Tribune and telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1855-1856, 1856-01-03


Before the thirteen Colonies became q Confed-
fedration they were associated only by commu-
nifty of trans Atlantic origin, with mutual tie
of common dependence on Great Britain. When
that tie was severed, they severally assumed the
form of an absolute self-government. The mu-
nicipal and social Institutions of each, the laws
OF property and of personal relations, even the
political organization, was such only as each one
chose to establish, wholly without interference
from any other. In the language of the De-
claration of ndependence-"Each State has
power to levy war,to conclude peace contract al
lliances, establish commerce, and to do all other
acts which Independent States may do" The
several Colonies differed in climate, soil, and
tural productions, in religion, insystenls of edu-
cation, in legislation, and in the forms of politi-
cal administration, and they continued to differ
| in these respects when they voluntarily allied
themselves to carry on the war was to disenhrall
the United Colonies from foreign rule, which
| had proved to be oppressive, and to separate
them permanently from the mother country
The political result was the foundation of the te-
deral republic of the free white men of the colo
MES, constituted, as they were, IN distinct and
reciprocally independent State Governments
As for the subject races, whether Indian or Afri-
can, the wise and brave Statesmen OF that day,
I being engaged in no extravagant scheme OF sud
den change, left them rs they were, and thus pre-
served their posterity from the anarchy and the
ever recurring civil wars which have prevailed
| in other revolutionary colonies of America.
When the confederated States consented to
modify the conditions of their association by Civ
i ing to the General Government direct access in
some respects to the people of the States, instead
of combining il to action on the States such, they
proceeded to frame the existing constitution, adj
herring steadily to one guiding tho't, which was
to delegate only such power as was necessary and
proper to the execution of specific purposes, in
other words, to retain as much as possible, con-
sstently with these purposes of the independent
power of the Individual States. For the objects of
common defence and security, they entrusted to
the General Government certain carefully defined
functions, leaving all others rs the undelcgated
rights of the several independent Sovereignties.
Such is the Constitutional theory of our Govern
mcnt, the practical observance of which, has car
red us and us alone, among modern Republics,
thro nearly three generations of men, without
the cost of one drop of blood shed in civil war
With freedom and concert of action it has enabled
us to contend successfully on the battlefield ag-
ainst all foes; has elevated the feeble colonies in
to powerful States, and has raised our industrial
productiveness and the commerce which trans
ports it, to the level of the richest and greatest
nations of Europe; and the admirable adaptation
of our political institutions to their objects, COM
bining local self-government With aggregate
strength, has established the practicability of q
Government like ours to cover a continent with
The Congress of the u. S. is, in effect, that
Congress of sovereigntIes which good men of the
old world have sought for, but could never obtain
and which imparts to America an exemption from
the mutual leagues for common action, from the
wars, the mutual inyasions, and the vague aspi
rations after the balance of power which convulse
from time to time the governments of Europe
Our cooperative action rests in the permanent
confederation prescribed by the Constitution
Our balance of power is in the separate reserved
rights ofthe States, and in their equal representa-
ton in the Senate. That independent sovereign
| ty in every one of the States with its reserved
rights of local selfgovernment assured to.each by
their co-equal power in the Senate, was the fun
dalnental condition of the constitution. Without
it, the Union would uever have existed. How
ever DESTROYS the larger States may have been to
re-organiZe the government, so as to give their
population its proportionate weight in the com
mon councils, they knew it was impossible unless
they conceded to the smaller ones authority, to
I exercise at least negative influence in all mea
ures of the Government " neither legislative or ex-
ecutive, thro their equal representation in the
Senate. Indeed the larger States themselves,
could not have failed to foresee that the same
power was equally necessary to them for the Sc
curity of their own domestic interests against the
4 aggregate force of the General Government
In word, the original States went into this
I permanent league, on the agreed premises of
lexerting their common strength for the defence
of the whole and of all its parts, but of utterly
excluding all capabity OF reciprocal aggressions
Each bound itself TO all the others, neither to
! undertake nor permit encroachment upon, or
ntermeddling with aRothers reserved rights;
and where it was deemed expedient particular
rights of the States were guaranteed by the linn
itation of the powers granted and by express
reservation of all powers not granted in the COM
pact of Union
Thus the great power of taxation was limited
IL Al. I,c.x,
welfare, excluding objects appeTtaining to the
local legislation of the separate States, and
those purposes of general welfare and common
defence were afterwards defined by specific emu
meration as being matters only of correlation
between the States themselves, or between them
and foreign governments, which because of
their common and general nature could not be
left to the seperate control of each State
Among the circumstances of local condition, in
terests and rights, in which portion of the states
constituting one great section of the Union, diff
fered from the rest and from another section, the
most important was the peculiarly of larger
relative colored population in the southern than
in the northern states.
A population of this class, held in subsection,
existed in nearly all the Estates, but was more
numerous and of more serious Government i'll
the South than in the North, on account of ma
tural differences climate and productions, and it
found that for the why their population would
diminish aud later exist in
might others. The peculiar character and
magnitude of this qaeston of local rights not in material
relations only but still in social ones caused it to
in the special spuations of the Constitution Hence
while the general government, well the enumerated
granted to it, as by those not enumerated and there
fore refused forbidden to touch this matter in the
sense Of attack defence it placed under the general
safeguard of the Unon the Of defence against either
nicurson domestic yioisdce like all other local interests
of the several States Each State expressly stipulated
well for itself for each and all of its citizens and every
citizen of each State became solemnly bound by his ale
glance the constitution that any person held ito service
in consequence Of any law regulation thereof be schar
ged from such service labor but should be delivered up
upon claim of the party whom such service labor
might be due by the laws of his State Thus and thus
fy By the reciprocal guarantee of all the rights of every
State against interference the pBr of another the
present form of government established by fathers and
transmitted to and by other it possible for
to exist IF state to respect the rights of another
and obstrusively Intermediates with its local Interests if
portion of the state assume 10 impose their institutions
the others, refuses to fulfil their obligations
longer nned friendly states but distracted hostile
ones with little capacity left of common advantage bnt
bnndant means of reciprocal injury and mischief
Practically is mmatera whether aggressive interer-
between the states deliberate patti
either of them comply with the constitutional obiga
tons, arise from eronaous conviction blind prejudice
whether it be purperated by direction Hdirection
either case it full of danger to the durability Union
Placed in the Office of chief Magistrate executive
gent of the whole country bound that
be faithfully especially eniened by the constitution give
information TO of the the Union would
be palpabe neglect of duty my part pass sub
Al.