Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1833-03-25
IyNCHDURG, MARCH %. 1893.
ox TIE RIGHT OF SECESSION.
An.r4 CAapter % Plain Thoughts, addressed t.
Plain People,


.,1,, !, necessary tia, they should satisfactorily
-a.,ain il, or their whole theory falls 10 the ground
=. his tina, the people owe allegiance TO their
o.,o.;ye States, and obedience only to the general
,.oro,nmen,, II is difficult for any but the subses.
.n.,onbvsician to discover difference between al
,.r;,,ee and obedience; but admitting for mo-
,ncr, that there is difference we deny the truth
,f this 20 ,ition Allegiance is due to The power
,,b;cb affords protection to him ofwhom II IS exAc-
,oj AnI1iths test be true, then the conclusion is
inevitable that paramount allegiance is due TO the
,e,orol poyernment--hecausc it is bound, by ex-
nr,ss constitutional PROVISIONS, to protect every CT
,,., osthe United States not only when irnprison-
ii i, foreiea dungeons or when he s traversng
the srea, deep in Lawful traffic. or whca he is ex-
,ao,iny distant lands III search OF emoumeHl, tame
or n,easurc--bu, also when lie is at home, IN the
md,, OF the social circle, and, if need be, even
agains, the oppression of the State governments
,hsm selves It's for this reason that the constitu
ton binds the general government TO " guarantee
IN each OF the States 3" republican form OF gov
eminent" and also tina, supremacy Is gwen to us
laws any thing IN the constitution or laws "'
State to the contrary Notwithstanding. But we
think the poin, is settled by asinole fact ana II
is this when foreigner wishes 10 become ha'u-
rallied citizen to what power does no swear a''c-
glance TO the government OF the State IN winch
a, the momcn, of taking the oath he resides, AMI oi
which he thereby becomes citizen z No HIS
oath is one of allegiance 10 the sovereignty Of the
United States. Inasmuch then, as after his natu-
raz ,,ion, hc occupies the same relation to both g.
yernin :nts owing IL them tn, sane duties, AMI
entitled to claim from them the same privileges &
prerogaivcs,as native born cil'z n-thcy al alike
owe allegiance Ia the sap,e auho,ty-S the words
of the oath ii plainly Hai thu, authority is the
United S'atts.
: IN IT, second chapter Of these desutory
Thoue h.s, We referred TO the contingency OF a
State exercising the right of Secession at mo.
mcnl naen tnc country had just emerged from a
war, crppla in It's resources, with an empty trca-
suiy, ani saJdltd with an enormous public debt.
w or, rave TO repeat this view Of the su ject for
the use fsho wing that the admission Of such
IHHGIe would DC destructive, anu justly so, OF
all confidence our government, on the psn of
capitalists, and thai sho-d thereby subject
setgs; 10 the probable Of serious evils
should the tina ever arrive when the government
would lie compelle! 10 resort 10 loans III order to
NEE, It's engagements. For, shat man, III his sen
ses, w,al' loan money 10 the agent of coHfeder-
ney of States, any one of which, and consequently
all might spors his debt, b. seeding, at will,
from the te lcfal compact Il may be said that
the scceIi Slies would be liable Tor their portion
OF the asg,rsate Il BIT OF he natien. True and SO
Were the ,erst Il states labl3 fbr their respective
quotas Of the Revolutionary debt, under the old
Articles of CONFEDERATION bar the dis ,r.cei!t his
tory of th'se yrs af anarchy, wretchalness and
dishonor will tell that bu, few of the States paid
tncr quotas or performed any other duty which
tie terms If their weak and inefficient league
rcqured-and thai i, was because of this criminal
disregard Of their solemn enga scments, that that
system Was abolished, and the present constitution,
IN which the State sovereignty was essentially
d,@n"ted, and the generaI government clothed
with power TO act directly on individuals, through
Ale agency of It's own laws aud It's own officers,
was adopted. But admit the RICH, of Secess ion,
and this vital feature of the constitution is expung
ed-and We arc thrown back again on the Articles
'ot Confederation. Revive tho doctrine that State
may in,erlosc the shield of its sovereignty between
no longer guarantee, for a single year, that the
most Solem engagements OF the general government
win It's Creditors VII! not Lc annullcd and indeed
that the sources offs revenue viii not DC ohoked up
or exhauitcJ-la one word, such theory strips
the general government of all power, which any
one State, in the madness of its presumption may
say that It shall exercise. So that in one section,
New York may nullify war law, Mas sachuse,ts
an embargo, South Carolina tariff, Missouri a
land law, ana Ohio the U. S. bank--in short
OR government would no, he worth the name--i,
would be dissolved in its own weakness, and the
sooner TINS result should happen the better it would
be for all parties.
) If State possess the vigit to secede, it is O;
course the duty Of the general government, imne-
c'aiey on her exercise of this right to acknowledge
her independence. But does am department Of
the genera! government, or all Of them combined,
hnd ih's duty imposed upon. or even permitted
~ 'he'n Is 1t not, on the contrary, clearly
their duty, by the tenor of their oa,hs, and
by the nature of their prescribed obligations,
20 preserve, in full exercise, over the United
otates. the powers entrusted to them, in all
n
ample when he passes though the solemn process
oil an inauguration, swears, to the best Of his ab-
IVY !" see mat the laws faithfully executed If,