The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-12-14
merate the other high powers which have
been conferred upon the General Govern

merate the other high powers which have
been conferred upon the General Govern.
ment. In order to carry the enumerated
powers into effect, Congress possesses the
exclusive right to lay and collect duties on
imports, and in common with the States to
lay and collect all other taxes. But the
Constitution has not only conferred these
high powers upon Congress, but it has ad.
opted efectunl means to restrain the States
from interfering with their exercise for
that purpose. 1t has in strong prohibi.
tory language expressly declared that no
State shall enter into any treaty, alliance
or confederation, grant letters of .marque
and reprisal, coin money, emit bills of cred,
it, make any thing but gold and silver coin
tender 10 payment of debts, pass any bill
OF attainder, ex post facto law, or laws i'm
pairing the obligations of contracts. More
over, without the consent of Congress, no
State shall levy any imposts or duties on
any imports or exports except what may
DO absolutely necessary for executing the
inspection laws, and if they exceed this
amount, the excuses shall belong to the
United States, and no State shall, without
the consent of Congress, lay any duty on
tonnage, keep troops or ships Of war in
time of peace, enter into any agreement of
compact with another State, or with for.
eign power, or engage in war unless actual
ly invaded or in such imminent danger as
will not admit of further delay.
In order still further to secure the unin-
terrupted exercise of these high powers
against state interposition, it is provided
that the Constitution and laws of the United
States, which shall be MAIDS 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 shall be
bound thereby, anything in the Constitution
and laws of any state to the contrary not
withstanding. The solemn sanctions of
religion have been superadded to the obi
cations of official duty, and all Senators
and Representatives of the United States,
all members of State Legislatures, and all
executive and judicial officers, both of the
United States and of the several States,
shall be bound by oath or affirmation to
support the Constitution.
In order to carry into effect these laws
the Constitution has established a perfect
government in all its forms--legislative,
executive and judicial-and the govern
ment, to the extent of its powers, acts upon
the individual citizens of every state, and
executes its own DEGREES by the agency of
its own officers. In this respect it differs
entirely from the government under the old
confederation, which was confined to making
acquisitions on the states in their sovereign
character. This left in the discretion of
each whether to obey or to refuse, and they
often declined to comply with such requisi-
tions. 1t thus became necessary, for the
purpose Of removing the barrier, and in
order to form more perfect union, to es
tablish government which could act di.
rectly upon the people, and execute its own
laws without the intermediate agency of
the states. This has been accomplished by
the Constitution of the United States.
In short, the government created by the
Constitution, and drawing its authority from
the sovereign people of each of the several
states, has precisely the same rights to exer-
else its power over the people of all states
in the enumerated 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 delegated powers, the Com
stitution of the United States is as much a
part of the constitution of each state, and is
as binding upon the people as though it had
been textually inserted therein. This gov.
ernment, therefore, is great and powerful
government, invested with all the attributes
of sovereignty of the special subjects to
which it's authority extends. Its trainers
never intended to implant in its bosom the
seeds Of its own destruction; nor were they
at its creation, guilty of the absurdity Of
providing for its own dissolution.
It was not intended by its trainers to be
the baseless fabric of vision, which, at the
touch of the enchanter, would vanish into
thin air, but substantial and mighty
fabric, capable of resisting the slow decay
of time, and of defyiog the storms of ages
Indeed, we'll may jealous patriots Of that
day have INDUCED fears, that government
Of such high powers might violate the re-
served rights of the states, and wisely did
they adopt the rule of strict construction
of those 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 enable any state, by
her sister states, to discharge her people
from all or any Of their federal obligations.
1t may be asked, then, are the people of the
states without redress against the tyranny
and oppression of the federal government
By no means The right of resistance or
the part of the oppressed against the op
preston of their governments, cannot be
denied lit exists independent of all Constitu
tions, and has been exercised at all periods
of the worlds history. Under it old gov.
ernments have been destroyed, and under il
new ones have been replaced. 1t is en-
bodied in strong and express language, in
our own Declaration of 1ndepen lence, but
the distinction must ever be observed, that
this is revolution against an established
government, and not a voluntary secession
from it by the virtue OF an inherent consti
tutional right. tt D.
In short, let US Look the danger fairly in
the face: Secession is nothing more nor
less than revolution. 1t may or it may not
be justiiable revolution, but still it is revo.
luton. What, in the meantime, is the re-
sponsibility and true position of the Execu-
tive, bound by solemn oath before God and
the country to take care that the laws be
faithfully executed? From this obligation