new nation and in their capacity as its citizens, should grant to its government, the only government of those citizens of America, definite and enumerated _national_ powers to interfere with their individual freedom; and that--probably the most important and the least remembered feature of the whole proposal--all other possible national powers over themselves, as citizens of America, should be reserved exclusively to themselves and be exercised or granted by them alone, “in the only manner in which they can act safely, _effectively_, and wisely, _on such a subject_, by assembling in Convention.” (Marshall, in the Supreme Court, M’Culloch v. Maryland, 4 _Wheat._ 316.) We have not forgotten that these Americans, to whom that proposal was made, did act upon it in that only _effective_ way, by assembling in their conventions. To the formation of a league, such as was the Confederation, the state sovereignties were certainly competent. But when, “in order to form a more perfect Union,” it was deemed necessary to change this alliance into an effective government, possessing great and sovereign powers, and acting directly on the people, the necessity of referring it to the people, _and of deriving its powers directly from them_, was felt and acknowledged by all. The government of the Union, then, (whatever may be the influence of this fact on the case,) is, emphatically, and truly, a government of the people. In form and in substance it emanates from them. _Its powers are granted by them_, and are to be exercised directly on them, and for their benefit. (Marshall, M’Culloch v. Maryland, 4 _Wheat._ 316.) In view of the startling fact that _our_ leaders and “constitutional” lawyers have neither felt nor acknowledged the necessity that _new_ national powers of that government, new powers to interfere directly with the individual freedom of _its_ citizens, must be derived “directly” from those citizens, in the only effective way in which they can act, on such a subject, by assembling in their conventions, it is the duty of ourselves, the average American citizens of this generation, to insist that _they_ learn this legal fact. When _they_ shall have learned what all Americans once knew, the freedom of the American individual will be as secure as it was in 1790. No legislature, no matter whence comes a suggestion to the contrary, will dare to issue any command except to its own citizens, and only to them in matters on which those citizens have granted power to that legislature to command them.