Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1860-12-27
WHOLE NO. ZIG.

II.
w. the right to secede at pleasure. wheth-
er few States or more. For such a step
he could find no clause in the Constitution.
Ii such right exists, we hare not now and
neuer had Government. Can that be o.
bedience to law which obeys or not. as il
pleascs? How can that be Government
which depends on the will of any caption.
member of it to break up at its own pleas
urc? If South Carolina were sunk by an
earthquake to-day, it would hardly be
known except by the anwonted calm sce
should ejnoy here. The secession question
was fully examin.d thirty years ago. and.
he supposed. was finally settled thcn.-
Gen. Jackson and all great men of that
day Except Mr. Calhoun) held it to be
destructive of all government. This ques-
tion Mr.. Webster was supposed to have
exhausted in his reply to Mr.. Hayne. 1t
was supposed to have been killed then. but
here it is in all its bloom. Mr.. Calhoun
held that notification was legal; but even
he condemned secession, and said Tin his
Fort Hill letter to Gov Hammond) it was
not constitutional, and that We had the
right to prevent it.
Senator Wade proceeded to refute the
notion that Secession was q State right
under the Constitution He admitted the
general right of revolution. but not of
peaceable secession. Those who UNDER
take resolution. If successful, are all right,
and are heroes; if defeated they are rebels.
and are punished accordingly. The Chief
Magistrate of the Union cannot be rclcas-
ed from his duty to prevent any star from
dropping from the galaxy of the Confed-
eracy. The most important duty is the
! collection of the revenue. II the people OF
South Carolina do not want the mails; il
they will not sen,l Senators and Repre-
sentatives here, we cannot force them in
these matters, but when they come to the
performance of the duty due to all the
States that duty must be performed. The
President must collect the revenue. When
blocka,led, South Carolina will be put in
to such position that it will compel her
to declare war, and to win her independents
by violence anil blood. This act of levy.
ing war is treason against the u. s., and
no lawyer in this body will deny it. You
men Of the South are brave and gallant
race, as brave as we are. We know It.
We no fight with you. but if you drive
us and beat US we must submit; if you arc
defeated you must go to the wall.
| The Federal Government is forced.
Willingly or unwilingly to be al war with
seeding State; it stands on the defensive,
and the sece'ling State is obliged to be-
come the agyressor, and to assume the
onus of rebellion. Such is the real state
of things; and there is no help for il un-
der the Constitution. However willing
the people of the North might DO to ac-
cord full freedom of secession to their
Southern brethren whenever they think it
for their best interests, it cannot be accor-
dcd to them except by National Conven-
tion of the people. Each and every State.
through its officers. has sworn to support
the Constitution and laws of the United
States; and no President or Congress act
ing under that Constitution has power to
absolve any one from that oath, or from
the duty of citizenship. This is the plain
commonsense view of the matter. Seces-
sion. therefore involves awful consequent
ces. The Fe leral Government must still
continue to execute the laws. and uphold
its own former status. If it fails toward
one State it fails toward all; and the Uni
on is de .farto resolved into its component
parts. Let not. then. the people Of any
State cherish for moment SO delusive and
SO dangerous an idea. Secession must be
long journey and Intellectual at last. 1t
can bring to the seccder only internal dis
turbancc. agitation, poverty. and depopu-
lation.
But. said Mr.. W.. turning to the South
ern Senators J. if the Union of those States
must come to an end, the free States have
still q glorious fut Ire before them. They
are twenty millions of white frccmen. Tho
Territories will be retained by them And
| there stands Mexico. anxiously longing for
a closer alliance with us. But she is q.
fraid of your fillibustering. slavery propa-
ganda dispositicas. She will gladly invite
US to establish protectorate over her coun-
try. She will welcome us with open arms,
to maintain internal peace, to build for her
railroads and telegrarhs; to dig her mines,
and rebuild her cities. The merchants and
manufacturers of the seaboard States of tho
North will reap a commerce that will sew
cn-fold repay them for all the patronage
you can withdraw from them. Hitherto
Mexico has been le,l by your policy to fear
us and hate us and hate you. and has been
driven to seek protection OF strangers but
all this will give place to friendship and
confidence when you Sc .ede from us. Eng
land for years, has urged this country
to establish protectorate over Mexico.
We will act on her suggestion And.
gentlemen Of the South, what will bccom,
of your magniloquent dreams of q trop-
ical slave holding empire? You will be
hemmed in within your present boundaries,
and will not have the power however
prone to break through tho chains. The
North will next acquire protection over
Central America and Hayti. and to those
countries we will send our free .colored
population, including your fugitive slaves.
We will provide genial home for our ne
groes in a land suitel to their development
and progress, we will protect them from
all assailants and teach aal help them to
rise in the scale Of civilization aud inde-
pendcnce and self-governmont. Ours will
then be the White Mans Republic, to
which the Caucasian race will flo K in
millions to partakc Of our lot and ezioy
our good things Canada. too, will soon