The Oxford intelligencer. (Oxford, Miss.) 1860-18??, 1860-12-12

''that the powers of the Government may be
re-assumed by the people whensoever il shall
become necessary to their happiness" The
right to be governed only by their own consent,
and to withdraw whenever it is necessary for
their safety, are parts Of the reserved rights Of
the States. Those who have arrived at differ
fent conclusion seem to have ignored the history
of the action Of the States and gone to the words
Of the Constitution to seek there the reserved
rights Of the States and when they find in the
preamble Of that instrument the words, "we,
the people Of the United States, do ordan and
establish this Constitution for the United States
OF America" they contend that this Govern
ment was ordained and established by the whole
people for the States add over the States, conse-
quently binding on the States until the whole
people of the United States relieves them Of the
obligation to obey it. This construction is con-
tradcted alike by the facts Of history and the
words Of the Constitution. History shows that
it was made and agreed to by the States, the
smaller States having an equal voice with the
larger States in the adoption of every clause in
it. and that it was mtified and established BY the
States, each acting independently by itself and
for ITSELF and the words of the Constitution in
the seventh article are as fpllows: 'The ratifi-
cation Of the convention of nme States shall be
sufficient for the establishment of this Constitu-
ton between the States so ratifying the-same" Z"
Thus the Constitution agreeing with the facts Of
history, shows that it was established by the
people of the States and not by the whole peo pie
of the United States, and was to be binding be-
tween the States that ratified IL, and not over
them; binding between the States which might
ratify, and not between them and States refu-
sing to ratify. For the ratification of twelve
States could not and did not make it binding be-
tween them and the smallest State of the for
mer Confederacy-RhodeI Island-until on her
own terms and in her own time her sovereign
act made her ,ne of the States of the new Con-
federacy. Again, it is asserted that the su-
premacy Of the Federal Government over the
States was established and agreed to in the sew
enth clause of the sixth article of the Constitu-
ton, as follows:
"This Constitution, and the Laws of the Uni
ted States which shall be made in pursuance
thereof and all treaties made or which shall be
made under the authority of the United States,
shall be the Supreme Law Of the land and the
Judges Of every State shall be bound thereby,
anything in the Constitution or laws of any
State to the contrary notwithstanding"
This clause asserts the supremacy of the Con-
stitution, laws and treaties of the Federal Gov
ernmcnt over the Constitution, laws, courts ard
citizens ofthe States so long as they remain uni
ted, but does not touch, and was not intended to
touch, the question of the right Of "a State to re-
sumo this with the other granted powers, and to
cease to be one of the United States. This
Constitution, the laws and treaties are declared
to be the supreme law of the land. What
land? The Territories Of the States remaining
in the Confederacy, and not the Territory of
State after it has withdrawn from it. The
States did not in this ella, s. of the Constitution
surrender the right which they had so jealously
watched over through all stages Of its forma-
ton.
1t thus seems to me clear that the right to be
governed only by their own consent and to
withdraw from the Government for tyranny and
oppression, is the birthright of the States which
our fathers guarded for us, never losing sight of
it never surrendering it. And we must guard
it for Our Sons 1t is to-day in more imnent
peril than at any ii ne since Washington crossed
the Delaware That danger arises not from the
fact that Mr., Lincoln is to be President for the
next four years; that, were it unattended by
other threatening circumstances, would be q
matter of small moment But when il is re-
membered that a struggle has been going on be-
tween the two great sections ofthe Confederacy,
for forty years, the North struggling for domina-
ton, for the power to injure and oppress the
South, the Southern States defending their ex-
stencc as equals in the Confederacy, asking
nothing but what was given by the Constitution
and guaranteed by oaths; and when that domi-
nant hostile Northern section has attained mum
bers sufficient to place itself permanently in the
ascendant and add the powers of the Federal
Government to its means of oppression, well
may we regard this as the great danger that
constrans men of all parties in the South to bury
party feuds and band together for defense. Our
deliverance from this great danger, in my opin-
ion, is to be found in the reserved rights of the
States to withdraw from injury and oppression
which was retained by those who formed this
Government for just such an emergency as this
Embodied in the reserved rights Of the States is
the soul of American liberty-the great saving
principle to which the Southern States can alone
IoOk and lice. This saving principle mustperish
under Black Republican rule. Then 60 down
into Egypt while Herod reigns in Judea, tits the
only means ofsaving the ife ofthis Emanuel Of
American politics, and when in after years it
shall be told you, that they who sought the
life Of this Prince Of Peace and fraternity are
dead, you may como up out Of Egypt and real
ize all the fond hopes of patriots and sages, of
peace on earth and goodwill among men, under
the benign influence Of re united Government
deriving its just powers from the consent of the
governed
That the State of Mississippi may eyince to
her Southern sister States the interest she feels
in the common danger, I recommend that com
missiOners be appointed to visit such Of them as
may convoke their Legislatures or call Conven-
tons to take into consideration the threatening