Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1860-12-08
Secession and Disunion.

The latest adviccs from the States in
dictate that South Carolina and Georgia
have advanced somewhat in projects of
secession, and that others ofihc South
ern States are preparing to follow their
rcrnicious and reasonable example.
We are also told that the present Pres
ilcnt and his Cabinet have resolved
that Il State has the power po;,ceably to
withdraw or scccdc, but while continu-
ing in the Union, no act of Congress
must be nulliticd. In other words.
there is Il difference between secession
and notification. You who have de-
rived knowledge heretofore from the
immortal Webster, who twice during
his life demonstrated that secession and
notification were one and the same
thing, and that too, TREASON Of the deep
est ant! darkest dye, ponder on this
painful condition OF things. YOU who
vcnclsltc the memory of that pure and
inhcxiblc patriot Jackson, who main
tanned in Il .juncture of national affairs
similar to the present, the sublime de-
termination that The Union must and
shall be preserved" stop and reflect
upon the evil times threatened by few
miadcaps, firc-citcrs and disunionists OF
the South. aided in the North by the
pampcrcd officials of the Admini>tra-
ton, rcbukcd so SignalIv by the people
in the late Republican triumph.
Exciting us is the news, painful as is
the reflection, that any man or set of
men, may deliberately mediate treason,
yet more painful to us is the exhibition
by certain Federal officials of high an,
tllority publicly proclaiming that q
,Stah o. Suites mny Scc~'e proccobW.
Peaceable secession what paradox !.
One might as well talk about nation
without nationality, a State without a
government, an earthquake without an
upheaving ofthe elements, chaos with
out confusion, or p"cctM ~W. Were
pufiafe such doctrincs-we dctcst such
hcrcsics. We recognize the Constitu-
ton as solid and enduring compact.
We regard the Union of these States It's
an union of great and mi ghty people,
leaguedtogetherto promoted the general
welfare and provide for the general
tranquility. Not mere rope of sand
mere ephemcal partnership, where
any member may at pleasure retire
when subjected to temporary disap-
pointmcnt, and thereby inhict injury
upon the whole, rendering unstable
and insecure the prize secured to our
nation by the blood and treasure of the
Revolution-the great gift of the wiscst
of men and the purest Businessmen.
Allowance might be INDUCED to-
wards those disappointed politicians
who were bred in the section where the
utterance of reasonable sentiments has
SO long been fashionable; but what
shall be said Of Il Jud &c of the United
States Court, sworn tosupport the Con-
stitution and laws in a jurisdiction far
remote from the scene of excitement,
in Territory bearing the name of that
hero statesman, who strovc so hard to
erect this great national fabric, publicly
Brtraaiming the dalnning hercsy, THAT
STATES HAVE TIE uNDorBrED RIGHT
re sECEDE FROM THE UNION. Frcemcn
Of Washington Territory, do you not
believe that the utterancc of so unlal-
lowed sentiment would almost cause
the great expoundcr Of the Constitu-
ton, Daniel Webster, to turn in his
grave! DO you not with fervcncy of
prayer wish that the immortal Jackson
were now occupying the Presidential
chair? How long before he would
with the whole force of the nation see
that every law of the Union was faith
fully executed! How long would he
be making up his mind to hang us
traitors every man who raised his voice
or upliftcd an arm to strike down this
glorious heritage of our Fathers, the
Constitution and the Union of these
States? Since the Supreme Court of
the United States initiated the system
of making political speeches in their
decisions, by discussing questions en-
firelv fnrn;rn r, tbo cn,o IN oo,,r+ - In