than thai, in proportion to the increase of the Stnto governments, tho strength and solidity of tho federal Governmout are augmented ; so that with twen ty or twenty- |
