WEBSTER
the Constitution, and it brought ruin to her doors.
Thousands of families, and hundreds of thou-
sands of individuals, were beggared by it. "While
she saw and felt all this, she saw and felt also
that, as a measure of national policy, it was perfectly futile; that the country was in no way
benefited by that which caused so much individual distress ; that it was efficient only for the production of evil, and all that evil inflicted on
ourselves. In such a case, under such circumstances, how did Massachusetts demean herself?
Sir, she remonstrated, she memorialized, she ad-
dressed herself to the general government, not
exactly "with the concentrated energy of
passion," but with her own strong sense, and
the energy of sober conviction.)
But she did not interpose the arm of her own
power to arrest the law and break the embargo.
Far from it. Her principles bound her to two
things, and she followed her principles, lead
where they might: first, to submit to every constitutional law of Congress; and secondly, if
the constitutional validity of the law be doubted
to refer that question to the decision of the proper tribunals. The first principle is vain and ineffectual without the second. A majority of us
in New England believed the embargo law unconstitutional; but the great question was, and
always will be in such cases, Who is to decide
this? Who is to judge between the people and
the government? And, sir, it is quite plain that
the Constitution of the United States confers
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