Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1860-12-20

fierce and deadly hostility TO as md our instiiu-
uons, would be no cause Of excitement or dread
at the South. Ignorance or political knavery
would alone suggest such cause for the great
popular movement of the Southern States.
But to return to the dicta Of Mr.. Madison.
1t is published that he had written letters to
Mr.. Trist. which if reported correctly in the
'Iimes" is fatty opposed to his resolutions of
1898 and his report to the Virginia Legislature,
written when in the vigor and maturity of his
intellect Moreover it is in conflict with the
views he expresses in a letter to Hon. w. C..
Rives III 1888. In that letter he says: "Seccs-
sion cannot be exercised by a State at its will Or
pleasure. 10 be rightful it must be with the
consent OF its co-States or ii must be 0bsolred
from as obligations by the abuse of the delegated
poDer, or violation Of the compact" This con-
forms to his early exposition of the rights of the
States and is probably mere authentic express
sion OF his opinions. 1t is due to the reputation
OF this distinguished statesman to believe that
he honestly held the principles which he enun-
ciated and impressed on the mind of Virginia
in l79s-'99 and which have governed her boil
teal action for sixty years. Charles Pinkney
OF South Carolina, not Mr.. Madison, furnished
the outline of the Constitution, which was adop-
ted by the Convention: of this Elliot furnishes
the proof In his report of the proceedings Mr.
Madison, favored National or Consolidated
government but the Convention more wisely
rejected the scheme and adopted one on the
federal basis Mr.. Jefferson with whor, Mr..
Madison then coucurred both in principle and
III actlon) better expresses this idea of State
power and State resistance in conservation of its
reserved rights ''That the several States, COM
prising the United States Of America, are not
united on the principle of unlimited submission
to their General Government but that by COM
~ cf,,1. e
for the United States and of amendments there
to, they constituted General Government for
special purposes, delegated to that government
certain definite powers, reserving each State to
itself the residuary mass of right to their own
self-government" and ''that to this compact
each State acceded as State and is an integral
party, its co-States forming, as to itself, the 9TH
er party; that the government created by this
compact was not made the exclusive or final
judge of the extent of powers delegated to ITSELF
since that would have made its discretion, not
the Constitution, the measure Of it's powers but
that, as an all other cases Of compact among
parties, hdoing no common Judge, each party has
an equal right to Judge for ITSELF as ,ceU Of IN
fractions as Of the mode and measure ofredress."
trust l have adduced both argument and au-
thority sufficient to convince any fair-minded
man, who is true and loyal to his State, her
rights and her honor, that his State has the
right, legal as well as natural, to secede from
the Union, when perverted to her injury or OPP
PRESTON, or when she judges it necessary to
her happiness" and safety. 1t is for the people
Of Maryland, in their conventional sovereignty.
to choose this Union without self-government,
or another with self-government-U with
negro emancipation and equality, or disunion
with the rights and superiority Of the white race
fully preserved.
Governor Hicks knows the will of the people
and is determined that they shall not express it
in their sovereign capacity, He means to keep
the State without the constitutional faculty Of
deciding on her position and without means of
self-protecton, until Lincoln is possessed of the
army, navy, and patronage Of the Federal Gov
eminent to weld against her people. Let it
come and treachery will find its recompense at
the hands of an injured and betrayed people
Who should judge Of the perils that surround us
and of the means of averting them, the Iegisla-
ture or MrsHicks? Gin the multitude of coun-
sellers, thhere is - { Il - I : ~
Solomon and reposes on his own wlSol5ln.
j. r. S.