The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-12-13

+tNFf' &li~ .sRss r1+s 81 ~
and dissolved by the first adverse wave ol
public opinion 10 any of the States. lnthis
manner our thirty. three States may resolve
themselves into as many petty, jarring and
hostile republics, each one retiring from the
Union without responsibility, whenever any
sudden excitement might impel them to such
q course !; by this process a Union might be
entirely broken into fragments in a few weeks
which cost our forefathers many years ol
toll, privation and bloOdshed to establish. -
Such principle is wholly Inconsistent with
it's history. As it was framed with the great
est deliheration and care, it was submitted to
conventions of the people of the several
States for ratification. Its provisions were
discussed at length in those bodies composed
of the eirst men Of the country It's oppo.
nents contended that il conferred powerupon
the Federal Government dangerous 10 the
rights Of the States. whilst its advocates
maintained that under a fair construction oI
the instrument, there was no foundation for
such apprehensions. In that mighty strug-
gle Between the first intellects of this or any
other country, it never occurred to any indi.
vidual, either among its opponents or adyo.
Gates, to assert OF even to intimate that their
efforts were all vain labor, because the mo.
ment that any State felt herself aggiieved,
she might secede from the Union What a
crushing argument would this have proved
against those who draded that the rights Of
the States would be endangered by the Con,
stitution ! The truth is that it was not un-
til many years after the origin of the Federal
Government, that such proposition was
first advanced. 1t was then met and refuted
| by the conclus We arguments of General Jack
son. who, in his message of the 10Th of Jan.
ary, 1888, transmitting the nullifying ordi-
nance Of South Carolina to Congress, en-
plovs the following language
"The right of the people of single State
to absolve themselves at WILL without the
consent of the ther States, from their most
solemn obligations, hazards the liberty and
happiness Of millions composing this Union,
and cannot:be acknowledged. Such authori-
| ty is believed to be utterly repugnant, both
| to the principles upon which the General
Government is constituted, and to the OBJ
iects which it was expressly formed to attain.
1t is not pretended that any clause in the
Constitution pives ceuntenance to such a
theory it is altogether founded upon infer
ence, not from any language contained in the
instrument itself, but from the sovereign
character of the several States by which it
was ratified but is beyond the power of a
State, like an individual to yield portion of
its sovereg rights to secure theremainder." ;"
In the language of Mr. Madison, who has
been called the Father Of the Constitution,
it was formed by the States, tnat is by the
people in each Of the States, acting in their
hos nd
sequently by the same authority which form
ed the State constitutions /; nor is the gov
| ernment of the United States created by the
Constitution less government in the strict
est sense of the term within the sphere of its
powers, than the governments created by the
Constitutions Of the States are within their
several spheres. 1t is like them organized
into Legislative, Executive and Judiciary
| departments. 1t toperates like them directly
on persons and things, and like them, it has
at command physical force for executing
the powers committed to it it was intended
to be perpetual, and not to be annalled at
the pleasure Of any one of the contracting
parties. The old Articles Of Confederation
We're entitled Articles of Confed-
Grafton, and Perpetual Union
between the States;' and by the 18th
article, il is expressly declared thet the ar
ticleS of this Confederation shall be inevitably
observed by every State and the Union shall
be perpetuated. -
I Thc ptcam' Il 70 The Constitution Of the
INT, d States. having express reference
to the articles of Confederation, which states
it was established in order to form a more
perfect Union, does not include the essen
tial attribute Of perpetuity; but that the
Union was designed to be perpetual, appears
coaclusively from the nature and extent (
the powers conferred by the Constitution
on the Federal Government These powers
embrace the very highest attributes Of ma
tional sovereignty. They place both the
sword and the purse under its control Con-
gress has power to make war and to make
peace, toraise and support armies and ma
vies and to conclude treaties with foreign
governments. 1t is invested with the power
to coin money and to regulate commerce
with foreign nations AMI among the several
States. 1t is not necessary to enumerate the
other high powers which have been confer
red upon the Federal Government In or.
der to carry the enumerated powers into eff.
feet, 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 those high powers upon
Congress, but it has adopted effectual means
to restrain the States from interfering with
their exerris for that purpose. 1t has in
strong prohibitory language expressly de-
clared thatno State shall enter into any
treaty, alliance or confederation, grant let
ters ofmarquc and reprisal, coin money.
emit bills of credit, make anything but gold
and silver coin tender in payment Of
debts. pass any bill Of attainder, e1 post fac
to laws. Or laws impai,ing the obligations OF
contracts. Moreover, without the consent Of
Congress, no States shall lay any imposts OF
duties, on any imports or exports, except
what may be abs ,lutely necessary for exc.
cutting its inspection laws; and If they ex.
coed this amount, the excess shall belong tc
the United States. an | no State shall with
out the consent Of Congress lay any duty or
tonnage, keep troops or ships OF war in time
Of peace. enter into any agreement or com
pact with another State or with q foreign
power, or engage in war unless actually in
vaded or in such imminent danger as will moi
admit offurther delay.
! In order still further to secure the unin
terrupted exercise of these high powers
| against State interposition, It is provided
that the Consultation and laws Of the United
i States which shall be made in pursuance
thereof, and all treaties made or which shal
be made under the authority, Of the United
States, shall Ne the supreme law of the land
and the Judges in every State shall be bound
thereby, anything in. the constitution o.
laws OF any State 70 the contrary notwith
40 = ~ 4 -