The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-12-07

VeDtlOO, so any one OF Iu6In may fetlFc IFOl
the Union in a similar manner, by the vot
of such q convention. In order to justif
secession as a constitutional remedy, it mus
be on the principle that the federal Govern
ment IS a mere voluntary association c
States, to be dissolved at pleasure by one c
the contracting parties. If this be so, th
confederacy is a rope of sand, and to b
penetrated and dissolved by the first advers
wave of public opinion in any of the States
In this manner our thirty-three States MAJ
resolve themselves into as many petty jar
ring and hostile republics each one retiring
from the Union without responsibility when
7 ever any sudden excitement might mpe
them to such course by this course a I'm
ion might be entirely broken into fragment!
in few weeks, which cost our forefather:
many years of toll, privation and blood tc
/ establish. Such principle is wholly incon.
sistent with the Constitution; it was framed
with the greatest deliberatiOu and care il
was submitted to conventions of the people
of the several States for ratification; its pro
visions were discussed at length in these
bodies composed of the best men of the coun-
try Its opponents cOntended that it conferred
power upon the federal government, danger
GUS to the rights ofthe States, whilst its advo-
Gates maintained that nnder fair construc-
ton of the instrument, there was no fOun-
dation for such apprehensions. In that
mighty struggle between the first intellects
of this or any other country, it never oc-
Cured to any individual, either among its
advocates or opponents, TO assert or even to
intimate that their efforts were all vain la
Dor, because the moment that any State felt
herself aggrieved, she might secede from
the Union. What q crushing argument
4
dreaded that the rights of the States would
be endangered by the Constitution The
truth is, that it was not until many years
after the origin of the Federal Govern
ment that such proposition was first
thought Of 1t was then met aud refuted
by the conclusive arguments of General
Jackson, who, in his message of the 10th of
January, 1888, transmitting the nullifying
ordinance of South Carolina to Congress,
employs the following language:
"The right of the people of singh State
to absolve themselves at will, without the
consent of the other States, fi- IA their most
solemn obligations, hazlr4~ the liberty and
happiness Cf millions composing this Union,
and cannot be acknowledged. Such author
ity is believed to be utterly rcpuguant, both
to the principle upon which the General
Government is constituted, and to The OBJ
jccts which it was expressly formed to at
tain. 1t is not pretended that any clause in
the Constitution gives countenaEce to such
81 theory; it is altogether founded upon in
ference, not from any language contained in
the instrument ITSELF but from the soverei.n
character of the several States by which it
was ratified; but it is beyond the power OF
a State, like an individual to yield II por. ion
of its sovereign rights to secure the remain
der In the language of Mr.. Madison, who
has been called the Father of the Constitu-
ton, it was formed by the States, that is by
the people in each of the States, acting in
their highest sovereign capacity, aud form
ed consequently by the same authority
which formed the State constitutions nor
is the government of the United States,
created by the Constitution less govern
ment, in the strictest sense of the term,
within the sphere of its powers, than the
governments created by the Constitution of
the States are within their several spheres
1t is like them organized into Legislative,
Executive and Judiciary departments. 1t
operates like them directly on persons aud
things, and like them, it has at command
physical force for executing the powers com
mitted to it,and was intended to be perpetual
aad not to be annulled at the pleasure of any
one of the contracting parties of the Confed-
eratiOn-a perpetual union between the
States, and by the | 9th article, it is express
" declared that the articles of this Conied-
Grafton shall be inevitably observed by
every State. and the Union shall he perpet-
ual
The Preamble to the Constitution of the
United States, having express reference to
the Articles of Confederation, asserts it was
established in order to form a more per
feet Union, but does not include the essential
attribute of perpetuity; but that the Union
was designed to be perpetual, appears con-
clusively from the nature and extent of the
power conferred by the Constitution on the
Federal government. These powers en-
brace the very highest attributes of national
sovereignty. They place both the sword and
the purse under its control. Congress has
power to make war and to make peace, to
raise aud support armies and navies, and to
conclude treaties with foreign govern
ments. 1t is invested with the power to
coin money and to regulate the value there
of, and to regulate commerce with foreign
nations and among the several States. II
is not necessary to enuInerate the other high
powers which have been conferred upon the
Federal Government In order 10 carry the
enumerated powers into effect Congress
possesses the exclusive right to lay and col
lect 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, bnt it has
adopted efectual means to restrain the
States from interfering with their exercise
for that purpose. 1t has in strong pro-
hibitory language expressly declared that
no State shall enter into any treaty, alh-
pnce, or confederation, grant letters of
marque and reprisal, coin money, emit bills
of credit, make anything but gold and sill
yer coin tender in payment of debts, pass
any bill of attainder, en- post -tacto law or
laws impairing the obligations of contracts.
Moreover, without the consent of Congress,
no State shall lay any inposts or duties, or
any imports or exports, except what may
be absolutely necessary for executing its in
spection laws, and if they exceed this
amount, the excess 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 wur in
time of peace, enter into any agreement or
compact with another State or with & for