Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1850-08-07
lowering over the firnament of the Union.

IN o, Ine true ana lne only serious ulSuHIol-
ism consists Of acts Of systematic aggression
of one part of the Union against another, in
violation Of both the letter and spirit of the
constitution; and the true and honest union
ism is that which strictly observes the con-
stitutional compact, and is animated by SEN
timen's of kindly support, forbearance, good
will, and cancellation towards our fellow
members of the Union.
Nor is 1t by the relentless application, to
any given case, of the mere dead weight Of
majority that the Union is to be preserved
We of the N orth are strong in numbers, in
votes, in physical force: is it unionism to
violate the letter and spirit Of the conslitu-
ton, and thus to place the South IN the al
Tentative of the dishonor to be incurred by
passive submission to the unjust act OF
majority, or to imputed factiousness by re-
sislance to it No; that is disunionlsm,
as this day, if rightly read, may serve to ad-
monish us. For what is the Declaration Of
independence We speak of it as the COM
it not also solemn act of disunlon ?-the
declaration of an oppressed minority, (,he
colonies,) that they would no longer con-
tinue united with an oppressive majority,
consisting Of the rest Of the British empire:
Think you that no dear bonds of common
country, Of religious and political associa-
tions, were sundered by the Declaration OF
independence Ay, many for Eng land
still bore, even on The lips of our forelahers,
the cherished appella,ion of home. But ten
years of actual or intended unconstitutional
aggression on their rig gh,s, ten years Of de-
probation and denunca,ion Of their char
acler and conduct, ten years of legislative
warfare on their interests, served to oblte-
rate from the minds of the minority all I'M
pressions of common nationality with the
maj jori,y, and produced tha, Declaration of
independence. And although England set
price on the heads of John Hancock and
Thomas Gushing, as traitors, yet they well
might and they did retor,, that the aggressor,
and not the aggrieved--lhat the violator Of
the pubic compact, not the victim of the
viola'ion-tha1 the oppressive majority, not
the oppressed mnorl,y-was responsible
for the dissolution Of the union between the
British colonies and the British metropolis
Ny friends, repeat, there is solemn ad-
monition as well as proud recollection for
us all in this anniversary. Are we of the
State Of Massachusetts against this Union,
or for it? If the latter, as firmly believe,
then it becomes us TO cease from all those
acts which lead to disunion as evidently as
the flowing river does to the sea i, becomes
us to dess, from wanion v,upera,ion Of our
fellow citizens of other States--to desisl
from aggressive assaults on their peace-to
desist from disobedience to the organic law
in a word, faithfully to observe and main
tain both the letter and the spirit of the con-
s,itulion.
The living men who uttered the Decla-
ration Of Independence have all passed a.
way from time to eternity. But their spirits
watch over us from the bright spheres 10
which they have ascended. We stand in
their presence. They shall be our witness
es, as we soIemnly renew on this day our
vows of unallerable attachment to the Union
and declare that
F'Macc domestic, foreign levy naught''
shall prevail against it; and to this owe
pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sa
cred honor" so help us God!