Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1856-01-05

to the execationof specific purposes, of the
independent powers of the individual States.
For objects of common defence and security,
they entrusted 10 the general government GER
tain carefully defined functions, leaving all
others as the nndelegated rights of the scpa-
rate Independent sovereignties.
Such is the constitutional theory of our gov
t~#ernment, the practical observance of which has
carried ii, and ns alone, among modern repub-
Hes, through nearly three geaerations of time,
without the cost of one drop of blood shed in
l~civilwar. With freedom and concert of action
1t has enabled us to eontend successfully on the
battle field against foreign foes, has elevated
the feeble colonies into powerful States, and
has raised our industrial productions, and our
commerce which transports them, to the level
of the richest aud the greatest nations of Eu-
rope. And the admirable adoption of our po-
litical Institutions to their objects, combining
local self-goVernnlent with aggregate strength,
has established the practicability of a govern
mcnt ike ours tocover a continent with confede-
rate States ( JAR 53t JIM
The Congress of the United States is, in
effect, that congress of soyereignties which
good men in the Old World have sought for
but could never attain, and which imparts to
q AhAS tN@ oA 81 Sil WV hluGbOtG uC
for common action, from the wars, the mutual
invasionS, and vague aspirations after the bal
ance of power, which ~couyulse from time to
time the governments of Europe. Our CO.
operative action rests in the conditions of per-
maaent confederation prescribed by the con
stitution. Our balance of power is in the
separate reserved rights of the States, and
their equal representation in the Senate.
That independent sovereignty in every one of
the States, with its reserved rights of local
self-goyernmeht assuredto each by their CO.
equal power IN the Senate, was the fnndame-
tai conlito on Of the ~conet;tr ton Without it
the Union would never have existed. How
ever DESTROYS the larger States might he to
re-organize the government SO asFto give to
their population its proportionate weight in
the,commops eonnselss they .knewsit was hnpos-
sble, unless they conceded to the slna Her ones
authority to exercise at least a negative In
tlucnce on all the measures of the government,
whether legislative or executive, through their
equal representatives in the Senate. Indeed,
the larger States themselves could not have
failed to perceive that the, same power was
equally necessary to them, for the security of
their own domestic interests against the az
'gregate force Of the general government. FL
al hOlu TIT Oilplldl CltL6cS HGuL lIlO lHlS DeT-
manent league on the premises, of e~xerting
their commen strepgtlrfer the defence of the
whole, and ofali all its parts :; Shut of utterly
excluding all ca ability of reciprocal aserss-
sion. Each sulcmnly bound itself to all the
others, neither to undertake, nor permit, any
encroachment upon, or intcrmeddling with,
anOthcr'S reserved rights.
| Where it was deemed expcdient, particular
Ill. - e 4I.,% 81 - < &rx& -. E-4E
tced by the. constitution but, in all things
beside, these rights were guarded by the zIimi-
tatien of the powers granted, and by express
Ereseryation of altpowers NOT granted, in athe
compact Of Union,,as Thus the great power
was limited to purposes Of common defence
and general welfare. excluding objects apper-
ftaining to the local Legislation of the Several
States, and those purposes of general welfare
and common defence we're afterwards defined
By specific enumeration, ms beihg matters only
OF co relation between the States themselves,
or between thein and foreign governments,
which, because of their common and general
nature, could not be left TO the separate con
trol of each State I'd, ifN s.l 90 sss85@
OF the circumstances of local condition, in
tercSt and rights, in which a portion Of the
States, constituting one great section Of the
Union, differed from the rest, and from an
other section, the most important Was the pc
culiarity of larger relative colorel popula-
ton in the Southern than ia the Northern
States. = -" fsi
A population of this class, held in subjec-
ton, existed in nearly all the States, but was
numerous and of more serious coneernment in
the South than in the North, on account of
natural differences Of climate and production
and it was forestc en- that, for the same reasons,
while this population would diminish, and
sooner or later, cease TO exist in some States,
it might imreascin others. The peculiar charac-
ter and magnitude OF this question of local
rights, not in material relations only but still
more in social ones, caused it to enter into the
special stipulations of the constitution.
Hence, while the government, as well by
the enumerated powers granted to it, MS by |
those not enumerated, and therefore refused
to ii, was forbidden TO touch this matter in
the sense of attack or offence, it was placed
nader the general safeguard of the Union, in
the sense of defence against either invasion or
domestic violence, like all other local interests
of the several States. Each State expressly
stipulated, as well for itself as for each and all
of its citizens, and every citizen of each State
became Solelnrly bound by his allegiance to
the constitution, that any person held to ser
vice or labor in one State, escaping into an
other, should not, in consequence of any law
or regulation thereof, be discharged from such
service or labor, but should he delivered up On
claim of the party to whom such service or
labor might be due by the laws Of his State.
Thus, and thus only, by the reciprocal guar
anty of all the rights of every State against
interference on the part of another, was the
present form of government established by our
fathers and transmitted to rs and by no
other means is it possible for. it to exist. If
one State ceases to respect the rights of an
other. and obstrusiyeIY Intermediates with. its