paraphrase: The Supreme Court held that the Fourth Amendment's protections against unreasonable searches and seizures only apply to actions taken by state agents and do not directly limit the actions of federal agents. The Court reasoned that the Fourth Amendment, by its language, applies only to actions of "persons" and "the people," which has been interpreted to exclude the federal government. Additionally, the Court cited previous case law and historical context to support its interpretation that the Fourth Amendment does not restrict federal agents' actions. Therefore, McDowell's seizure of the papers without a warrant did not violate the Fourth Amendment