The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1851-10-27

cite solicifude and alarm. In all those States q
cept three, there y an acquiescence In the terms
| the tCompromise, > and firm attachment to sh.
| unipn. In two of those three, Georgia and Mis-
| issippil we have much reason 10 hope, from ths
knogyn patriotism and intellisenss, tbat The sams
attachment exists on the part Of large majorities
the people. A. oil events, those smoug them, Of
whose devotion and fidelity 70 the Union ssrioua
appiehenstons were entertained, have been con.
strained, in Difference TO public opinion, materially
20 change their principles, and 70 80 70 tho polla
noupced the practical right Of secession 1t present
and taken shelter under the convenient marx ui
the tneTe abstract right Whethef this shifting Of
position will sstisfy the people Of those two Staies,
remains to be seen. They will doubtless seriously
conSider, that there 10 but short step between, the
the9retic assertion and practical exercise of that
right and in contingency, neither renose nor
improbable, 1t they affirm the right, they may be
soof called upon to involve themselves in ali the
cal9mtous evils of 2 civil war $500 r
Sputh Carolina alone furnishes, at present, occ1-
sion for profound regret and serious apprehension,
not much for the security of the Union a. for her
own peace and prosperity. We are compelled,
painfully and reluctantly, to yield TO the force OF
concurring evidence. establishing that there exists
IN that State general classification with, and
general desire to withdra y from, the Unions and
that both parties-that which for separate State
action, and that which insists upon the necessity
Of The cooperation Of other States-eQually expee
a. 70 the expectancy of secession, and differ only
IN ihe degree Of rashnssu or prudence which char
act4rize them respectively. w.
{. Modification and secession have sprung from
the same metaphysical school and the latter u
thel ally, if not the offspring Of the former They
both agree that single State u vested with power
TO 4uiiify the laws Of oil the other States, passed
by Congress but nulli6cation claims . right to
accomplish that object, and to remain at the same
time in the Union whilst secession asserts right
70 attain il by wirhdra wing from the Union, and
absDvng the State from ill obligation 70 the Con,
:titntion and laws Of the United States. Thsy
both maintain that "a resort % either process is
peacef1l and legitimate. Modification derived an
ambiguous but contested support from the memora.
bic resolutions Of the States Of Virginia and Ken.
lucky, adopted in 1889; but these revolutions
afford no color or counisnance to the pretersions
of secession. - = : : :
The doctrine of secession assumes that anv one
me thlstyone States composing the Union, wher
ever or however situated, whether in the interior
or on the frontier has right, upon its own separ.
ate will, and according to the dictates of its own
exclusive judgement, 70 Withdraw from the Union
Whenever 1t pleases that this act Of secession is
peaceful, and not to be controverted or obsructed
bythe rest Of the States, or by the application OF
any force within the limits Of the seeding State
% execute the laws of the United States and that
thereup0n the State and its citizens are ahsolved
from all obligations and duties to the United States,
- any of the nations Of the earth. The doctrine
maintains that this right of secession may be exer-
clsed whenever the State deems it has. sufficient
canse; at oil times-in stale Of profound peace
and prosperity, or in the midst of furious war,
raging in all our borders; and that in the latter
pendent nation, it may escape the calamities of
war, make separats treaty of peace with the com
mon enemy, become neutral, or even ally itself
With that enemy, and take up arms against the
United States. 1t asserts this right, although il
may lead, in process of time, to the promiscuous
dottng over upon the surface of the territory of the
United States, of petty independent nations estab-
iishng for themselves any form of government free
or desPous, known to mankind, and inierruptng
me intercourse and violating or menacing the exc
cution of the laws OF the dsmembered confederacy.
!tcontends for this right, as well for Louisiana q
fos South Carolina, although the province OF Loui-
siene cost us 20 much money, and was nigh in.
volvlng " In foreign war ). for Texas, although
~ occasloned u 2 war with Mexico, the payment
.en millions Of dollars 70 arrange its boundaries
aed to acquire i, many wese willing to risk war
with England; and for distant Caiifornia although
tlat was acquired by the double title Of conquest.
acd the payment Of an ample pecuniary considera.
II, indeed, the Union, under which we have so
long and generally 30 happily, lived, be thus fra.
glle, and liable to crumbie into pieces, we must
cease to boast of the wisdom of our oreathers who
formed II, tear from our heagts the sentiments OF
gratitude and veneration with which they had in
splred US, and no longer expect an enlightened
Wofid 70 bestow the unbounded praise which it has
hitherto lavished on them. A doctrine so extraor.
dtnary and Indeensble, fraught with the destruc-
tlon OF the Union, and such other direful conss.
quences, 1nds no encouragement or support in the
CONSTITUTION Of the United States. II had none
under the articles of confederation which formed.
ip terms, q perpetual Union, however Otherwise
weak and inefficient the Government was which
tney established. The inef1iciency arose out of
the tact, that operated on the people directly.
Out upon the states, which might, and often did.
ieh 10 comply with the requisition made on them
oy Congress- To correct that defect, and form a
more " perfect" Union, the present Constitution
vas adopted. 1t had been alleged, that the Union
81 the States, under the articles Of confederation
was held together only by rope of sand: but it
We: rope Of adamant. compared with the cord
sanctioned and sustained. =
The Constitution Of the United States established
government and, like all governments, it was
70 bs perpetual, or to have unlimited duration It
was net restricted to the existing generation, but
comPrehsndsd posterity. The preamble declares
!net we the people OF the United States, in order
to form more perfect Union,' establish Justice,
ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the com.
mon defence, promote the general welfare, and Sc
cure the blessings Of liberty to ourselves and our
Posterty do ordain and establish this Constitution
for the United States Of America" Il makes pro.
vision expressly for the admission of new Statss
into the Union; but from the beginning to the end
OF It, not q clause is to be found which gives any
authority or color to the right of secession Of =
State once admitted into the Union.
The psrtisans Of this novel and strange doctrine
attempt to support it on two grounds First, they
contend that BY an express amendment of the Con-
susution, % all powers not granted to the Govern
ment OF the United States are reserved to the
- tates or to the people, the power OF right Of se.
cession not granted, and that il is therefore re-
tanned BY the States and the people, and NAV be
exercised at their pleasure. 80
This argument is refuted BY either of two suff;.
cient answers. The contested power cannot be-
retained, if its reservation be incompatible With
the obligations Of the constitutional compact, But
the Constitution was intended to be perpetual ar.
whchs the same thing, to be Of unlimited existence
subject only, from time to time, to such amend.
ments a. might be made in the mode which it sp,-
ches. 1t created . more perfect Union," which
was to secure the blessings Of liberty to the aener
alton which formed it, and to their "posteritv."
The obligation which each State voluntarily as.
samed to the other States, BY being admitted into
inc Union, was that il would remain perpetually
bound with the other States to preserve that Union
Tor their own benefit, and to insure to the benefit
Of posterity" To assert in the face Of that obi
CATION that State may retire from the Union
whenever 1t Pleases, is to assert that party,
bound by solemn compact to other parties may
cancel or violate the compact whenever it thinks
proper, without their consent In order to secure re-
spect and submission to the Union the CONSTITUTION
expressly provides that this Constitution md the
laws Of the United States which shall be made in
pursuance thereof and all treaties made under the
authority Of the United States, shall be the su
prene law Of the land; and the judges in every