The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1856-01-08

convenient TO modify the conditions of ~.
assoelatIon, by giving to the general govorn I
meht olrect access in some respects. IN a..
people OF the states iustead of confninc, :.
10 action on the States as such, thev Hro
ceeded to frame the existing constitutio,,
adherIng steadily to one guiding thourbt
which was, to delegate only such moves " ~
was necessary and proper to the cxoo Is
ton of specific purposes, or, in other worJt
to retain as much as possible, consister.1N'
with those purposes, of the indenando,!.
powers of the individual States. FOR 81
Jects of common defence and security. tbo,.
lntrusted to the general government certoiy;,
carefully defined functions, leaving all 9TH
as the undelegated rights of the senoroto
Independent sovereignties.
Such is the constitutional theory ne ,,,-
government, the practical observance 90
which has carried us, and us ulone. arnon.
modern republics, through nearly tbras5
generations of time without the cost az ono
drop of blood shed in civil war. With frees
dom and concert of action, it has enabled no
to contend successfully on the battle field
against foreign foes, has elevated the feeble
colonies into powerful States, and has rails
ed our industrial productions, and our COM
merce which transports them, to the level
of the richest and the greatest nations of.
Europe. And the admirable adaptation az
our political institutions to their objects
combining local self-government with ag-
gregate strength, has established the prae.
ticability of a government, like ours 70
cover continent with confederate States
The Congress of the United States is in
effect, that congress of sovereignties, which
good men in the Old World have sought for,
but could never attain, and which imparts
to America an exemption from the mutable
leagues ter common action, from the wars,
the mutual lnvasions, and vague aspirations
after the balance of power, which convulse.
from time to time, the governments of Eu-
rope. Our cooperative action rests in
the conditions of permanent confederation
prescribed by the constitution. Our balance
of power is in the separate reserved rights
Of the States, and their equal representation
i'll the Senate. That independent sovereign.
ty in every one of the States, with its rcscry
ed rights of local self government assured
to each by their co-cqual power in the Sen
ate, was the fundamental condition of the
constitutions. Without it the Union would
never have existed. However DESTROYS the
larger States might be to re-organize tho
government so as to give to their population
its prOportiomate weight in the common
comsels, they knew it was impossible, un-
thnrity to exercise at least a egative inhu-
ence On all the measures ofthe government,
whether Legislative or executive, through
their equal representation 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 aggregate force of the general
government. In word, the original States
went into this permanent league on the
agreed premises, of excrting their common
strength for the defence Of the whole, and
of all its parts but of utterly excluding all
capability of reciprocal aggression. Each
solemnly bound itself to all the others,
neither to undertake, nor permit, any en-
croachlnent upon, or intermeddlimg with,
anOther's reserved rights.
Where it was deemed expedicnt, particu-
lar rights of the States were expressly guar
antied by the constitution; but, III all things
besides, these rights were guarded by the
limitation of the powers granted and by cx-
press reservation of all powers not granted,
in the compact Of union. Thus, the great
power of taxation was limited to purposes of
common defence and general welfare, excIu-
ding objects appcrtaining TO the local legiSla-
ton of the several States; and those pUFpo-
ses of general welfare and common defence
were afterwards defined by specific cnulne-
ration, as being matters only of correlation
between the States themselves, or between
them and foreign governments, which, be-
cause of their common and general nature,
could not be left to the separate control of
each State.
of the circumstances Of local condition,
interest, and rights, in which portion of the
States, constituting one great section Of the
Union, differed from the rest, and from anoth-
er section, the most important was the pecu-
iarity Of a larger relative colorcd population
in the southern than in the northern States.
A population ofthis class, held in subjec-
ton, existed i'll nearly all the State, but was
more numerous and of more serious con-
cernmcnt in the South than in the North, on
account Unnatural differences Of climate and
production audit was foreseen that, for the
same reasons, while this population would
diminish, and, sooner or later, cease TO exist,
i'll some States, it might increase in Others.
The peculiar character and magnitude OF
this question oflocal rights, not ia material
relations only, but still more in social ones,
caused tito enter into the special stipulations
of the constitution.
Hence, while the general government as
well by the enumerated powers granted TO
refused to it, was forbidden to touch this
matter in sense of attack or offence, it was
placed under the general safeguard Of the
Union, in the sense of defence against eth
er invasion or domestic violence, like all
other local interests of the several States.
Each State expressly stipulated, as well tor
itself as for each and all of its citizens ana
every citizen of each State became solemn
Iy bound by his allegiance to the constltu-
lion, that any person held to service or la
Dor in one State, escaping into another
should not, in consequence of any law or
regulation thereof, be discharged from such
service or labor, but should be 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
guaranty of all the rights Of every State
against Interference on the part of another
was the present form Of government estaO
lished by our fathers and transmitted to US
and by no other means is it possible for II