The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1860-12-13
From the Indians Journal.
Remarks Of Hon. o. II. Morton ne
the Republican JOlltfic ca tiom Of the
39nd inst. upon the subj ecs OF Sc
cessiOu. together with the Answers
TO the Question AS proposed by Cor
don Tanner. ESQ.
PUBLISHED By REQUEST OF 1HE MEETING.

L
! eng South Csrolna 10 case she attempts 10 Sc
eede
Whist il coercion bat the enforcement of tn
J. laws? Is anything else intended or reanireds-
; Secession or nu!iiEcation can only be regarde,
: by the General Government; indiv dual to
J. upon the individual responsibility. Those cnn-
cerned III II cannot intreach themselves behint
= the forms OF the State Government to Civ,
o their conduct the sembance Of legality. and thu
d voive the respo visibility upon he State Gov
ernmen', which of itself is irresponsible.
The Constitution and laws of The United State
S operate upon individuals but not upon States
: aud precisely as if there were no States.
Ia this matter the President has discretion
He has taken a solemn oath TO enforce the laws
| and preserve order, and to this end he has beer
s made commander in chief of the army and navy
lio v can he be ahsolved from responsibility has
devoived upon him by the Constitution and hi.
official oath?
Can is be done by the resolutions of conven-
J tions, the advice of the newspapers, or even d
decided preponderance of public opinion?
There is bat one way in which the President
can be absoived from his daty to exert all the
power reposed 10 his hands by the Coz stituti6n
| TO enforce the laws in South Carolina which is
by acknowledging her independer ce. The Con-
sttution provides that Congress may admit ne "
States into the Unon. but there is no provision
for turning one out or for permitting one to go
out. A State once admitted into the Union be-
comes q part of the body of the nation and sew
erance or secession is not contemplated by the
Constitution as permissible or possible.
If Congress possesses the power to acknowl-
ed ye the independence of State and thus place
it without the pale of the Union, it must result
! from an inc xorabe Necessity produced by a sue
cessfu revolution. While State is in the Union
there is no power under the Constitution for the
general and State governments to enter into ne
gotatons and to treat with each other. No
| government possesses the constitutional power
10 dsmember itself.
! II the power does exist 10 this government to
ackno Wedge the in dependence of South Carroll
| na or any other State, it can only be exercised
| by act of Congress The President of him
self would no. possess it. and consequently until
released from his duty by snch acknowledg-
ment, he must exert his power to enforce the
laws.
WHAT IS THE DUTY OF THE GOVERNMENT?
If an attempt at secession be mide, there is
but one 0: two courses to be pursued. Either
to allow the secedrg State peaceabiy to go and
set up for herself All independent government,
or else by the police military power of the
United ,, ates compel an observance oil the laws
and submission to constitutional obligations.
Let us consider what would be the consequence
| Of iop,ing the former course. II we allow
| a State 20 peaceabiy secede, We thereby concede
/ The right in the most substantial and soletn
manner. II would De sheer nonsense to allow a
/ state, esDec ally q weak one IKE Spnta tafOii-
! na to sacede and yet deny the right Of seces-
] siou aud that other States may not retire in the
! same ma ger whenever they Ir per. We
| can no. therefore allow South Carolina TO
! .eGe w tthout Gonceding the right, and thereby
setliiD the principle as To the remaining States.
| Fae light OF secession conceded, The nation Is
| dissolved. Instead of having a nation-3ne
| mighty peopie-we have but d collection aud
a,nbinai :on Of thirty three independent, and pet
| t. States held together ny treaty which has
| hitherto been called a Constitution. of the iu-
| s-act;oi OF which each State Is - be the judge,
| .nd from which any State may Withdraw nj
easnre.
1t would not be twelve mon' hs until project
{ Pacific Cunfederacy would be set on foot.
,alifornia and Oregon being each sovereign and
| ndepenient would have rgh. to withdraw
| rom their present partnership and form new
me or forn two separate nations. In doing
80 they wonid act with far greater show of
reason and far better prospects of success than
South Caroiina They are separated from the
,ther States by tsous iuds OF miles OF barren
plains aud snow clad mountains Their COM
nerce is naturally with The + ist indies and the
.ses of the Pacific ocean. The tie of CONNER
cial interests between them aud the other 81 aies
is weaker than ha. which binds together any
other sections Of the Republic.
+ right OF secession conceded and the way
! o do i, having been shown TO be safe aud easy
ioaai pride extinguished with the National idea
secession would become the remedy for every
State or sectional grievance, real or imsgi2ary.
And 10 few short years We should witness the
total dissolution Of that mighty Republic which
has been the hope Of the glory of the world
We should then have before US the prospect pre-
sented in the history Of the petty States of
Greece, Italy and the Principaliiies of Germany,
Need stop to argue I be political, intellectual,
social and commercial death involved in this
wreck and ruin. We must then cling to tte
the idea that are Nation. one and indivis-
ble and that al,hol Ugh subdivided by State lines
for local and domestic purposes, We are bu, one
people, the citizens Of a common country, bav-
ing like institutions ana man9ers, and possessing
a common interest in that Inheritance of glory
so richly provided by our fathers. We must
therefore do no active must tolerate no act
I'VE must concede no idea or theory that looks
to OF involves the dismemberment of the Nation-
And especially must we Of the inland States
cling to the National idea
| If South Carolina may secede pesceably, 30
may New York, Massachusetts,, Maryland and
Louisiana, cutting of our commerce and de
stroying our right Of way to the ocean Ne
would thus be shut up in the interior of q con-
tinert. surrounded by independent perhaps hos
tile nations. through whose Territories We could
obtain egress to the seaboard only upon such
terms might be sgreed to BY treaty. Emil
grants from foreign lands could only reach % by
permission OF our neighbors. and we could not
! reach any Atlantic port except by passports du-
ly rised 10 such condition of affairs the sea-
board States would possess immense advantages,
which may be illustrated and understood by CON-
pairing the wealth, prosperity and power Of the
seaboard kingdoms With those shut up in the TO-
terror OF Europe. Can il be possible then that
Kentucky, Tennessee. Arkansas. Missouri or
Mississippi can ever become so infatuated, 30 Ut
tesly demented as to subscribe to the doctrine
that State has the right to secede thereby
placing the existeace of their commerce, their
peculiar institution, their everything. within the
power OF Louisiana commanding. ss s-e doea
the Quite of the Mississippi and the entrance 10
the Gulf As the matter Gov stands the poss
OF New 7 erk 10 the property of The nation, held
for the eereft OF all the States the revenue there
collected being disbursed for tie benefit of al
Bot re ere told tha, if We n force TO con-