STATE DOCUMENTS

ON

FEDERAL RELATIONS:

The States and the United States.

EDITED BY

HERMAN V. AMES, Ph.D.

"Almost every State in the Union in turn declared its own sovereignty, and denounced as almost treasonable, similar declarations in other cases by other States."

ALEXANDER JOHNSTON.

In view of the fact that so few of the resolutions of State Legislatures, and other official documents of the various States illustrative of their relations with the Federal Government, are accessible to the general reader, it is believed that the publication of a series of selections from these important but little used documents will be a welcome addition to the illustrative material upon the History of the United States.

The series will comprise typical documents covering the official action of various States in different sections of the country relative to the chief political and constitutional issues in our history, with especial reference to the doctrine of" State Rights."

Nearly all the documents selected are at present to be found only in the official publications of the States or Federal Government, or contemporary prints, and therefore have been available hitherto only to a few. It is proposed to publish these selections, arranged chronologically, in a series of numbers paged continuously, so that when completed the several numbers may be bound in one volume.

1. Interpretation of the Constitution during the First Two Decades of its History. 1789-1809. 44 pages.

2. State Rights and the War of 1812. 1809-1815. 44 pages.

3. The Reserved Rights of the States and the Jurisdiction of Federal Courts. 1819-1832. 44 pages.

4. The Tariff and Nullification. 1820-1833. 60 pages.

5. Slavery and the Constitution.

Resolutions of the States repre

senting various phases of the Controversy. To follow.

New numbers are subject to modification, and additional numbers may be added. Price, for Numbers 1, 2, and 3, 30 cents each; Number 4, 35 cents; or subscription for five numbers, $1.25.

Address,

THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY,

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,

PHILADELPHIA, PA

ardent desire to preserve the peace and harmony of our common country-relying upon the sense of justice of the people of each and every State in the Union, as a sufficient pledge that their Representatives in Congress, will so modify the acts laying duties and imposts on the importation of foreign commodites, commonly called the Tariff Acts, that they will no longer furnish cause of complaint to the people of any particular State; believing, accordingly, that the people of South Carolina are mistaken in supposing that Congress will yield them no relief from the pressure of those acts, especially as the auspicious approach of the extinguishment of the public debt affords a just ground for the indulgence of a contrary expectation; and confident that they are too strongly attached to the union of the States, to resort to any proceedings which might dissolve or endanger it, whilst they have any fair hope of obtaining their object by more regular and peaceful measures; persuaded, also, that they will listen willingly and respectfully to the voice of Virginia, earnestly and affectionately requesting and entreating them to rescind or suspend their late Ordinance, and await the result of a combined and strenuous effort of the friends of union and peace, to affect an adjustment and reconciliation of all public differences now unhappily existing; regarding, moreover, an appeal to force on the part of the General Government, or on the part of the Government of South Carolina, as a measure which nothing but extreme necessity could justify or excuse in either; but, apprehensive at the same time, that if the present state of things is allowed to continue, acts of violence will occur, which may lead to consequences that all would deplore, cannot but deem it a solemn duty to interpose and mediate between the high contending parties, by the declaration of their opinions and wishes, which they trust that both will consider and respect. Therefore,

1. Resolved, by the General Assembly, in the name and on behalf of the people of Virginia, That the competent authorities of South Carolina be, and they are hereby earnestly and respectfully requested and entreated to rescind the Ordinance of the late Convention of that State, entitled "An Ordinance to Nullify certain Acts of the Congress of the United States, purporting to be laws laying duties and imposts on the importation of foreign

commodities;" or, at least to suspend its operation until the close of the first session of the next Congress.

2. Resolved, That the Congress of the United States be, and they are hereby earnestly and respectfully requested and entreated, so to modify the Acts laying duties and imposts on the importation of foreign commodities, commonly called the Tariff Acts, as to effect a gradual but speedy reduction of the resulting revenue of the General Government, to the standard of the necessary and proper expenditure for the support thereof.

3. Resolved, That the people of Virginia expect, and in the opinion of the General Assembly, the people of the other States have a right to expect, that the General Government, and the Government of South Carolina, and all persons acting under the authority of either, will carefully abstain from any and all acts whatever, which may be calculated to disturb the tranquility of the country, or endanger the existence of the Union.

AND WHEREAS, considering the opinions whlch have been advanced, and maintained by the Convention of South Carolina, in its late Ordinance and Addresses, on the one hand, and by the President of the United States, in his Proclamaton, bearing date the 10th day of December, 1832, on the other, the General Assembly deem it due to themselves, and the people whom they represent, to declare and make known their own views in relation to some of the important and interesting questions which these papers present. Therefore,

4. Resolved by the General Assembly, That they continue to regard the doctrines of State Sovereignty and State Rights, as set forth in the Resolutions of 1798, and sustained by the Report thereon of 1799, as a true interpretation of the Constitution of the United States, and of the powers therein given to the General Government; but that they do not consider them as sanctioning the proceedings of South Carolina, indicated in her said Ordinance; nor as countenancing all the principles assumed by the President in his said Proclamation--many of which are in direct conflict with them.

5. Resolved, That this House will, by joint vote with the Senate, proceed on this day to elect a Commissioner, whose duty it shall be to proceed immediately to South Carolina, and commu