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Show A POLITICAL TEXT-BOOK .FOR 18GO. Now sir, who <It'll'~ not sec, without the aid of p xpo~ltlon th:\t they should Cl(JI-e.t!. One alo."lc conltl not Interpret It M ddc~tion the tltl\•r coufu::~inn of ideas iuvolvcd in thl~ conclu~h·cly; _one a.lon.c could not construe It; one alone bO eraboratc'a111l ~.vstematic arw..:mcnt could. not mo1hfy it. l et the gentleman's doctrine Is, that The Coust.itution, it i:~ said, is a c.unpact between States; Camhna llione '!1ay construe null Interpret that COlll[HlCI the tate , then, awl the statl'/1 only, are pttrticli t0 the I which ectuall_Y hlnd:l all, and gives equal rllfhts to all. compact. How come the Ocncml \:01 ernmcnt itself a So, then, rr, even supposing the Const~tutlon to be a party? Upon the honorable gcntll·man',; hypothesi:~, the compltct between the tates, the gentleman~:~ doctrine, nevUcncml Govcmmcut is the result of the compHct, the ere& erthcless, Is not maintainable; because, first, the General tun: of the compact, not onu of the purtiu::~ L~ it. Yet the Governmcn~ is not a J.HLrty to that compact 1 bu~ a (lOvern. argument, as the gl•nt.lemnn has now ·tatcd rt, makes t.hc ?lll'nt ~l!tabh heu h,r 1t, and vested hy lt With the power~ (.l:on~rnmcnt itself ouu of it:! own t•reatort{. It makes It n. of trymg nnd deeidmg cloubtful questions ; anu secondly, party to that compact to which It owes its own existence. hucuusc, if the Constitution be regarded ns a compact, not For the purpose of e recting tliu Con~titution on the lm- one Htate only, but all the States, arc parties. to that com. si:! of a compact, the gentlentan con::;l,lers ~he ~t:ttes ns )lal:t., and one c~n have no rigllt to fix upon 1t her owu PC· parties to th rtt compact; but as soon :ts In:-~ contpact 1::~ culutr construct Jon. 111ade, then he chooses to considur the Gen •ral (lovum- So much, sir, for the at·gumcnt, even if the premises or mcnt wbich ls the oa·~pring of that compact, not its off· the gent il:man were gra~1ted, or coulcl be proved, nut, bpl'in~ but one of its Jlltrllu::~ · nnll so ueing a party , with· ::;lr, the gcntlernn.n has fatlcd to maintain hiJ:J leading proout tl~~ power of judging on tJlC terms of compact. !'ray, po ·ition. I I.e has uot shown, it cannot. be shown, that the t;it·. in what school is such r easoning as this taught? <.:onstitut ion is a compact between 't.ate Govcmments. If the whole of the gcntlema~'H mainyropositlon were :rhc Conl>titutior; i~sclf, it~ its very front, refutes that idea; N ncedcd to him that 1::~ to say, 1f I1t!lnut for the sake of 1t duclares that 1!. 1::1 onlnlllcd an<l cstai.Jl.lshcu oy the pe<>the a rgument, u{at the Cons tit uti on I:> a compact butwce!l p le <(( tho Cn itert State-s. So far from saying that it!' flt:ltcs the inferences which he draws from that proposr· e!llabll ·hell hy the governments or the several tntes, 1t tion a;e warranted I.Jy no jm;t r easoning. If tltu Constitu- <locs not C\'en say that it is cstalili::~hcd by the people of lh8 tion be a compact between fates, still that Constitution, lleVtH·ul lutes; but it pronounces that it. 18 established by or that compact has established a government, with ccr· the people of the Unit uti Stn.tcs, in the nggregnte. 'l'he t u.l.t1 powers; and whether it be one of those powers, that gentluman says, It must mean uo more tha.n the people or it shall construe and interpret for itself the terms of the the sevurnl 'tat es. Douhtlcss, tho people of the several c:orupnct. in doubtful casetl, is a qucst.ion which can only States, taken collectively, constitute the J>COJlic of the lJe tlecld~d by looking to the compact., ancl Inquiring what U11ited latus; but it h; in this, their colll•ctlve cnpacit.y, II Jr. o ~i~ions it contains on this point. Without any in consist· Is as all the people of the United Status, that they estahll·h en y with natural r eason, thu Government even thus ere a- the Con~Litul ion. So they clcclnre; and words caunot be ted might be trusted with this power of construction. 'J'he plaJncr than the wo rd:~ usc<l. . c xt~;nt of its power8.J therefore, must stilluc sou~ht for in When the gentlurnan say~J the Constitution Is a com· the In ·trument Hselt. pact between the .States, he uses language exactly np- If the Old Confederation had contained a clause, declar· plicai.Jle to the old Confederation. He speaks as if lw iug that ltcsolutions of the Congress should be the supreme were in Congress hufore l 7 9. lle dc~cl'ibes fully tha~ Ltw of the land, any Statu law or Constitution to the con- old stat~> of thing theu cxi:<ting. 'l'ho Coitfudcration was, ll a ry notwithstanding, an<l that a Committee of Congress, in stdct ness, a compact; the ::ltates, as States, were par· or :.ny other uody created by it, shouhl possess judicial tics to it. ,,.e h:ttl no other ~eneral government. Hut l•,.,wcr:> cxtundlng to all cases arisiug under r esolutions of that was found insut11 cicnt., and inadequate to the public Cvngress, then the powur of ultimate decision woulcl have ex igencies. The people were n ot satisfied wl1h it, anti 1J ·en vested in Congress urHler the Confederation, althou~h underto0k to C:ltablish a better·. '!'hey uudc r·took to form that Confederation was a compact betwcuu States; and for a General Government, wltich shoultl stand on n new thL; plain reason, tlu1-t it woul1l ha vc been competent to the basil:! ; not n confcueracy, not a league, not a compact .'tales, who alone were partie:; to the compact, to agree between t,ttes, hut u. Con.-titution; a popular govcrnrrho should decide in Cili:!C8 of ull:!putc arising on the con- mcnt., founded in popular election, directly respou::~ible to Htruction of the compact. the p eople th etnselv • , and tlivirletl into l>rttnche~ with Fo1· the same rca::~on, sir, if I were now to concc<le to t.hc prescributllimlts of powur, anu prescribe<! duties. 'l'hey g'ntlemnn his principal proposition, namely, that the Con- ordained such a go vernment, thuy gave ' ' the name or otitution is a compact hetwuun ~tales, the question would u Ccm8tituticm, and th erein established & Ji~tribution of still be, what J>rovi::;ion l'! made, In thi~:~ compact, to settle power between thh:t, their General Ooverlllnent, nntllheir P""~lnt' of disputcu construction, or contested power, that several ~tate governments. When they shall hecome dis· sh·tll come into controvcrtly? Ancl this question WQuld satislled with this distribution, they can alter it. 'l'heir t1till be answered, anu conclu ivcly answered, hy the Cou· own power over their own instrument remains. llut un· sti; uti on itself. til th ey shall all cr· it, it must stand as their will. and is " "hilc the gentleman Is content! in~ a ~a in t const.ructlon, equally I.Jindiug on the G en oral Government an <.I on the h•' hilmelf i~ ctting up the mn~t loose anrldan){crous con- ~tales. ~tnr··tion. 'l'hc Constitution dcclan·~, tit at the laws of ('on.. The gentleman, sir, fln cls analogy where I sec none. r ·, vfl pct.~~<er/ in piM'NIUIIICl' o.f the ('oll.~tillttion shctll b.J He lik ens it to theca e of IJ, t~·eat.y, in w!tich, tllCt c being f 'tt w prenu l a10 of the lanrl. ' •) construction b necesstuy uo common s uperior, cacl. party must lnt crpret for him· 1, ··••· lt declares, also, with equal plainnes and preci ion, self, uudcr it:l own o bligation of goo<l faith. Hut this is t ', ''the j udicial pmoe,,· of the lJnitt•il State.~ Hlutlt eru- not a trcat.1', hut a con ·titution or government, with t"·lll to eruy cwuHtri8i11(luncler tlte trtu·B <if Co11(1re,~ll. powers to execute itself, and fultlll its llutie~. 'l'ltl-< nee<l~ no construction. H ere is a lnw, then, whi<"ll Is I admit, ~ir, that this govemment Is a g-ovcrnmcn~ or deel;treu to he supreme; and hc1·c \:; ;L power cstahllshctl checks and balances· that is the House of ltcp rcscntatlves wh i ·his to lnt~rpret that· law. Now, Hir, how has the g •u: is a check upon the '·en ate,' and the Senate Is a check on t1 ·man met tlns? up pose the Conl:!t itution to be a corn· the H ousc, :llld the President a check on l.lotlt. llut I can· pa ·t, yet h ere arc its terms; t~n<l how docs the gentleman not comprehend or if I do I totally differ from hi Ill, when g •t l'i,l of them? He cannot argue the 81'al r1l tile ooJUl, he appli l'::l t!tc n~ti~n of ch'ecks and balance::~ to the inter· 1101' the won! out of the Instrument. H cru they nrc; what terence of different governments. lie argues that if we au..,wcr docs he give to them? 'one In the world, sir ex- trau~gre~s our constitutional limits each State, as a C•!p' th_a_t the e.rrect .or. this would l'e. to place the ~t.at~s in tate, has a right to check us. Doe~' he admit the con· a c•m•hllon of mfenonty; and that 1t re~ults from the very Terse of the propo:.iLion that wu have a r·ight to check n u tre of thin!.[s, there IJcinA' no supedor·, that the parties the ' tates? 'J'he gcnl:cu;an'i:l doctrines would give us a mu~~ be thcil· own judges I 'l'ltus closely and cogently clocs strange jumule of authorities anti powers, instead ol tl.c hllnoral•le gcutlcman rcaxon on lhe words of the Cou- governments of separate a.nu tletlnc<l pow-er·s. It Is the ::.titution. ' l'he gcntlcrna.n tillys, if there he such a. power part of wi~dom I t.hink to avoid tllis · anti to keep the ot final deci ion in the General 00\'er·runent he asl,s for General Govcr;1mcnt t~nd the State' Government cnch the gran~ of that power·. Well, sir, l l:!ho.w l!i'm the grant. iu its proper· sphure, avoiding all c 1 u·cfully a~ possible I turn hun to the very wonls. I t:~how rum th11.t the laws every kin <.I of int.urfcrcnce. ot Congress are made IHiprcme; ancl that the judicial lt'inally, sir·, the honorable gentleman says, that the power extends, by CXlH'CHi:l word.~, to the Interpretation of States will 011!y interfere by their power, to preserve tl~e these laws. Instead of answcl"ing tit!~, he retreats into Constitution. 'J'hey will n'ot destroy it, !bey will not impa1r th.: general rellectlon, that it must result/rom the nat1111·e it ; they will only save they will ouly preserve, they will or thin(!.~, that the 'taLes, beiog parties, must jutlge for only strengthen it. Ah !'sir, this i~:~ but the old story. All r~; t.h~mscl ves. . . gulate<.l governments, all free govcmment.s, have. beer . I have atlnuttecl, that, If the Con~trtutlon were to he con- broken by similar tlisi.nterc::~tcd and well disposeu 10ter ilt \erctl _<~s tb? creature of tltl' !"~ate Cloverume_nts,lt might fercnce. It is the common }>retence. llut I take leav• ut:" modl1red, tnte rpn;Jtetl, or conMtrue1l a cconhng to their .. or the subject. plca.>ur•!. llut, e\•en In that ca:;e, it would be occeStiary GE~L C.A. S' XICllOLSO~ LETTER. 179 GE~. Cl \\.. ~~, 0~.. POPUL.-\.lt ~~OVEltEIGN'"fY. LKTTER TO A. 0. P. NlCIJOLS0:-1. W .\SlliNGTON, Dec. ~1, 1 "17. ~m. I have rccei vcd your letter, and t.hall an- DsAit;:, f: kly n~ it Is written. . . Bwer it.t~s tan I tl. cr· I 'Lnl in fa vor oftlre arqn t~; tlon of ", ou a ·k me. w lC 1, Hl 'w h nt are my scnll•: tt euts wi tt1 Mexican tcrnt.ory, ,tt . ' ' · tl • Wilmot Pro vr~o. regard to IC f l so explicitly st;l-tccl my ~·l o ·ws of lluwc so o.tcn lan;h' !-;en·tte th:Lt It seems ttlmo,t un· ~nheec efslsdar yq uteos tr tcopnc, a tntl ' e~n\c,:e . ' A~ you requc ·t it , !tow· . 1 Hltall briefly giveth ·m. . . ev:\· k then th:Lt no peace shoulrl he grlwtecl to~' '· " · . \.~::1 a'reaso;tahlc intlemnity i~ ohtail~l'rl .for tlt,e IIIJ II·r tco, . · he has <lone u:'l. The te rntor :tl e'(t~·ut 0 rit:s ." hi,Ch .s is in the fir:;t in~tance, a quhjl't"t or )~\.CCU· tlnslndcr~mltt·yt' 'n '!'here the Constitution Ita~ pl:tc ctl t.l \·e COntShHe reer I1t alO.m •w illing t.o leave •r t; not· on 1Y I1 e'"'Lil ·e l •,, t, an;lll confi•Jcnce in Its judicinus ex t·t-ri~t·, l~ut hcc<w~c, 1-Wl~e uever·vnrying cir cum!ltanccs of a wa ··, .'t ,,·o tt! <I hll P }I t hy a puhlic clccla ra.tinn, t0 cn rnunt the conn;!( scree • !'no of \n clemnitJ' "hich mi ~ht otl tnwlse he lcrtyl atrog endn yn s t the ohst.. mate . ~ f t • • ·otnJu~> tlc • o t tc en emy lll II rs the' conte~t with it.s l o~s of hlootl ttnd trea:urc. 0 ~~ nppenrs to me, that th' ki.nd of r~lct ;tplty!<t~a l. nw~· niroitywhich would rcject allrntlumnJiy .ttthe clo~c of .t f~ody nnd expcnl!ive war, brought on hy It dircet ntt:tck ~ 10n our troopR by the enemy, a rHl prrc: edetl hy a n~· c~s~lon or unjust acts for a :-;eric:-~ o.f year~, is ~s unwolthy of the age in which l~' e liV!'1 a~ It, i~ rC I'O)tlllg tO th~ common SE'IIHC untl practrce of rn ar~km t l. It would con _ duce hut little to our future sccunty, or, luclcc<! to out pre ent reputation, to dccla e that 1\C repudrate a ll expectation of comp ·nsation from the \f ~ xlcan Oovernment lln<lltt'e flglttinrr not for any practiCal result, l!ut for 8~1110 vaoruc pcrlt 1 aps phila11thropic ohj ect, winch eSCII)H'S my J~en~tmtion, anti m n~t h ~ clellnccl hy th ose who assume t hi'i rt ew principle of mLtwnal intcrcommun\ ctltion. All IVtt rs :Lrc to he dcprec:Lted, ILS well by the statesman as by the philanthropist. 'l'hcy Me great evils· but. there are great.cr evils th:tn th ese, :1.11tl s ubmission to Injustice is tlmong them. 'J'he n:tt ion which sh?uld rcru~e to tlcfun<l its right.:~ and Its h ono r wlwn assa~lc<l, wouic\ soon h:Lvc neither to llefen cl ; a nd, when dnvcn \o war it is Mt by professions of cli~lntcrcsteclr~ess and rleclan~tions of m;tgnauimity th<tt its mti0n:tl ObJects ca~1 b~ be~t obtained, or other nations t an~ht a l esson of fOI· beamncc-thc 1:1trongust security for permanent pca_ce We are at war with l\fcxico, and its vig rou'l p rosecution Is the snre·t me:m~ of its speedy termination, ancl a mple lndemuity the surest guaranty against the recurrence of such lnjn~tlce ns provoked it. The Wilmot Proviso has been hcfore tho country some time. H has been repeatedly di~cnf'scd In <.: o ngre~s and by the public pres!-!. I am strongly impr e~s c d wtth t.hc opinion, thnt a great change has hceu going on in the public mind upon this subject, in my own as wc~l as othm; lln<l that tlouhts are resolving th cm~<'ivc:; rnto con· vi ction~, that the principle it involves bhnulrl be kept out or the NtLtion:tl Lcgishtture, nnd left to the people of the confedcr:tcy in their r~pcctive local governments. 'l'he whole subject Is A. comprchcnsi 1·e on , nn<l frult~ul or lmport1mt consequences. It would he ill·timed to <Its· cuRs It here. I shall not. assume tha.t r ·spon ·IItle task, but 8hall confine myself to such general -views n.s arc necessa: ·y to the fair exhibition of my opinion. We may w(')l rcgr •t the exist ·nee of Sla\·ory in the ~outhern 'tate~, anrl wl h they hn.cl been sa.verl from Its mtroducti11o. llut tlwrc it Is not hy the net of the present generation; and we lllust dc'al with It as n grea.t pr~Uca.l question, Involving the moRt mornrntous ron!-lcrptcnrcs. .we have nerthcr the right n or t.h' power to touch tt where tt ex!Mts; anti if we had bot.h their cxcrci>~e hy any means heretofore suggested might len.d t0 re~:mlts which no wlso man would willinl-(ly 'encounter a.nd which no good ma.n could contempl:tte without :tnxl•ty. 'l'hc theory of our Government prcsuppos~s thltt Its yarlouij members h1wc rc!lct·ve<l to thcm~;elvcs the reguinhon or all ~uhjccts relating to wlutt may he tennr•cl thl'ir lnterD9J pollc~. 'l'hey arc sover •lgn \VItltln Uu!h· houndarics, e:tcept In those cases where they han· surremlcred to the Oeneml Government a portion or their rit.(ht~, in order to give ctrc?t to the objects of the Union, whethl'r these con· ooru foreign natious or the several Jtat t•s themselves. Lo-calln~ li~utions, If I may so speak, whether they have rc· fercnce to :-Ia very or to nny other relations, liomesllc or p uhlic, :\ rc ldt to loc:llallthority, either orlf,rinal or dcrlv1~· llvu. Congress has no rl~ht to ~ay there shall be Slan:ry in New· York or that th •rc shall IJc no Slavery iu Georgia ; nor i.s there ~ny otltl.!r human power, !Jut the people of those ~latcs, rel:lpcctivel.v, which can c~w.ngc th~ relu.t l o ~s c xi~ling the rein; u.tul they can say, 1f they Will, '! e "ill ha\'c Hl:tv t.:ry In Lite former, 1111(1 we will u.l>olisb it 10 tht; latter. Iu ,·al'lou~ r·espects, the 'l'erritorics differ from t.he, tat.cs. Rome of their ri .,hts aru inchoate nnd they do not PO:-H'.sl L!tc pcc ulinr :~tt;illllte~ of ~ovcrclgnty. '!'heir rel~Ltion to tht.: Uenl·r:tl Uovcrmnent IS very imperfectly de1med by tltu <.:o n~lituti o n ; nnd it will be found, upon exn.llllnatlvu, tlmt. 111 that in~trument the only gra.nt of power concern· ing them is cOilVt.:YCii in the phrase, "Congress shall have tln· power to dbl!Osu of and !nakc all nce<lful rulus .a.nd n·· 1-(Ulations re~pt•ctmg the tcrntory and otl.Jcr property lJtlon~ ing to the l ' uitcd 'tales." Certainly thls phraseology i~ v'cry Joo:-~e , If it were dutJigncd to Include In the ~rnut the wholu pvwcr of lcgi.slation over persons, as well Wi thing-;. 'l'he c xpres~lon, tho "tenltory antl other pro· perty," fairi.Y construed, rcl;ttes to t!to puullc ln.n<ls, a.s uch · t.o a rsen:Lis docky:trds forts, slups, a nd n.ll the va~ ious'kinds of pr~pcrty whlc~ the United ~tatcs may unci IUUSl [lOS~ l' SS . Uut tturl'ly the simple authority to cli8po.so of ancl 1'<'(fl"" l ,tft3 these docs not •xterul t.o the uniltrute<.l powur of kgl~lat ion ; to the passa~e of :~ll lrtwll, In th~ most genc:al ·tccephtion of thu worcl winch, by the by, IS ca refully c ~· ~lu<lcd' from the sentenc'e. And, indeed, !f. this were~>~, lt woulcl render unnecessary a nother prov1sron of th7 <.:oust itution which ~rants to Congress the power to )(•grsl tic, with the 'consent. of the States, rcspcclivcly, ~ver all placet~ purcltasetl for the " erection of forts, ma.gazmcs, arbl'llail:l, dockyards," etc. 'l'hese being the ",J>rop e_rty" ?f .tLc u it e<l Shtcs If the vower to make needtul rul es a u<l r~~ulatio~s co'nccm ing" them Include~ the gCt: er:ll ~\~wcr of leglsl:Ltlon, then the grant of authon~y to rcgu! .t~~ . the t •rritory and other prop •rt.y of the Ulllt.cd St:Lte::!. Is unl~ oitcd, whcruvcr suhjects :u·~ found for 1ts opcr:t t10n, :tnt~ its exercise needed no nuxrlhtry provi::;ion. 1 r,. on _Ute other: h;tiltl it docs not Include such power of legL'lhttJo~ over the "'other property" of tho United tates, then lt docs not incluclo it over their" territory i "./~~· ~~~~ ~; ;~m,~ terms which gr:Utt the one grant the other. 1 tH J il~n !I Is here cl a~scd with property, and treated as suc!1, _ ~ nd the ohject was evidently to enable the Gencr~l G_onrumcnt. ' L::I a propcrty·hohler-which, from ~eces~rty, tt. mu:;t 0 , t'o 'rnanage preserve anti" d i.~po.qo oj" such prop( rt v a~lt might po!l;ess, ltn<l which authority i:! essential al.n~o~~ to its being. llut the lives nnd per~:~ons of our ~ltlz~.ns: ith. the v·tst v ·trlety of objects connected with them, ( ,w wot be co~troll~d hy nn authority which is me rely calle<1 ~1to cxl~:~tencc for the purpose of m:~king t•tdeB a;ulift'£(1!:. lationtJ f or the rlispo~>itio n anr1manaoeme1~ o 1Jr p~~:ft~ It appcar·s to me, wottll~ be the constructlo? rut upon dthl provl~ion of the Consttt~lion, were tb..i:! qt~~.~\:~~ now first presented for conslderallou, .a~d not cllou I ~ t f im crlous circumstances. 'J'he ongmal or m~n "~ o ~~~c c~ngress of the Conf •deration, P.a ·se~l in _17o7 t ~~~~ which was the only net upon tlti:l . sulJJect m for cc a .. adoption of the Constitution, pro'·.r~le<lf ~b~o~l~l~t~vl~;j~~~ of ovcrnmcnt for tho country norll o , . . in a t~rrltorl:~l tcon1clittiot~'ca~~~~~o~ it~~~ct~~u~~~~::::~11~;1°~1.~t scpa.mte ta es n o 1 • •• • 11 tl >cc~sary tillli ordinnnce contained wltlun ltse;r <.luany l~~~~~t ref~rmeans of execution, prohnhly pr:cv~~ne furth er than vest,. cncc to the subj ect hll ~l~et Co~~~~~~~t~e States formed under lng in Congress the r g l o a m tnnces arose which it Into the U nto~. ll owcve(, cl~~uth~ territory nr;l'lh of rcrlulreu lcglslatronti ns ;~~~~it~l; both wilhln ~~nd wit hout the Ohlo1 as over o 10 ~d <I to u:e Gcnern.l Government, the orlgrnn.l Union, cc e rc enlarged power has ltt•en and, at va.nous tlmesJ ,n .~·~ories-roenning therchy the exercised ove~ the 1(/ 1 t, nments _than Is convt.:y tli dilferent 'l'crntorlal over 1 to llow far au ex~l ing by the limited gmot ref~r~~~ ln. prouucing this lt>!(ldlancccsslty may IH~ve ~kern by rather a violent lmpllcat! on, a.ntl thu~o~x~~~~ctl~' t,riven, 1 know not. llut cer· ~~~~·lifswt~::t the principle of lnterfcronce should noL bo |