Section 16 On general principles of law and reason, the treaties, so called, which purport to be entered into with other nations by persons calling themselves ambassadors, secretaries, presidents, and senators of the United States, in the name and in the behalf of the people of the United States, are of no validity.
These so-called ambassadors, secretaries, presidents, and senators, who claim to be the agents of the people of the United States, for making these treaties, can show no open, written, or other authentic evidence that either the whole people of the United States, or any other open, avowed, responsible body of men calling themselves by that name, ever authorized these pretended ambassadors and others to make treaties in the name of, or binding upon, anyone of the people of the United States.
or any other avowed responsible body of men calling themselves by that name ever authorized
these pretended ambassadors, secretaries, and others, in their name and behalf, to recognize
certain other persons, calling themselves emperors, kings, queens, and the like, as
the rightful rulers, sovereigns, masters, or representatives of the different peoples
whom they assume to govern, to represent, and to bind.
The nations, as they are called, with whom our pretended ambassadors, secretaries, presidents,
and senators profess to make treaties, are as much myths as our own.
On general principles of law and reason, there are no such nations.
That is to say, neither the whole people of England, for example, nor any open, avowed,
responsible body of men calling themselves by that name, ever by any open, written, or
or other authentic contract with each other, formed themselves into a bona fide, legitimate
association or organization, or authorized any king, queen, or other representative to
make treaties in their name, or to bind them, either individually or as an association by
such treaties.
Our pretended treaties, then, being made with no legitimate or bona fide nations or representative
of nations, and being made, on our part, by persons who have no legitimate authority to
to act for us have intrinsically no more validity than a pretended treaty made by the man and
the moon with the king of the Pleiades.