And, finally, the people of the United States
have at no time, in no way, directly or indirectly, authorized any State
legislature to construe or interpret their high instrument of
government; much less to interfere by their own power to arrest its
course and operation.
I have thus stated the reasons of my dissent to the doctrines which have
been advanced and maintained. I am conscious of having detained you and
the Senate much too long. I was drawn into the debate with no previous
deliberation, such as is suited to the discussion of so grave and
important a subject. But it is a subject of which my heart is full, and
I have not been willing to suppress the utterance of its spontaneous
sentiments. I cannot, even now, persuade myself to relinquish it,
without expressing once more my deep conviction that, since it respects
nothing less than the union of the states, it is of most vital and
essential importance to public happiness.
I profess, sir, in my career hitherto to have kept steadily in view the
prosperity and honor of the whole country, and the preservation of our
Federal Union.
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