The  resolutions  introduced  by  the  gentleman
were  apparently  drawn   up  with   care,  and
brought  forward  upon  deliberation.     I  shall
not  be  in  danger,  therefore,  of  misunderstand-
ing him,  or  those  who  agree  with  him,  if  I  pro-
ceed at  once  to  these  resolutions,  and  consider
them  as  an  authentic  statement  of  those  opin-
ions, upon  ^e  great  constitutional  question,  by
which  the  recent  proceedings  in  South  Oarolina
are  iittempted  to  be  Justified.
These  resolutions  are  three  in  number.
The  third  seems  intended  to  Enumerate,  and
^to  deny,  the  several  opinions  expressed  in  the
^President's  proclamation,  respecting  the  nature
and  powers  of  this  Government.    Of  this  third
resolution,  I  propose  at  present  to  take  no  par-
ticular notice.
The  first  two  resolutions  of  the  honorable
member  affirm  these  propositions,  viz. :

1.  That  the  political  system  under  which  we
live,  and  under  which  Congress  is  now  assem-
bled, is  a  compact,  to  which  the  people  of  the
several  States,  as  separate  and  sovereign  com-
monities,  arc  the  parties.
2.  That  these  sovereign  parties  have  a  right
to  judge,  each  for  itself,  of  any  alleged  violation
of  the  constitution  by  Congress ;  and^  in  case
of  such  violation,  to  choose,  each  for  itself,  its
own  mode  and  measure  of  redress.
The  first  resolution  declares  that  the  people
of  the  several  States  **  acceded  *'  to  the  consti-
totion,  or  to  the  constitutional  compact,  as  it
is  called.  This  word  "accede,'^  not  found
either  in  the  oonstitution  itself^  or  in  the  ratifi-
cation of  it  by  any  one  of  the  States,  has  been
chosen  for  use  here,  doubtiess  not  without  a
well  considered  purpose.
