The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1860-12-13

| tuition has not only conferred these high pow
| ers upon Congress, but it has adopted eifectual
! means to restrain the States from interfering
with their exercise for that purpose. 1t has
| in strong prohibitory language expressly de-
clared that State shall enter into any
/ treaty alliance confederation, grant letters
! of marque and repriSal, coin money, emit bills
of credit, make anything but gold and silver
coin tender in payment of debts, pass any
/ bill of attainder, er post t0ctO law or of laws
/ impairing the obligation of contracts. More
! over, without the consent of Congress, no State
! shall lay any imposts or duties, or any imposts
/ or exports except what may be absolutely
| necessary for executing its inspection laws,
and if they exceed this amount, the eXOesses
| shall belong TO the United States, and no State
! shall, without the consent of Congress, lay
| any duty of tonnage keep troops or ships of
war in time of peace, enter into any agree
mcnt compact with another State, or with
| Il foreign power, engage in war, unless
| tually invaded, or in such imminent danger as
will admit of no delay. In order, still farther,
! to secure the uninterrupted exercise OF these
/ high powers against State interposition it is
| provided that this Constitution and the laws
of the United 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 in every State
! shall be bound thereby, anything in the con-
\
Notwithstanding. The solemn sanction Of re
! ligion has been superadded to the obligations
/ of official duty. and Senators and Representa-
! tiYes Of the United States. all members of
! State Legislatures, and all executive and iU-
Gicial officers, both of the United States and
! of the several States shall be bound by oath
| or affirmation to support this constitution. In
! order to carry into effect these powers the
! constitution has established a perfect govern
meat, in all its forms, legislative, executive
| and judical and this government, To the OK
| tent of its powers, acts directly upon the in
diyiduaI citizens of every State, and executes
! its own DEGREES by the agency of its own Off
| GERS. In this respect it differs entirely from
| the government under the old confederation,
/ which was confined to making requisitions on
the States in their sovereign character. This
left it in the discretion of each whether to
| obey to refuse, and they often declined TO
| comply with such acquisitions. 1t thus became
necessary for the purpose OF removing this
barrier, and in order to form more perfect
union, to establish government which could
act directly upon the people, and execute its
own laws without the intermediate agency Cf
the States this has been accomplished by the
Constitution OF the United States. In short,
the government created by the Constitution,
and deriving its authority from the sovereign
people Of each of the several States, has pre-
ciscly the same right to exercise its power
over the people of all these States. in the emu
merated cases, that each one of them possesses
over subjects not delegated to the United
| States, but reserved TO the States respectively
or to the people. To the extent of the dele
gated powers, the Constitution of the United
States is much part of the Constitution OF
each State, and is binding upon its people,
as though it had been teXtually inserted there
in. This Government, therefore, is great
and powerful Government invested with all
the attributes Of sovereignty over the speci-
fed subjects to which its authority extends.
Its trainers never intended to impiant in its
bosom the seeds of its own destruction, nor
were they at its creation guilty of the absur-
ditv of providing for its own dissolution. 1t
was not intended by its trainers to be the
baseless fabric of a vision which, at the touch
Of the enchanted, would vanish io,o t"in air
bHt a substantial ana mighty fabric, capable
of resisting the slow decay of time, and OF
detying the storms of age. Indeed, well may
the Jealous patriots of that day have INDUCED
fears that Government Of such high pc wers
might violate the reserved rights of the States
and wisely did they adopt thc rule of Il strict
! construction of these powers to prevent the
danger. But they did not fear, nor had they
any reason to imagine that the Constitution
would ever be so Interpreted as to anable any
State by her own act, TO discharge her people
from all or any of their federal obligations.
RIGHTS OF TIE STATEs-soUTHERN SECESSION.
It may be asked, then, are the people of the
South without redress against the tyranny and
oppression of the Federal Government? BY
no means. The right OF resistance on the part
ofthe governed against the oppression of their
governments cannot he denied. 1t exists in
dependent of all constitutions, and has been
exercised at all periods OF the worlds history.
Under it, old governments have been destroy
ed and new ones have taken their places. II
is emhodied in strong and express language in
our own Declaration OF Independence. But
the distinction must ever be observed, that
this is revolution against an established gov
| ernment, and not voluntary secession from
it by virtue of inherent Constitutional
right. IN short, let US look the danger fairly
in the face. Secession Is neither more nol
| less than revolution. 1t may or may not be
iustifabIe revolution, but still is is revolution
What, in the meantime, is the responsibility
and true position OF the Executive He Is
bound by Il solemn oath before God and the
. country to take care that the laws be faith
fully executed and from this obligation hC
cannot be absolved by any human power. But
what if the performance of this duty, hole
or in part has been rendered mpracticable by
events over which he could have exercised NJ
, control? Such al the present moment, is th'
case throughout the State of South Carolina
1 so far as the laws of the United States TO Sc
r cure the administration of justice by mean
Of the Federal Judiciary are concerned. Al
= the Federal officers within It's limits, through
I whose agency alone these laws can be carried
5 :nto execution ;haye resigned We no ionge
/ have q District Judge. a District Attorney o
: Marshal in South Carolina. In fact the whol
g ! machinery of the Federal Government neces
n sarv for the distribution of remedial justio
0 J among the people, has been demolished, an