Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1860-12-15
5IA COUNTY, PA, SATURDAY, DECEMBER I5 1860.

ers, the Constitution has established per-
feet Government in all its forms, Legisla-
tive, Executive and judicial; and this
Government, to the extent of its powers,
acts directly upon the individual citizens
of every State, and executes its own de-
crees by the agency of its own officers.
In this respect it differs entirely from
the Government under the old Confedera
ton, which was confined to making requisi-
tions on the States in their sovereign
character. This left it in the discretion
of each whether to obey or to refuse, and
they often declined to comply with such
acquisitions. 1t thus became necessary,
for the purpose of removing this barrier,
and Sin order 10 form more perfect
Union," to establish Government which
would act directly upon the people, and
execute its own laws without the interme-
diate agency of the States. This has been
accomplished by the Constitution of the
United States.
In short, the Government created by the
Constitution, and deriving its authority
from the sovereign people Of each Of the
several States, has precisely the same
right to exercise its power over the people
Of all these States, in the enumerated
cases, that each one of them possesses over
subjects not delegated to the United States,
but preserved to the States respectively,
or to the people"
To the extent of the delegated powers
the Constitution of the United States is as
r1nnh n rf Of fhn nanytitpt;an 1f /,
State, and is as binding upon its people,
as though it had been texually inserted
therein.
This Government, therefore is great
and powerful Government, invested with
all the attributes of sovereignty over the
special subjects to which its authority ex-
tends. Its trainers never intended to i'm
plant in its bosom the seeds of its own de-
struction, nor were they at its creation
guilty Of the absurdity Of providing for its
own dissolution. 1t was not intended by
its trainers to be the baseless fabric of a
vision which, at the touch of the enchanter
would vanish into thin air, but substan-
tial and mighty fabric, capable of resisting
the slow decay of time and of defying
the storms OF ages.
Indeed, well may the jealous patriots Of
that day have indulg gcd fears that a govern
mcnt of such hig Oh powers might violate
the reserved rights of the States, and wise.
ly did they adopt the rule of strict con-
struction of these powers to prevent the
danger! But they did not fear, nor had
they any reason to imagine, that the Con.
stitution would ever be so interpreted as
to enable any State, by her own act, and
without the consent Of her sister States, to
discharge her people from all or any oi
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 on the part of the governed
against the expressions Of their govern
ments cannot be denied. 1t exists indie.
pendently of all constitutions ,and has beer
exercised at all periods OF the worlds his.
tory. Under it old governments have
been destroyed, and new ones have taker
their place. 1t is embodied in strong and
express language in our Declaration o
Independence. But the distinction mus
ever be observed, that this is revolution
against an established Government, an,
not voluntary secession from it by vir
tue of an inherent constitutional right. Ii
short, let us look the danger fairly in tn,
face: Secession is neither more nor les
than revolution. 1t may or it may no
be justifable revolution. but still it is rev
olution
What, in the meantime, is the rcsponsi
bility and true position of the Executive
He is bound by solemn oath before Goo
and the country "to take care that thu
laws be faithfully executed" )" and from thi
obligation he cannot be absolved by an,
human power. But what if the perform
ance oil this duty, in whole or in part t,ha
been rendered impracticable by event
over which lie could have exercised n
control? Such, at the present moment
is the case throughout the State of Sout
| Carolina, so far as the laws of the Unite'
States to secure the administration Of jus
ticc by means of tue Federal Judiciar
are concerned. All the Federal officer
within its limits, through whose agenc
alone those laws can be carried into exc
cution, have already resigned.
We no longer have district judge,
district attorney, or marshal, in Sout
Carolina. In fact, the whole machiner
of the Federal Government, necessary TO
the distribution of remedial justice anon
the people, has been demolished; an
it would be difficult, if not impossible, t
replace it.
The only acts of Congress on the statut
book, bearing upon this subject, are thos
of the 2Sth February, 1905, and 3
March, 1907, These authorize the Pres
ident, after he shall have ascertaiued thi
the marshal with his posse comitatus
unable to execute civil or criminal proce
in any particular case, to call forth I'll
militia and employ the army and navy
aid him in performing this service, haviu
first by Proclamation commanded ii
insurgents "to disperse and retire peac,
ably to their respective abodes, within
limited time This duty cannot by po