fundamental political truth that all power is derived from the people.
As these and all new forms of Government which recognize principles,
never reduced to practice until the period of our illustrious
Revolution must be in their nature experiments, the provision of a
peaceable and constitutional remedy for such defects as experience may
point out, is with great propriety established in our State and
National Governments.--The citizens of this Commonwealth, have lately
discovered their acquiescence under their Constitution as it now
stands. But it still remains recorded in our declaration of rights,
that the people alone have an incontestible, unalienable and
indefeasible right to institute government; & to reform, alter, or
totally change the same when their protection, safety, prosperity and
happiness require it. And the Federal Constitution, according to the
mode prescribed therein has already undergone such amendments in
several parts of it, as from experience has been judged necessary.

The Government of the United States is entrusted solely with such
powers as regard our safety as a nation; and all powers not given to
Congress by the Constitution remain in the individual States and the
people. In all good Governments the Legislative, Executive and
Judiciary powers are confined within the limits of their respective
Departments. If therefore it should be found that the Constitutional
rights of our federal and local Governments should on either side be
infringed, or that either of the Departments aforesaid should interfere
with another, it will, if continued, essentially alter the
Constitution, and may in time, I hope far distant, be productive of
such convulsions as may shake the political ground upon which we now
happily stand.

Under these impressions, I cannot forbear to mention to you a subject