The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-19

*m~7+r4~~~~~sA
oeoesaann and Revolution.
a epems that the FIRST reply Of the Louisville
Issraal h m srgaiasnt Of ouss. on the right Of
secession. was not deemed satisfactory. So we
. 6nA another in that paper, which we subjoin
With tie sditorial notice
@Oar readers will find capital argument in
this paper over the signature Of Madison" in
which the absurdity Of favorite position main
tstned by the disunionists IL very clearly de-
monstrated. The communication 10 from dis
tin9ulshed source. Wehope that all our readers
vii giYe II an attentive psrusal"
6scEss,0A AND RxvoLursoN.--Th subjoined
extract i from the Washington Southern Press.
Tbs editor Of thai Sheet in his effort 70 prove that
6ssts may nghsfully withdraw from the Union
when she piesses, SAYS
ths moo bgotsd devotses Of federal absoludsm.
What i the right Of revolution Il is the right
- obtain Independence by force. Does force
gsys yiehtl Every body knows better. Now
Ae fundamental principle Of our System. Of every
r. aysssn. Of svsry reasonable system. Of every
psopls ars. they entitled 70 them without force
--whassver psops have right 70 obtain, or to
aa4est by force, they have right 10 obtain,
Ant, and enjoy without force. We invite the at
tsptiap Of Msssrs. Clay, Webster, Fillmore, q
Co.. 10 this proposition. II il FUNDAMENTALS il
selfAvident- u universal. :"
ss The proposition ~ stated is trwe--that is,
~vhaEsysr people have right 10 obtain or
sart BY force, they have right to obtain, assert,
md sajoy without force" Literally and clearly
Nns e
4 II We admit right, the duty of respecting it
necessarily follows, and no force ought to be APP
plisd 70 invade such right.
: Rnf the riUht nf aecesnIOn does follow from
this proposition, because the right is not admitted,
but dspisd
BY the federal Constitution, each party acquired
same rights and rsxyved others. The parties ac-
qnirsd right % govern every part Of the United
States, in certain matters granted. They reserved
each party TO itself, the right of being exempt
from such government, in other matters not
The acquired right and the reserved right are
equally clear and authoritative. Each party to
the compact may judge Of all rights under the
compact.
Assuming, even in the very language Of the
Kentucky resolutions of 1893, that sseach party
may Judge for itself Of the infraction and of the
mode and measure of redress" still we have no
K more than the assertion Of a right in each party
70 determine upon its own line of conduct in a
fiv4n case and for itself only.
What thens Does it follow that this determine
ticn Of each, for itself, will bind ALL By no means.
This right il what every one has in state Of ma
tuEs, Al well 40 under any government. It is sim
ply the right Of judgment, as 70 ones duty and
power It's exercise governs the one to whom the
right belongs, but binds no one else. Mr.. CAL
hcun, in his famous expose in favor Of nullifca-
tiou, afirms that, in state Of nature, each party
may Judge for himself; and this is true. But he
also alsrms that this judgment binds the other
parties, and this is false, and - the key error of
in substance, that, il A, B, and c, in state Of
nature, become partners, and A and B require G
to do some act, not within the agreement, G may
nullify their pretended authority. II will be
that this assumes that 10 not bound But sup
pose that A and B claim that is bound, and that
G deny their claim, and that it is not known or
settled whether he is bound or not and
have AZ much right to determine the extent Of
their rights acquired under the contract, al has
to determine the extent Of his rights, reserved un
der the contract; and it is case for agreement or
force AZ the parties choose to treat 1t. So under
the government, every individual has this right of
private judgment, but to regulate his own conduct
only. II he exercise it and deny his obligation to
submitMo the government, then these are the m-
tations of this right, namely, il the government
has no such power AZ Is asserted, it ought to de-
sist from all attempts TO exercise such power on
him; but on that point, those who claim the right
TO govern must judge for themselves and, if their
Judgment stand in conflict with the judgment of
the individual CITIZEN case of force may result,
a. in 4 state Of nature. Those asserting the ac-
quirsd right to govern are not bound TO desist
from exercising powers because the citizen declares
their acts null and void If they have the power,
n claimed, it is his duty to submit, AID fthey
claim the power and he denies it he will resist at
his peril vsaas.f
So as to State, it may rightfdlly insist that a
power claimed by federal authority does not be-
long to it, but is reserved to the State. But that
government, or the States for whom it acts, may
rightfuly insist that the power is granted, that
the other parties acquired il by the compact OF
union; and they may rightfuly enforce it; the
State notification to the contrary notwithstand-
ine. SO i'm State have mind to seeed<. she may
have al much right, as man has in state of ma
ture, to throw of the obligations of her contract
Of union, but no more. II she attempt to throw
off the Union, as not binding, the other parties
may hold it on her as binding, and, the question
having arbiter, may, as in an individual case,
result in force
The reserved right Of not being bound is as
serted on one side and the acquired right of bind
ing BY law is asserted on the other side, and each
party determining for itself to the extent Of it's
powers, and the question itself being unsettled,
force may be used to compel obedience, and force
may be used to resist the law, and then we have
nothing but force opposed to force; and this is
belIion or revolssiiom as the event may determine.
Il IL very certain that the right OF secession 10
nothing more than the right Of revolution for this
plain reason: The Constitution Of the United
States was established permanent law--the
preamble 20 decareg-the nature OF IL 30 demoh-
strates. 1t is obviously compact for all time to
come; and it is also compact intended to bind
all the parties to il, and every part and portion of
the United States, in 60 much that some of it's
powers, as the Rpwer OF laying imposts in sec. 8,
are required to be "uniform throughout the United
States" and cannot be lawfully exerted over a
part less than the whole Union.
Since the compact binds each State perpetually,
and was made by common consent, nothing but a
like consent can release any Stnte from its obga-
tons, and attempt to secede is nothing but a
more extensive sort of notification.
Notification held one law void us being beyond
the compact-secession holds all void by setting
aside the compact.
Neither Of them can have any foundation as
peaceful remedies, except upon the assumption
that one State may determine the question OF
right in such way as TO bind all other States.
Both doctrines insist with great stress upon the
reserved rights Of State; both of them equally
forget the rights of the other States.
Both Of them assume that all the States are
,,rnn~ Avcernthat which diac|aims ite obligations