The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1856-01-10

confederation OF Independent States, tney
were associated only by community OF trans
Atlantic origin, by geographical position,
and by the mutual tie of common depen.
dence on Great Britain. When that tie was
sundered, they severally assumed the powers
and rights Of self-government. The munici-
pal and social institutions of each, its laws
of properly and Of personal relation, even lis
political organization, were such only as each
one chose to establish, wholly without inter-
fere nee from any other. In the language Of
the Declaration Of Independence, each State
had "full power 10 levy war, conclude peace,
contract alliances, establish commerce, and
TO do all other acts and things which inde-
pendent States may of right do" The sev.
eral colonies differed in climate, in soil, in
natural productions, in religion, in systems
Of education, in legislation, and in the forms
of political administration and they contin-
ued 10 differ in these respects when they
voluntarily allied themselves as States to
carry on The war of the revolution.
The object of that war was 10 disenthral
the United Colonies from foreign rule, which
had proved TO be oppressive, and TO sepa-
rate them permanently from the mother coun-
try: the political result was The foundation
of federal republic Of the free white men
OF the colonies, constituted as they were, in
distinct, and reciprocally independent, State
governments. As forthe subjectraces, wheth-
er Indian or African, the wise and brave
statesmen of that day, being engaged in no
exuavagant scheme of social change, left
Them as they were, and thus preserved them
selves and their posteri,y from the anarchy,
and the ever-recurring civil wars, which
have prevailed in other revoluti onized Euro
pean colonies Of America.
When the confederate States found il con-
venient 10 modify the conditions of their as
socialion, by giving to the general govern
ment direc, access, in some respects, to the
people of The States, instead of confnng il
10 action on the States as such, they proceed
ed TO frame the existing constitution, adher-
ing steadily 10 one guiding thought, which
was, 10 delegate only such power as was
necessary and proper to the execution of
specific purposes, or, in other words, 10 re-
tain as much as possible, consistently with
those purposes, of the independent powers
Of the individual States. Fo. objects of com.
mon defence and security, they inuusted TO
the general government certain carefully-de-
fined functions, leaving all others as the uu-
delegated rights Of the separate independent
sovereigniies. -.-.-.
Such is the constitutional theory of our
government, the practical observance of
which has carried us, and US alone, among
modern republics, through nearly three gen.
era,ions of time without the cost of one
drop of blood shed in civil war. With free
dom and concert of action, it has enabled US
10 contend successfully on the battlefield
against foreign foes, has elevated the feeble
colonies into powerful States, and has raised
our industrial productions, and our commerce
which transports them, 10 the level of the
richest and The greatest nations of Europe.
And the admirable adaptation of our politi-
cal institutions 10 their objects, combining
local self-government with aggregate strength
has established the practicability Of gov
eminent like ours to cover a continent with
confederate States. .l.,.... q. j., ,..... .,-
The Congress of the United States il, in
effect, that congress of sovereignties, which
good men in the Old World have sought for,
bu, could never attain, and which impars TO
America an exemption from the mutable
leagues for common action, from the wars,
the mutual invasions, and vague aspirations
after the balance Of power, which convulse
from timc 10 time the governments of Eu-
rope. Our cooperative action rests in the
conditions of permanent confederation pre-
scrbed by the constitution. 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-government assured 10
each by their co.equal power in the Senate,
was,he fundamental condition of the con
siilution. Without it the Union would never
have existed. However Gesitous the larger
States might be 10 fe-organize the. govern
ment so assto give to their population its
proporiionate weight in the common. coun-
sells, they knew it was mpossibls, unless
they conceded to the smaller ones authority
to exercise at leas, negative influence on
1.-The measures of,hs government, whether
Legislative or executive, through their equal
representation in the Senate, Indeed, the
larger States themselves could not have fail
ed 10 perceive, that The same power was
equally necessary to them, for the securiiy
of their own domestic interests against the
aggregate force of the general government
In a word, the original States wen, into This
permanent league on the agteed premises.
of exerling their common stfsna,h for the
defence of the whole, and of all i,s parts
but of utterly. excluding all oapabli,y OF, re.
ciprocal aggression. E Zach solemhly bound
itself 10 all the others, neither 10 undertake,
nor permit; any etcroachmeut upof. a, Il,