The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-10
fysh! &. Ms oEssts cO4IflsT,

tTHE RIGHT TO SEcEpE.---One Of the most RI
dicuous humbugs put forth by the presses on
the side of consolidation, is the humbug that a
sovereign State has not the right to secede--
that secession would be rebellion. Rebellion
indeed. AS if one sovereign could not decline
any longer association with fellow-soyereigns,
but il would be rebellion forsooth. The great
mind which framed the Declaration Of lndepend-
ence, knew as well as any other man that ever
lived in the tide of time, what are the rights OF
men, individually as citizens or collectively as
States. In bis declaration he says that 'all men
are endowed with certaninalienabe rights-that
among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit OF
happiness-that whenever any form OF govern
ment becomes destructive of these ends, 1t is
the rght--nay, 1T Is THE DUTY OF such people
to THROW OFF SUCH government. Again, In the
resolutions of the Kentucky legislature, in
1898 drafted by him, he says that :" the several
States composing the United States of America,
are not united on the principles of unlimited
submission to their general government; but
that by compact, under the style and title of a
Constitution of the United States, and of amend.
ments thereto, they constituted general gov.
eminent for special purposes-delegated to that
government certain definite powers, reserying
each State to itself the residdary mass of right
to their own seif-goyerrment; and that when
soever the general government assumes undele-
gated powers, its acts are unauthoritatiye, void,
and of no force; what belongs to this compact
each State acceded as State, and is an integral
party, its co-States forming as to itself the other
party. That the government created by this
compact was not made the exclusive or lQal
| Judge of the extent Of the power delegated TO
| itself; since that would have made its discre-
ton. and not the Constitution, the measures OF
its powers but that, as in all other cases OF
compact among arties having no common judge,
each party has an equal right TO judge for itself,
as well of nfrsction, as Of the mode and meas
ure of redress"
And, further on, he says that "to take from
the States all powers of self government, and
transfer them 10 general and consolidated gov
eminent, without regard to the special obliga-
ton and reservation solemnly agreed to in that
compact, is not for the peace and happiness or
prosperity of the States; (for which object the
Union was formed;) and that therefore this
commonwealth is determined, as i doubts not
its co-States are, not tamely to submit to undele
gated ard consequently unlimited powers, in no
man or tody of men on earth;
that it would be dangerous delusion, were con-
fdence in the men of our choice to silence our
fears for the safety of our rights; that conf
dence is everywhere the parent of despotism ;
free government is founded in jealousy and not
in confidence, which prescrbes limited constitu.
tons to bind down those we are obliged to trust
with power. '
In question Of power, then, let no more be
heard Of confidence in man, but bind him
down from mischief by the chains of the Con-
stitution"
Modern secessionists claim no more nor less
than the rights here defined by Jefferson and
hence they are no more traitors than he was, and
only as he was, DESTROYS Of preserving State
rights in the Union if possible, but to preserve
that at all hazards, OUT or IN. In the language
Of jacksonville doctrine of State rights men
is, to contend for nothing but what is right, and
to submit to nothing that is wrong.