The Feliciana Democrat., 1858-02-27
From the n. o. Courier.
STATE RIGHTS.

From the very beginning of our present federal
system of government, there have been two perfectly
distinct nnd radically different parties, one of which
believed and maintained that we were simply an ng-
grcgation OF many distinct nations as there are
States, with ser of joint attorney at Washington to
transact certain specified sorts of business and the
other of which believed and maintained tla, We were
single nation with an elective king ut Washington.
That Congress was a sovereign parliament, and that
State boundaries were and ought to be a mere convc-
ncnt division Of the nation for strictly local pur.
poses. In the old John Adams days when the lat
ter of these two ideas had full sway the entire I'm.
glsl system of thought and practice inaugural
81 and forced down the reluctant broats Of the na
seated Democrats Of that period. Massachusetts and
south Carolina used to vote side by side in Congress
while Pennsylvania and Virginia resisted with the
ihdomlablc spirit which has distinguished those
states from that day to this. The alien and scdtion
laws were carried by the federal party; Congress
used to wait the President In body aud the Pre-
sdrnt. drcs.ch in ridiculous Sort Of court drcsy
used to give them sort OF gracious audience
All these things have passed away The Whigs
succeeded the Fcdcralsts but although tlcy only
comprchcnded the national idea Of our system
their illusrious predecessors The Know Nuthings
succeeded the Wings in their "Unon.nt any price
twaddlc but they departed still farther from The six
stocking responsibility of their dciunct political an
ccstors. Meanwhile opposed to them ,ll in every
FORM the great Democracy always existed and always
Insisted that the cardinal idea Of our system was
formed on State rights aud not on congressional
powers that our government was Distributed over
all the states, each in il own capital and did no,
lie except for few specified purposes. in Washing.
ton.
~ these late day, the entire South seem, to be
united upon the State Rights doctrine We are
charmed TO &c that the very papers which .,d 10 ~
shouting for Union Union, Union Union at.anv-
price, are now disposed to take ~ far A. they know
how The ground the Democracy have alwa,. occu
pied.
We desire to give them every possible assis,anco
III 50 laudabc an rndcavor and for that purpose We
must ask them TO excuse MS for informing them that
most oi them are entirely on the wrong track. If
they wish to be good Democrats or to get on the plat
form oil the resolutions Of 9S they must quit talking
about Southern rights They are still afflicted
win the old idea of one nation only having 90,
mica with their ''onc-nation" brethren at the North
lhey now consider ns two nations one Northern and
'hc other southern. That is not the thing. They
must learn better We are thiryonc different ma.
lions Our doctrines not Southern rights, but
State rights. We do not intend to be under the do.
nlnion OF South Carolina any more than Of Mas,a.
,hsetls' 1t is by no means certain that the Allan.
e South Is any more friendly to Louisiana than the
Mississippi Valley North. We do not want TO domi.
nate over any other State North or South and do MOI
intend to allow any other State North or Sout, Ia
dominate over us. This is the doctrine Of gs. ri
''r late know-Nohing adycrsarics intend in good
ann TO JON us they must get on that platform.