individual Sovereignty, was yielded to the general Government, that is yielded to themselves collectively; and in the most ample manner and form, with full powers to enforce and sustain their undivided integrity, from foreign attack, and internal aberration. Not only was every State right made sacred, but vast additional powers and influences were guaranteed to them for ever;-a free press, a full share of representation in both houses of Congress, to guard the general and local interests of each State, and the free instructions to them in the Councils of the nation. The Senators from each State control the President in all our foreign relations, and in his nominations to office, both civil and military, which appertain to the Government of the United States. Are these things, and a thousand more," the giving away of State Rights?" Each State now stands erect, as a mighty column, “consolidated" in the fabric of Union, and is protected by the whole power of it! That which injures one State, must injure all; and no unjust or unequal law can be long sustained, having such tendency, if it be possible to afford relief; and be assured Sir, that none of the states would yield their proud original, present eclat, and elevation in the eye of the world, (and their own united power,) for all the individual state Sovereignty blessings you now seek to renew as under the old confederation. Suppose, Sir, that, by your influence and that of others, any state should be led to commence operations on the ground of its Sovereignty!-The first step would be individual and state perjury; and the line of march through Rebellion and Treason against the Sovereignty of the Union. I will only express an opinion here, by way of answer, which is, that not only every other State in the Union would instantly proclaim its interdiction against such individual authority, but that the united Sovereign people of such State, themselves would speedily arrest and settle the matter with the aspirants; and without a single effort of the general Government; as I have the best reasons to believe, old Connecticut would have done during the late war, on the first overt act of treason, or rebellion against the union, and I also believe that the people of Georgia and South Carolina would do the same, at this moment! It will be found that, the toil and labour of our revolution is not to be triffled with by a few daring and desperate individuals. To proceed, the convention having finished the work assigned to them, by their separate state Sovereignties, did on the 17th day of September, 1787,-“Re"solve, that the preceeding Constitution be laid before "the United States in Congress assembled, and that "it is the opinion of this Convention that it should af"terwards be submitted to a Convention of delegates “chosen in each state, by the people thereof, under the "recommendation of its Legislature, for their assent "and ratification." In conformity to this resolution the Convention finally closed their labours, by the following (in part recited) address to the President of Congress. Sir, "We have now the honor to submit to the "consideration of the United States in Congress as"sembled, that Constitution which has appeared to us "the most advisable," "The friends of our country have long seen and "desired, that the power of making War, Peace and "Treaties, that of levying money and regulating "commerce, and the correspondent executive and ju"dicial authorities should be fully and effectually ves“ted in the general government of the Union. It is OB"VIOUSLY IMPRACTICABLE, in the federal government "of these states, to secure all rights of Independent Sovereignty to each and yet provide for the interests "and safety of all." 66 "In all our deliberations on this subject we kept "steadily in our view, that which appears to us the "greatest interest of every true American, the CON"SOLIDATION of our Union, in which is involved our "prosperity, felicity, safety, perhaps our national exist 66 ence. This important consideration, seriously and "deeply impressed on our minds, led each state, in the "Convention to be less rigid on points of inferior mag nitude, then might have been otherwise expected. "That it may promote the lasting welfare of that Country so dear to us all, and secure her freedom and happiness, is our most ardent wish." With great respect, Sept. 17th, 1787. We have the honor to be, Sir, Your Excellency's most By unanimous order of the His Excellency, the President of Congress. The Convention having thus recapitulated the main principles of the Constitution, in the plain simple language of it, and then, understood both by natives and foreigners in the same common sense way; and on the faith of which they entered into treaties with us as a "consolidated" and united people. Sir, you have laboured hard and long, and wholly against the OBVIOUS CURRENT OF FACTS, and with evident perplexity to your own mind, in endeavours to prove the fallacy of a continued existence, under our present Constitution, of a plurality of independent Sovereignties, as under the old Confederation; when, Sir, to redeem the dread consequences in that state of things, (as proved in No. 3,) became the sole cause of calling the convention by the people of the Sovereign States! The Convention also declares it "obviously im"practicable, in the federal Government of these "States, to secure all the rights of independent "sovereignty to each, and yet provide for the inter"est and safety of all." Here the Convention affirms the abolition of the State Sovereignties, as an act of plain common sense necessity, and to avoid a downright absurdity, from their having "consolida ted" the Sovereign power in the whole people of the States collectively; and who, by their several independent State Conventions, consented to be clothed with every attribute of power, denominated supreme, and as appertains to every other Government on earth; when each state, then relinquished its individual Sovereignty, and in good faith, proceeded so to alter and conform their several State Constitutions accordingly. If the State Sovereignties had been reserved, would they have failed to mention it in their State Constitutions? or in that of the United States? Surely, Sir, those sacred instruments, and specially the old thirteen, and those since formed, would have been made the depositories of so sacred a reservation! I am, Yours, &c. BENJ. ROMAINE. SIR, STATE SOVEREIGNTY, AND A CERTAIN DISSOLUTION OF THE UNION. No. 6. Our general government is not now a compact, contract, bargain or compromise, between twentyfour independent states Sovereignties; that compact has been had, and settled. It is now a government in fact, holding command, and by order of the whole people, of all the energies of supreme power over the Union, to enforce and sustain its undivided integrity. It cannot now turn to the right hand nor to the left, until it be forced into a display of the peo ples power, by some overt act, of daring obstruction to its straight forward, constitutional course. If the executive arm shall fail, or refuse to enforce the supreme laws, or other misdemeanor, or tumultuous excitement, then will the peoples' resrved power, through THEIR immediate representatives, in the Congress of the United States, resume the execu tive command, and impeach such delinquent, at the Bar of the Nation; whether it be the President, the Vice President, or other individual who may be called to exercise the Executive Authority; Then, Sir, will the supreme judiciary preside, and the Senate of the United States, the immediate representatives of the states, as states collectively, try and adjudge such delinquent, in conformity to the Sacred Charter of Union. The Governor of Connecticut, on the request of Mr. Jefferson, then President of the United States, to have, I think, 437 men from that state, to enable him to enforce the law of Embargo on that coast, was denied by the Governor, declaring "the law of the United States to be unconstitutional! yes UNCONSTITUTIONAL as the tariff laws are now also declared to be by the Vice President of the United States!" I have often thought, and do now believe, that if Mr. Jefferson had enforced the law of Embargo, in Connecticut at that time by Continental Troops, or had only called on the people of Connecticut, that 437 naked steels, both Federal and Republican, would have leaped from their seaboards to sustained him, in support of the general government. In such case, we should never have had the late and leading resolves of the scholars of that notorious Englishman, and noted monarchist, President Cooper (already mentioned) of South Carolina College, nor of the Colleton, and present resolutions of South Carolina; and now led on by their leaders, governor and all, to the borders of rebellion, in their opposition to the TARIFF LAWS! President Jackson will shortly be put to the test, as respects his courage and veracity, in the execution of the laws of the United States, in South Carolina; or in some Southern Convention about to be raised up, and in opposition to the Union, over which he now presides. Respecting the Hartford Convention in 1814, at the East, it has been repeatedly declared and never denied, that General Jackson, affirmed, that if he had |