The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1860-12-18

preeent crisis. lie thinks that the South can
afford to pardon the insult offered her BY the
election OF Lincoln, and limits present eriev-
ances of the South to the personal liberty
| laws and the refusal Of Northern States to
surrender "nieger thieves"
/ We commend the views Of MIR. Bell on the
right and consequences OF secession to our
readers
The existing grievances are the obstruc.
tons interposed by some OF the non slave
holding States to the prompt and faithful
execution of the Fugitive Slave law, by what
are called Personal Liberty laws, and the re-
fusal Of the Governor Of several OF those
States to surrender fugitives from justice
from the slavcholding States IN those cases
in which the crime imputsdto the fugitive,
is tho abduction or steafing OF slaves. Some
further legislation by Congress may be re-
CURED TO secure the surrender or such fug-
tives, but the due enforcement Of the Fugi-
tive Slave law is all that is required to re-
dress the grievances arising from the escape
and abduction Of slaves from the Southern
States. The President is armed with sufh-
cient power and means to enforce this law,
10 defiance Of oil distractions which may be
thrown in the way to defeat it. II be neg
lects or fails to see it executed, he is liable
to impeachment.
The next subject which proposed to my
self to notice briefly ia the0octrne or theory
OF secession, which, as understand it, sthe
right claimed to exist under and BY the Con-
stitution, in the exercise OF which State
NAV withdraw from the Union, whenever \
majority OF tho citizens may decide to do 80,
-. nat "a 70
material whether any grievance or wrong
sustained at the hands Of the eo-States or
by the action Of the Federal Government, 10
set up to justify the exercise of this right or
not, inasmuch as the people of the seeding
State, under this theory, claim TO be the sole
tribunal or Judge to decide whether any such
grievance or wrong has been inflicted, and
upon the pretcxt and sufhciency Of the
wrong. In fact, the theory Of secession i'm
plies the right Of State TO dissolve its CON
nection with the Union at discretion; and
the whole question resolves itself into this:
whether the Federal Union, rs it now exists
and ID was intended to be by its trainers, is
ANYTHING more than a voluntary association
OF States for common defence and other OBJ
jccts of vital Importance to their interests
and prosperity, carrying with it no binding
obligation upon any OF the States to yield
obedience to the Federal Government any
longer than such State should consider it ex-
pedient propose to enter into no elabo-
rate argument to demonstrate the unsound.
ness of this theory, and to show that no
such right was reserved by the Constitution
either to tho States or to the people. That
has often been done by ADLER pens. | must
be k1rmitted, however, to say that when its
nature is properly defined and ts logical and
necessary consequences are candidly stated,
iss absurdity must strike the cemmonest un-
derstsnding. Ito unreasonab leness and folly,
aside from its absurdity, will be illustrated
by q single example,:
The possession and control OF the mouth
OF the Mississippi was held to be OF such vi
tai importance TO the interests OF the people
inhabiting the Valley of the Mississippi, it
being the great outlet to market Of the rich
products Of their soil, as to make its acqui-
! sitinn. sithsr by purchase or conquest, a
great political necessity. The purchase was
made by the United States for that reason.
at cost Of fifteen millions Of dollars. 1t
/ was stipulated in the treaty of cession that
the territory thereby acquired should be ad.
mtted into the Unior as State, or States,
with all the rights and privileges Of the 9TH
er States of the Union. But can it be sup
statesmen OF that day, il they interpreted the
| Constitution as the advocates Of the theory
OF secession now do, would have been 90 in
sfably stupid and blind to consequences as
to have Assented TO such stipulation? Far
wiser and better would il have been to have
| paid Eve times the price, and to have beld
the country as . subject province, having
first amended the Constitution so as to nu
thorize such holding. And should Louis
lana now secede from the Union, and set up
! an independent Government, in the exercise
OF the right OF secession, even supposing the
right to exist, can there be any doubt that
the Same commercial and political necessity
which led to its original acquisition, would
load to its snbjugation by the Iovernmen,
of the United States. or hv the States inter
ested in the navigation Of the Mississippi and
its tributaries?
After due consideration OF the eubiect
with becoming Difference to the opinions oil
others, am forced 10 the conclusion tina
) secession is but another name for an organ
iscd resistance by State 10 the laws ant
constituted authorities or the Union, or
, which is the same thing, for REVOLUTION
, The theory appears to me TO have been con
: ce.ved and propagated in = spirit of disaf
! fection to the Union, and can serve no othe
purpose than to lead the unsuspecting ant
credulous into the support Of tho scheme 0
0 dssunon under the dslusive expectation tha
o they would only be thereby exercising
right reserved to them under the Consti,u
ton, and that they would be in no danger 0
mourning the penalties OF treason. or OF ex
posing themselves and their country to th
: caIamities OF civil war.
n In the preceding pages Of this letter,
: have attempted to show that the friends Q
the Union 10 the South should not DESPAIR O
obtaining redress from the North, Of all ex
isting grievances, and that the prospect o
!, being able TO avert the greater ones, Q
which there may be some appehensions i
future, are so encouraging, that ID would b
the extreme Of rashnesss and folly to thin
OF resorsing TO any means Of redress nc