Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1856-01-17


BY the enactment Of incompatible provisions
and who, by the inevitable reactionary eff
feel Of their own violence on the subject,
awakened the country 10 perception OF the
true constitutional principle Of leaving TIE
matter involved 10 the discretion of the peo-
pie Of the respective existing or incipient
States.
lts not pretended that this principle, or
any other, precluded the possibility of evils
in practice, disturbed as political action is
liable TO be by human passions. No form Of
government is exempt from inconvenience;
abuse, and not of the legitimate exercise, OF
the powers reserved or conferred in the or.
eanization of Territory. They are not tc
be charged to the great principle of popular
sovereignty; on the contrary, they disap-
pear before the intelligence and patriotism
of the people, exerting through the ballot.
box their peaceful and silent but irressti
bic power.
If the friends of the Constitution are to
have another struggle, its enemies could moi
present more acceptable issue than that OIL
State, whose constitution clearly EN-.
braces ga republican form of government
being excluded from the Union, because its
domestic institutions may not in all respects
comport with the ideas of what is wise and
expedient entertained in some other State
Fresh from the groundless imputations o.
breach of faith against others, men will
commence the agitation of this new ques
Ok ,;o,at,o,, &
compact between the independent sovereign
powers of the United States and of the Re
public of Texas, as we'll as Of the older anC
equally solemn compacts which assure III,
equality Of all the States,
Bnt deplorable as would be such viola
ton Of compact in itself and in all its direc
consequences, that is the very least Of til,
evils involved. When sectional agitator
shall have succeeded in forcing on this issu
can their pretensions fail to be met by coun
ter pretensions? Will not different State!
be compelled respectively to meet extreme
with extremes? And if either extrem
carry its point, what is that so far forth bu
dissolution Of the Union? If a new State
formed from the territory Of the Unite
States, be absolutely excluded from adns
sion therein; that fact of itself constitute
the disruption of union between it and tn
other States. But the process Of dssolu
ton could not stop here. Would not sec
tional decision, producing such result by
majority of votes, either Northern or Soutl
ern, of necessity drive out the oppresse
and aggrieved minority, and place in pre-,
ence of each other two irreconcilabIy hos
tile considerations?
1t is necessary to speak thus plainly
projects, the offspring of that sectional ag
tation now prevailing in some of the State
which are as impracticable as they are III
constitutional, and which, if persevered i,
must and will end calamitouslv. II is eitl
err dsunion and civil war, or il is mere al
cry, idle, aimless disturbance Of publ
peace and tranquility. Disunion for wha
If the passionate rage of fanatcism and pa
tizan spirit did not force the fact upon o,
attention, it would be difficult to believe tn
any considerable portion of the people of III
enlightened county could have so surrende
ed themselves to a fanatical 7deyoton to Il
+ supposed interests OF the relatively fe
Africans in the United States, as totally
, abandon and disregard the interests OF Il
twenty-five millions Of Americans, 10 tran
{ pie under foot the iniuncions of moral ar
, constitutional obligation, and ts,-engage
plans of vindicitive hostility against Tho
) who are associated with them in the EMO
ment Of the common heritage~of our natioI
al institutions.
Nor is it hostility ngainsttheir fciloy
, citizens of one section ofthe Union alone
. The interests, the honor; the duty, the peac
and the prosperity of the people of all Sc
tions are equally involved and imperilled
, this question. And are patriotic men
any part of the Union prepared, on such,
f issue, t u' madly 10 invite all the cons
quences of the forfeiture of their constit,
t tional engagements It is impossible
The storm Of phrensy and faction must i
, evitabIy dash itself in vain against the II
| shaken rock of the Constitution. I shi
| never doubt it. know that the Union
stronger thousand times than all the wi
1 and chimercial schemes of social ohan
which are generated, one after another,
the unstable minds of visionary sophs
, and interested agitators. rely confiden
, " on the patriotism of the people, on Il
dignity and self-respect of the States, on Il
. wisdom of Congress, and, above all, on Il
r continued gracious favor of Almighty Go
TO maintain, against all enemies, whether
home or abroad, the sanctity of the Cons
ton and the integrity of the Union.
FRANKLIN PIERCE.
/ WAsuIvGroN, DECEMBER 81, 1855.
-
9Th January, 1865.
Editor Of The Glasgow Times:
People are thinking and talking Of suit