Daily national Democrat., 1860-12-15
Not Quite n Secessionist.

y
auce ofthe Union. 1t holds the following
language:
The right Of the people to govern them
/ selves is more sacred than the preservation OF
/ the Union of the States: il is the basic prin-
! ciple Of American institutions, it was the mo
tive and animus of the revolution and its
triumphant assertion in the form of written
law was the fruit Of the revolution. Hence,
if the people of a Sovereign State decide,
whether for cause or not, that they are op-
/ pressed by the Union and prefer to be releas-
cd from it, their viii should be respected and
| oheyed. The other members of the coniede-
racy may withhold their consent toa separa-
ton, and in that event the central govern
ment would be bound to assert the suprema-
cy of federal law over the discontented State,
even if that had to be done 10y the aid of
war. We do not think any President, whcth-
er Democratic or Republican, would fail to
perform his duty in such an emergency. But
would not an attempt on the part of the fed
era government to coerce a State, or States.
IN the face OF an unmistakable popular deola-
ration for peaceable separation, be construed
hy the people of other States into an act of
despousm which they ought to join in resist
ing, though they may not have sympathized
with the original attitude of the disalIected?'
Well, this is moderately good secession doe
trine after all, but we shall not particularly
quarrel with it. Still we do not subscribe to
it. We dislike any temporizins with mat
ter of this kind. We dislike any smoothing
out of path for the gradual dissolution of
the Union. We dislike to see the public
mind familiarized with the question, (as Web
ster expressed IT'D of not how best the Union
| may be preserved but how toleraLle may be
the condition Of the people when it shall be
broken up and destroyed. We deny in toto
the right Of a State to get out of this Union,
except 10y revolution. Under intolerable op-
preston, of course, we acknowledge the right
OF revolution, but we are not prepared to
consent to the allowing of any State to 90 out
OF this Coniederaey, without its incurring the
full responsibility Of revolution. We desire
to see the Union last forever, and therefore,
SO far as our own humble but firm position is
concerned, we cannot, by any act or deed of
ours encourage slow and gradual system of
rotating the States of this Union out of the
sphere in which the Constitution has placed
them. We say that the compact which bound
these States together was one of perpetual
union and to acknowledge the right of any
one State to break the compact at will, or to
acknowledge any such policy as the consent
ing of one set ofStates that another set shall
go ou: is the sure prelude to a total destrue-
ton OF the Union. Teach the people to be-
lieve that revolution alone can dissolve the
bond by which each State is bound, and that
secession means revolution, war and blood
and they will hesitate long and reflect well
ere they vote fer incurring any such fearful
and desperate responsibility. The Constitu-
ton of the United States never contemplated
the consent of a majority Of the States that
the balance should go out and never contem-
plated, in fact, any mode of secession what
ever, whether in the Fire-Eating shape or
the new-tangled Republican snaps ofa friend
ly shaking of hands and quiet departure Of
the dissatisfied States The Constitution
makes 1t the sworn duty of the President Of
the United States to execute the Federal laws
IN every State Of the Union, and he has no
right to stop at any point to enquire whetb-
er this State or that State is outside Of tho
Federal limit. The Constitution and the
laws recognize no peregrinating sovereignty.
packing up its duds, and travelling around
promiscuously. Within the limits of every
state in this Union, there are Federal LAWS
ana Federal officers, and the execution of
those laws and the support of those officers
by the entire military and naval force of the
nation, is guaranteed by the Federal Consti-
luton as well as the enactments in pursuance
OF the spirit of that instrument. The cues
ton Is, shall the laws be enforced Secess-
ion Is simply notification, for seeding
State is not expected to pick up SO many
square acres ofland and fly off into unknown
space. 1t remains within the geographical
and legal bounds of the Union. The Fede-
raj jurisdiction is there. and there is no vav
OF making good the act of secession ~. "
nullifying the Federal laws and oferire ".
zeal resistance to the authorit'- -" ~ C--e-,I
o'''uInent' II this GO TO be
preserved and the intentic .arlers
carried out it. in short, the 81, ,-...ls oe
our Union is not to become a lar La. stock
to the entire world of humanit ery act
OF resistance to the general law every at
tempt at rebellion against Federal authority
must be met with the strong rgAt hand Of
power. That was the Jackson policy. and
that will continue to be the policy in all such
eases, as long as there is an administration at
Washington fit for the high and responsible
duties which appertain to The position of
President of the United States.
The ablest exposition OF the shallow soph-
lslry OF the doctrines of notification and de-
monstration Of their absurdity was made bv
Daniel Webster in his second speech on the
Foote Resolution, in 1880, in the United
states Senate. We append an extract, by
way OF conclusion to our article:
Il admit that there is an ultimate violent
remedy, above the Constitution and in def
ahce oi the Constitution, which NAV be re-
sorted TO when revolution is to be Justified
Dut DO not admit, that, under the Constitu-
uon and IN conformity with it, there is any
mode IN which State Government. as a
member OF the Union, can interfere and ston
the progress OF the general government. by
loree OF her own laws, under any circum-
stances whatever
lhis leads US to inquire into the origin of
tRs uiI government and the source of its power
whose agent is it2 Is it the creature of The
9i".e LEGISLATURES. or the creature of the peo-
pie If the government of the United Stntos
be the Agent of the Stato r.o..o........- N -