Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-10-28
Abolitionism Explained 10.
FEDERAL SOVEREIGNTY.

FEDERAL s0yEREi0NTf-
The powers conferred upon the Federal Gov
eminent involve prohibition of the State Gov
eminent to interfere. The power to raise armies
and man the navy is prohibition of the State
Government to interfere with enlistments or in
any way to restrict the right of enlistment. A
power to appoint postmasters and other Federal
officers is prohibition of State Governments to
interfere with Federal appointments. A State
law forbidding the Federal Government to APP
point any particular man or class of men to
Federal offices would be bold usurpation
against Federal prorogatives. The same may
be said of any restriction, in any way, by a
State Government, against the Federal right of
appointment. There is no class of persons in
| the Union from which the Federal Government
has not right to make appointments, because
there is no restriction or reservation against this
right Our Federal organization makes all the
people in the Union subjects of the Federal Gov
eminent, fora government of necessity requires
( VIC oueuteHce VI all u lto lava. ouo authority
to make laws and enforce obedience to them in
cludes authority to protect the people in their
right to read the laws, aud, Of course, in their
right to learn to read them. To prohibit the
peoples bting taught to read the laws and thus
to understand how to be good Federal citizens,
is not reserved State right, for, in the first
place, no such rightseen exist, and, secondly
there is no reservation Of ft The Federal Gov
eminent has UNREASONABLE authority to take
care that all the people are well instructed in
the duties of Federal citizens.
If the citizens of one State held no inter
course with those of another each State would
be completes independent sovereignty. But
necessarily much of each mans intercourse IL
with citizens beyond the jurisdiction of his OWL
State The right of extra-state intercourse ii
an essential right, and its enjoyment an essen
tial portion of each mans liberty. But it is {
right which State Government cannot secari
to its own citizens because it cannot act beyont
its own jurisdiction. Hence the necessity Of /
General Government to regulate the general i'll
tercourse of the people, and secure to each maj
that important portion of his personal libert.
which his own State Government cannot secure
This General Government derives its authority
politically speaking, not through the State Gov
ernments, but directly from the people. Tn
| Ia dad T., ba knl n
their liberty as far as practicable to their re
spective State Governments, and as far as neces
sarv to a General Government, both are equa
in regard to authority The General Govern
ment cannot claim superiority over the STATE
Governments, nor can State Government in
terere with the prerogatiyes of the Genera
Government. Each is sovereign in its own dc
partment of action. Neither holds exclusiv
jurisdiction, but each is bound to protect tn
people, one in the rights of State citizenship
the other in the rights of general Or federal cit
izenship. As a Federal citizen am entitled t
the privilege Of friendly intercourse with an
person Of any State, to the privilege of cmigri
ting peaceably from one State to another, to tn
benefit of commercial regulations, the post-ofhc
system, &c. These privileges are committed no
to tho keeping Of the State Governments, bu
to the General Government, and that Govern
ment is both bound @nd authorized to protec
me in their enjoymsilt against any State enact
ments which might seek to deprive me OF them
But to protect me in the enjoyment of Fedora
privileges would be to protect Inc against Stat
chattehood.
Now, VIC have heard much about STATE sovel
eighty, and have been taught that it is of sue
inviolable sacredncss that the rights Of human
ity must be left to be crushed by it, But woul
it not be reasonable first to ascertain truly who
are the rights of sovereignty, and then .divid
our homage fairly between State sovereignty an
Federal sovereignty. |. SMITH.