Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1853-05-05

on this point, according to this light-bring-
er. who announces himself as an Ohio law.
yer, "from the back.woods," while he gets
so prominent place in the Intsihgencer
The aim, as well as the substance, OF his
doctrine and argument may be gathered
from the following paragraph
"The present troubles of Southern men in re-
gard to their property and their rights come from
The false theories of our Government, taught by
their politicians from the days of 1898 to the
present time. They have propagated the pern-
cous notion that these States are soveregntles,
and that one may nullify the laws of all the rest,
and set at defiance the whole enact,nents of
Congress. If believed. as they profess TO be-
lieye, that thi. Union of the States was confed-
Grafton of soveregnties and independent pow
ers, would subscribe to these decisions; but,
knowing that it was, from the beginning, I'm
ion of the PeopIe-the united consent of all;
each part and each person should be secure IN
all his rights, cannot support any act or rule
which tends to destroy the Union, defeat the OBJ.
iects of the Union, or to take away the rights Of
its citizens"
In other words, passing by his exaggera-
tons of statements, and taking what he ac'
tually means to say, we destroy the "Union"
when we reject his doctrine of Consolida-
tionism and the only efficient remedy tor
the present troubles of slavery, is to nullify
the states and centralize all power in the
Federal Government. Aud he invites all
concerned to mark, that Southern statesmen,
particularly those of the Virginia school.
who framed and advocated the famous rcso-
lutions of 1898. have sinned against slavery,
by talking of State Rights and propagatlng
other false and pernicious theories of gov.
eminent.
This centralizing IS the favorite instru-
ment of all despots, as France can testify,
and if politicians of the school to which
this writer belongs would diligently ply the
shareholders with it, they could not fail to
win them all. The fugitive slave law, which
is based on his theory, has prepared them
to appreciate its beauties and its uses
Slavery has already accommodated that
flourish of rhetoric about the equality of
men; and, under such tuition, it will very
soon declare it incendiary treason to insin.
ua,e that our national government is one
of delegated and limited powers. 1t is al
ready settled thing, with the Supreme
Court, as well as with Congress and the
Irrational" politicians. that whatever helps
slavery is constitutional and patriotic, while
anything that troubles it, endangers the
Union and must be suppressed. 1t only re-
mains for the slave power to dictate what
theories of the government shall be taught
as constitutional and proper
Those men of Iordly stature, who, in the
} early days of the Republic, encouraged this
doctrine of consolidatonism, and feared the
assertion of State rights, were honest and
patriotic. They sincerely thought their
views necessary to the stability of the Tn,
ion. At the present time, we think they
would regard the matter differently. Ger
tainly they would scorn the men who
now reproduce their defeated theories, in
order to prostitute them to such uses
Commonpe alth