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Wick, William W : The Union--Its Dangers--Progress. Speech of Hon. W. W. Wick, of Indiana, in the House of Representatives, Thursday, June 20, 1848. In Committee of the Whole on the State of the Union

Original publisher's beige paper wrappers. Text printed in black ink. No date, circa 1848. 5 3/4" x 9." Seven pages, complete. Pages are clean and intact except for light age toning throughout, small occasional spots of foxing or discoloration, a few small dampstains limited to margins along spine, and moderate chipping and splitting along spine. A Very Good copy. A speech that was originally delivered before the United States House of Representatives on June 20, 1848 by William W. Wick (1796-1868), an American lawyer, judge, and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1839-1841 and 1845-1849 and the 2nd Secretary of State of Indiana from 1825-1829. He was a Democrat. This speech is about which powers are granted by the Constitution to the federal government and which ones are granted to the states. He begins with a critique against Federalism and the trend of federal government to act on powers that may (but are not guaranteed to) be granted by the Constitution. Wick argues that the overreach of federal government is the primary danger to the Union. He vehemently states, "Were I ... to point out the causes to be apprehended, as tending to produce the final and fatal catalepsy of the Republic, I would ... designate .... with assured certainty, the exercise, with reference to internal affairs, by the General Government, of powers neither expressly granted to it by the letter of the Constitution, nor of necessity, to be inferred therefrom." He discusses instances in which the federal government acted unconstitutional by exercising powers not granted by the Constitution. For example, he says the Constitution does not confer power to the federal government to charter a bank but argues that it did. Wick also denounces the Tariff of 1844, which he uses as another example of federal overreach, and commends the Tariff of 1846 which replaced the previous one. Wick also speaks on the subject of free trade. He continues and adamantly states he is against the federal government being in charge of "internal improvements" or public works projects. Wick similarly opposed the River and Harbor Bill. He argues that infrastructure projects should never be overseen by federal government because it is located too far away from the projects and thus costs more money. He also states his constituents were not interested in the improvements proposed by the River and Harbor Bill. Wick expresses his support of President James K. Polk for using the executive veto power to stop passage of this bill. Wick also contends that the sovereignty of U.S. territories rests with the people, not Congress. Ultimately, Wick argues that the federal government has exercised powers that are granted to the states and advocates for reduced federal authority.. Book. Book Condition: Very Good. Binding: Soft cover

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