Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1833-03-15

ARTICLES as artlcteB OF perpetual uhio", '"e wv wv"
come together for the frst time; and, therefore,
they did not speak Of the States as accedinS to
the confederation, although it was league, anu
nothing but a league, and rested on nothing but
plichted faith for its performance. Yet, even
then the States were not strangers to each other;
there was bond Of Union already snbsis'ing he.
tween them; they were associated. Umted States;
and the object Of the confederation was to make
a stronger and better bond of union. Their re.
| representatives. deberated together on these pro-
posed articles of confederation. and, being au-
| t,orzed by their respective States, finally ''rdt-
ifed and confrmed' them lnasmuch as they
were already IN union, they did not speak OF
accedng to the new articles of confederation, but
of ra,ifyiag and confirming them; and this Ian
guage was not used inadvertently, because, In
the same instrument, accession is used in its pro
per sense, when applied to Canada. which was
altogether stranger to the existing Union. :
Z" Canada saws the 1lth article. - acceding
to this confederation, aud joining in the measures
of the United States, shall be admitted in the
Union"
Having thus used the terms ratify and confirm
}even in regard to the old considerations, It would
have been strange, indeed, If the people OF the
United States. after its formation, and when they
came to establish the present constitution, had
|
States, as acceding to this constitution. Such
language would have been i'll suited to the occa-
sion It would have implied an existing separa-
ration or dsunion among the States, such as ne
yer has existed since IVA. No such language,
therefore, was used The language actually EN-
ployed ls.adopi, ratJy, ordain, establish.
Therefore, sir, since any State. before she can
prove her right TO dissolve the Union. must show
her authority to undo what has been done, no
State is at liberty to Secede, on the ground that
size and other States have done nothing but ac-
cede. She must show that she has right to re-
verse what has been ordained to unsefle and
orerihrow what has been established. to reject
what the peoples have adopted, and 10 break mp
what they have ratified; because these are the
terms which express the transactions which have
actually taken place. In other words, she must
show her right to make revolution.
II, Mr.. President. IN drawing these resolutions,
the honorable member had confined himself to the
use of constitutional language, there would have
been wide and awful hiatus between his premi
sps and his conclusion Leaving out the two
words compact ard accession, which are not con-
stutional modes Of expression, and stating thu
matter precisely as the truth Is, hts first re>o'u
ton would have ati med that The 'Deopie Of The
several States ra',fed his Constitution or farm
of Government These are the very word> OF
South Carolina herself in her own act OF ratih
ca,lon. Let. then, his fist resolution tell the ex
act truth; let il state the tact, precisely as il ex
lists; let it say that the people of the several
States ratified constitutions form Of Govern
mrn,: aud then. sir. what will become of MS in
ference IN his Sc, ond resolution. Nhch i. in these
words. viz: ..thaf. as ia all othsr'ra>es of com
pact, among sovereign parties e"rh hos IN, eGuai
right 10 JUICE for itseT as ~eH IF he mtraciion
as of he naDde and measure # relress?" Ii 1.
obvious. is 1t nor. sir, that this cnncu-inn
qures for its support quite other premises: il re-
quires premises which speak ut accession aud Ut
compact between sovereign Powers. and, win.
out such premises, il is altogether unmeaning
Mr.. President, If the honoIab'e member will
truly state what the people dld in forming this
constitution, and then state what they mast do u
they would now undo what they then did, he will
unavoidablv state case Of revolution. Let Us
see il il be rot so He must state, in the first
place, that the people OF the several States adopt
ed and ratified this constitution, or form OF 90
vernment; and, in the next place. he must state
that thew have right to undo this; that is to say
that they have right to discard the form Of Go
vernmeht which thew have adopted, and to break
I'D the constitution which they have ratified. -
Now. sir, this is neither more nor less than say.
ing that they have right to make revolution.
To reject an established Government, to break
up political constitution, is revolution.
| denv tina, any man can state, accurately,
what was done D, the people, in establishing the
present constitution, and then state, accurately,
what the people, or any part Of them, mnst now
do to get rid of its obligations. without stating an
undenabIe case of the overthrow of Government.
| admit, of course, that the people may. If they
choose, overthrow the Government. But, then.
that is revolution. The doctrine now contended
for is. that, by notification or secession, the eb
legations and authority Of the Government NAV
be set ASIDE or rejected. without revolution. But
that is what deny; and what say Is, that no
>man can state the case with historical accuracy,
and in constitutional language, without showing
that the honorable gentlrman's right. as asserted
in his conclusion, is a revolutionary right merely;
that it does not, and cannot exist, under the
stitution. or agreeably to the constitution, but
can come INTO existence only when the consritu-
tion il overthrown. This is the reason, sir.