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JOURNAL OF THE SENATE. 39
the duties of the Gubernatorial office. At such a moment I should be
unjust to my own feelings, were I not to express, in a becoming manner,
my gratitude for the honorable distinction conferred upon me by the voters of Missouri. To be the recipient of public favor, and to be elevated, by the suffrages of freemen, to so distinguished an office, is an honor
at all times most flattering in its character.
In contemplating the various duties, alike arduous and responsible,
now devolved upon me, I must acknowledge a conscious want of experience, and of that high order of qualifications, requisite not only for a
satisfactory discharge of those duties, but even for aright comprehension
of them in all their complicated and multiform details. I enter upon the
discharge of the duties of this important trust, however, with a firm reliance on that Being, who, in all ages of the world hath inclined the hearts
of men to virtuous actions, and strengthened their hands to meet the responsibilities of their various positions; looking to Him to overrule all
errors, and give efficiency to all efforts for the public good. I shall confidently rely, also upon the General Assembly, for its co- operation in the
inception and consummation of such measures as may be required to
secure the prosperity and happiness of the people.
It has become a custom for executive officers, when entering upon the
discharge of their duties, to give an outline of the principles by which
they will be governed in their official conduct. Indeed a strict regard
for the right of the people to govern themselves, requires that those
principles should always be made known in the canvass, so that the voters may determine the policy of the State, and decide by what system
of laws public affairs shall be administered. Happily, the principles
which I consider ought to be sacredly observed in the administration of
the government, have been so plainly laid down by our republican fathers, that we are required only to apply them faithfully to existing circumstances.
' The Federal Government, the operations of w< ich affect largely the
interests of this, and every other State in the confederacy, will never,
if confined within the limits marked out by the constitution, cause the
least injury to any of the various pursuits or rights of the American
people^ It is a government, of strictly limited powers, granted to it \ y
the States in their independent, sovereign capacity. Its authority therefore is not original, but delegated; and extends only so far as the constitution prescribes. The powers ceded to it are expressly enumerated,
and were bestowed for the accomplishment of those purposes which
could not be effectually secured by the separate action ot the States.
Here then is a government presented, and we are relieved from looking farther for the sources of its power, than to the instrument which is
the basis of its existence. I acknowledge the supremacy of this government, in all the powers given, or duties enjoined by the constitution,
but will not assei.t to implied authority for any purpose, however plausible. It was well understood in the convention which framed the Federal Constitution, and by the States which originally ratified it, that the
exercise of any authority, other than that mentioned, would be a violation of the letter^and spirit of the compact, and an unjust encroachment
upon the reserved rights of the various members of the confederacy.
It may not be improper, in consideration of recent events, to state that
Object Description
| Title | 1848 Senate Journal, First Session |
| Title.Alternative | Journal of the Senate of the State of Missouri, First Session of the 15th General Assembly, Jefferson City, Missouri, December 25, 1848 |
| Collection Name | Missouri State Archives Senate Journals Collection |
| Creator | Missouri Senate |
| Subject.LCSH | Bank of Missouri; Boundary disputes--Missouri; Budget--Missouri; Debts, Public--Missouri; Edwards, John Cummins (1804-1888); King, Austin Augustus (1802-1870); Martin, Faulkland Heard (1804-1856); Militia--Missouri; Missouri Governor's Mansion (Jefferson City, Mo.); Missouri. Senate; Missouri State Penitentiary; Politics and government--Missouri; Price, Thomas Lawson (1809-1870); Slavery--Missouri |
| Subject.Local | Iowa--Missouri boundary; Property rights--Women--Missouri; Social conditions--Missouri--1848 |
| Description | First Session |
| Date | 1848 |
| Date.Digital | 2012-11-14 |
| Publisher | Missouri General Assembly |
| Publisher.Digital | Missouri State Archives |
| Type | Journal |
| Format | JPEG2000 |
| Language | eng |
| Coverage | Missouri |
| Source | 27A/1/5 |
| Rights | Copyright is in the public domain. |
| Preferred Citation | Preferred citation: Journal of the [House or Senate], [Number] General Assembly, [Regular, Special] Session, Year range [1999-2000], page [number], General Assembly, Record Group 550, Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City. |
| Copy Request | Email: archref@sos.mo.gov |
| Note | Due to a printing error, portions of the Appendix were inserted into the body of the Journal. This has been left in place. Original pagination has been retained. Indices located at the back of each journal retain their own page number. Pagination may vary from volume to volume. Blank pages have not been digitized. Images are the best available. |
Description
| Title | Page 39 |
| Identifier | 1848SJFS00000041.TIF |
| Transcript | JOURNAL OF THE SENATE. 39 the duties of the Gubernatorial office. At such a moment I should be unjust to my own feelings, were I not to express, in a becoming manner, my gratitude for the honorable distinction conferred upon me by the voters of Missouri. To be the recipient of public favor, and to be elevated, by the suffrages of freemen, to so distinguished an office, is an honor at all times most flattering in its character. In contemplating the various duties, alike arduous and responsible, now devolved upon me, I must acknowledge a conscious want of experience, and of that high order of qualifications, requisite not only for a satisfactory discharge of those duties, but even for aright comprehension of them in all their complicated and multiform details. I enter upon the discharge of the duties of this important trust, however, with a firm reliance on that Being, who, in all ages of the world hath inclined the hearts of men to virtuous actions, and strengthened their hands to meet the responsibilities of their various positions; looking to Him to overrule all errors, and give efficiency to all efforts for the public good. I shall confidently rely, also upon the General Assembly, for its co- operation in the inception and consummation of such measures as may be required to secure the prosperity and happiness of the people. It has become a custom for executive officers, when entering upon the discharge of their duties, to give an outline of the principles by which they will be governed in their official conduct. Indeed a strict regard for the right of the people to govern themselves, requires that those principles should always be made known in the canvass, so that the voters may determine the policy of the State, and decide by what system of laws public affairs shall be administered. Happily, the principles which I consider ought to be sacredly observed in the administration of the government, have been so plainly laid down by our republican fathers, that we are required only to apply them faithfully to existing circumstances. ' The Federal Government, the operations of w< ich affect largely the interests of this, and every other State in the confederacy, will never, if confined within the limits marked out by the constitution, cause the least injury to any of the various pursuits or rights of the American people^ It is a government, of strictly limited powers, granted to it \ y the States in their independent, sovereign capacity. Its authority therefore is not original, but delegated; and extends only so far as the constitution prescribes. The powers ceded to it are expressly enumerated, and were bestowed for the accomplishment of those purposes which could not be effectually secured by the separate action ot the States. Here then is a government presented, and we are relieved from looking farther for the sources of its power, than to the instrument which is the basis of its existence. I acknowledge the supremacy of this government, in all the powers given, or duties enjoined by the constitution, but will not assei.t to implied authority for any purpose, however plausible. It was well understood in the convention which framed the Federal Constitution, and by the States which originally ratified it, that the exercise of any authority, other than that mentioned, would be a violation of the letter^and spirit of the compact, and an unjust encroachment upon the reserved rights of the various members of the confederacy. It may not be improper, in consideration of recent events, to state that |
