The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-09-13

eoAKekom ~ bkAto.
Dir. Webster, In letter lately writt.'h by
him, declared. in reference to the movement in
South Carolina, that /" secession could not be ac-
complished but by war" From the position
occupied by Mr.. Webster. it il presumed he
speaks the sentiments aud policy Of Mr.. Fill
more's government and his letter msy be re-
garded ~ declaration Of war in advance against
South Carolina, in case she should choose to ex-
ercse the right which she posse Of penceably
retiring from the Union. The question 10 thus
presented; has the United States government
the right to make war upon sccedng State
We shall not commit The presumption Of arguing
u constitutional question with the great ex-
FOUNDER !" We Intend only to produce authority.
Mr.. Webster il great auths ry, but az great az
it is, it is hardly equal to that Of the trainers Of
the Constitution. They, it il presumed, knew
the Constitution better that Mr.. Webster The
following extracts from the Madison pa ers, an
authentic record Of the proceedings of tie con
yention which framed the Constitution. show that
tho authors Of the Constitution never contem.
plated the use Of force ngainst State, and that
they expressly refused to confer that power upon
the government The following was a clause
in one Of the resolutions submitted 10 the con-
vention by Mr.. Randolph, of Virginia
| RESOLVED, That the national Legislature ought
u
Union against any member Of the Union failing
to fulfil its duties under the articles thereof"
When this clause came up for consideration,
"Mr. Madison observed that Tho more he re-
nected oB:tha use of forge. the more he doubted
the practcability, the justice, and the efficiency
of it when applied to the people collectively and
not individually A Union of the States con-
tanning such an ingredient, seemed to provide
| for its own destruction. The use OF force
against State would look more like DECLARE
ton Of war than an infection OF pun shment and
would probably be considered by the party at
tackled, az a dissolution of all previous comlacts
by which it might be bound. He hoped such
System would be framed as might render this re-
source unnecessary, and moved that clause be
postponed. This motion was agreed to. no one
dissenting"
40 the clause was postponed, and never af-
forwards taken up, or 1T least it was not in.
serted in the Constitution. so that the conciii-
sion is irresistible, that Mr.. hIadison's sugaes
ton was adopted by the convention, and That
such system was framed as withheld from the
government the power to use force against a
State. This conclusion is strengthened, If pos
sible, by the action Of the convention upon Mr..
Patterson's plan of Constitution, subsequently,
submitted That contained the following pro.
vision!
Rssolued, That If any State should oppose
the carrying into execution the acts of the
United States, the federal Executive shall be
authorized to call forth the power of the con.
federated States, or so much thereof as NAV be
necessary to enforce and compel obedience H.
such acts"
Mar. tassierson's plan was rejected, and it was
objected to in debate, chiefly because Is con-
tanned the above provision. COL Mason ssh,
he was struck with horror at the prospect of
recurring to this expedient," (the use Of force
against State) Col. Hamilton, in reference
to such a provision, observed: How can force
be exerted on the States collectively ! 1t is i'm
possible 1t amounts to war between the par
ties"
Thus did the trainers of the Constitution ex-
pressly and repeatedly repudiate the idea of en-
poyng force against State. How then can
this power now be clamed} Can it be given
in the Constitution in spite of the express de-
termination OF its trainers not to give it The
Union was plainly intended by its authors to he
a Union of voluntary consent They left il to
the States to decide, each for itself, whether
they would enter the Union in the first instance,
and by refusing to grant the power to compel
them to remain in it, they in effect said to the
States: Remain in the Union as long az YOU
please, but if you get tired of it, depart in
peace" But ii is now discovered that ours is a
Union to be held together, not by sense of
common interest, glory, and happiness, but by
the terrors of the sword. Let such views pre-
vail, let the doctrine that State may be right
fully coerced by the federal sword, be once car
ried into effect, and you erect the government
OF the Union into absolute tyranny you de-
grade the States to a condition of abj.ct vassal-
age; you establish precedent that will invite
At o.
in the end sweep away every vestige of their
sovereignty. The South, especially, cannot per-
nit such precedent, unless she is blind, fatally
blind to her own interest and safety.
The hostility Of the Northern people to the
of slavery, connected with the fact
that they have the control of the general gov
eminent in all its departments, loudly proclams
the danger to the South of arming that govern
ment with the power TO coerce State. The
course of time, and indeed no great time, will
give an immense preponderance TO the Northern
section, already in the majority, and reduce the
South to despised minority, while in the mean
time, the sentiment of hostility TO slavery in the
stronger section will become more and more
violent and ungovernable. Under such crcum-
stances the only possible security to The ustitu-
lion of slavery would be the right and power of
the Southern States to separate from the Union.
''u' ,hht a""y a1ht fiRht anu give power 10 noiu
them in the Union, with chain of iron and
to coerce obedience to whatever laws the mnjor-
ty may dictate, and you at once seal the doom
Of the South; you sign the death warrant of
slavery We cannot believe the South will
stand idly by and permit the government TO as
sumo power that sooner or later will be turned
% her destruction. We cannot believe that the
South will herself, put into the hands of her
enemies, the sword that is to stab her to the
leart.
The lcARIAs COMMUNISTS AT NAUvoo.-This
colony, formed in Paris, under M. CADET, in 1871
numbered one thousand persons Each
male adult member paid 600 francs, and boys
700 francs, and from 10000 to 10000 francs,ii
donations were, besides, put into NJ CADETS
lands The colony has dwindled down at Nau-
90 to two hundred persons, principally orphans,
WIDOWS, and fged persons, who invested every
hing they had in the enterprise, and are now
nable to support themselves the society being
dne otxf I.L& Ia =