Star of the Kanawha Valley. [volume] (Buffalo, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1856, 1856-01-16

permanent confedssat;on prsscribed by the
constitutio1.
Our balahde ofpoWef lin The seperate
reserved rights Of the States. and Their
equal representation IN the Senate. Tha,
inedepenent sovereignty in every one Of
the States, with its reserved rights of To-
ical self-conernment assured to each BY
their co-equal powers in the Senate, was
the fundamental condition ofthe constitu.
ton. Without It the Union would never
have existed. However DESTROYS the lar.
ger States might be to re-orgsnise the 60.
vernment 90 o. to give 70 their population
Its proportionats weight in the common
councils, they knew it was impossible,
unless they conceded to the smaller ones
authority 70 exercise at least q negative
influence on all the measures Of the gov.
lcrnment, whether Legislative or executive,
Through their equal representation in the
Senate.
/ Indeed, tho larger States themselves
couId not have failed to perceive that the
same power was equally necessary "a
them. for the security Of their own do
sImestic interests against the aggregate
force Of the general government In q
WORD, the original States went into this
permanent league on the agreed premises,
lof exerting their common strength for the
defence Of the whole, and all its parts; but
of utterly excluding all capability Of re.
ciprocal aggression. Each solemnly
bound itself to all the others, neither t.
undertake, nor permit any encroachmenl
upon or intermeddling with another's 70.
served rights.
/ Where il was deemed expedient, par.
| ticular rights of the States were expressly
/ guaranteed by the Constitution, but, il
all things beside, these rights were guar.
ded by the limitation of the powers gran.
tied, and by express reservation Of al
/ powers no. granted. in. the compact o.
union. Thus, the great power Of taxa.
ton was limited to purposes of common
defence and general welfare, excluding
objects appertaining to the local legisla.
ton Of the several States; and those pur,
poses Of general welfare and common de.
Tense were afterwards defined BY specific
enumeration, as being matters only 81
lcorrelation between the States themselves
or between them and foreign governments
(which, because of their common and gen.
eral nature, could not be left to the Sc
parate control of each State.
/ OF the circumstances of local condi-
ton, interest and rights, in which por-
Ition Of the States, constituting one great
section Of the Unien, differed from the
rest, and from another section, the most
important was the peculiarly Of larger
relative colored population in the south
ern than the northern States. "A popula-
ton Of this class, held in subsection, ex-
listed. in nearly all the States, but was
more numerous and Of more serious con-
oernment in the south than in the north,
on account Of the natural differences Of
climate and production. and it was fore
seen that, for the same reasons, while this
population would diminish, and sooner
or later cease to exist in some States, it
might increase in others. The peculiar
character and magnitude OF this question
Of local rights, not in material relations
only, but still more, In social ones, caus-
ed it to enter into the special stipulations
of the Constitution. IN
Hence. while the general government,
% well By the enumerated powers grant
ed toit as by those not enumerated, and
therefore refused TO do it, was forbidden
10 touch this matter in the sense Of attack
or offense, it was placed under the gener-
al safeguard Of the Union, in the sense OF
defense against either invasion or domes-
tic 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 solemnly bound BY his allegiance
to the Constitution, that any person held
to service or labor in one state, escaping
into another, shall not, in consequences Of
any law or regulation thereof, be dischar-
ged 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 sstats
against interference on the part Of anoth.
ler, was the present form Of government
established By our fathers and transmits
ted to VS.; and by no other means is Ut
possible for It to exist.s If one state cea-
ses to respect the rights Of another, and
obtrusiyely intermediates with its To-
cal interests o portion of the states
assume to impose their institutions on the
others, or refuse to fulfill their -obliga-
tions to them I'VE are no longer united
| friendly states, but distracted, hostile
ones, with little capacity left Of common
advantage, but abundant means Of recip-
rocal injury and mischief. a
Practically, it il immaterial whether
aggressive interference, between the states
or deliberate refusal on the part Of any
one Of them 70 comply with constitution
al obligations, arise from erroneous con-
yiction or blind prejudice, whether it be
perpetrated BY direction or indirection.
In either case, il Is full Of threat and Of
danger to the durability Of the Union.
coNsfTfUTIoEAL RELkIroHs or SLAVERY.
Placed in the Office Of Chief MaQis-
trate, as the. executive agent Of the whole
country, bound to take care that thu laws