Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1851-01-30
For the burlington Hawk Ey c


FRIEND HAwK:-I have waited until it may be
ou. of time to some notice taken Of the second
Resolution OF the Burlington Mass Meeting, which
characterises ourConstiution as an agreement or a
treaty. OF this m'snomcr shoald have taken no
notice had not found that those resolutions were
approved Of hy large portion Of my fellow-ctizens
whom do not think would be willing to endorse
the consequent doctrine of that sou,ion. In truth
Twas much surprised at the terms applied to our
supreme Law by that resolution, know ing the hi n
legal source from which they emanated. Had i,
been drafted by some Farmer, should not haye e
thought strange Of terms thus sapplicd, but whe
resolution has its birth amid the legal lore of Bur
llngton, and upon mature delihcration, / am sur
rrised to see terms used to designate anything as
much at variance with the thing signiiei, those
terms are with our Fundamental Law. To me it
appears, (lnd am but plain. blunt man } that as
our Government was s.ordained and establishet.''
by an agreement. that it cannot he the agreement.
but must in the nature of fittings be the result Of IT,
To illustrate-the Plank Road Company enter into
an agreement with and to grade and plank the
roai; they perform the contract ard then is the
road complete. win any say the road is the agree
menp think NOT. But road proper, and the re-
suit OF the agreement. Thus much for the simple
phraseology. Now for its consequent doctrine, in
connection with other decisions OF tha, meeting.-
At said meeting the Chairman, as a Judge of Law,
decided, lin answer to question put by Mr. Sater.)
that when an agreement is violated by one of the
ing party from all Obligations thereby imposed on
him. In this decision he was sustained by his le-
sai brethren, 70 whom he appealed, and presum
l,1. -, r
states have laws On their statute books violating
the first clause of the second section OF the fourth
Article of the Constitution, which treats of the
rights of citizens in the several States.
Now allow me to place these to ,ethcr according to
my simple understanding and they stand thus:-
The violating of the conditions OF an agreement
by one Of the contracting parties, relieves the 9TH
er contracting party or parties from all obligations
thereby. imposed.
But our Constitution is an agree ment there fore,
any violation OF its conditions by one more Of
the parties thereto relieve the rest OF the parties
from all obligations.
Our Constitution being an Increment, any viola
ion of its conditions by one more OF the States
or parties thereto, relieves the rest from their OBJ
legations.
But some of the States have violated its conai-
tions. Therefore, the rest are relieved from their
obligations.
Such it appears TO me are the plain, simple and
only conclusions, any can dcduce from the action
and decisions Of the meeting, and if they are
true, have they not found mode of making Secess-
ion easy' Is there any Union now, can there he
any Constitutional law, since the violation Of the
Constitution. think not, and methinks the wisdom
Burlington will have to 10 their first work over
again-repudiate the resolution or throw i, on 10
the opponents of the law. JUNlUS.