Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-11-21
SECESSION No. LII.

How rKK FEDERAL UNION MAS MADE STRoxeER
: BY ITS NEW CoNsrfTurfoS-fr ESTABLISHED A
GOVERNMENT INDEPENDENT OF TIE STATES IN
TIE ExERcIsB OF ITS PowKRs-WKLIvEU UNDER
TWO GOVERNMENTS, EACH HAVING ITS OWN
ExcLusIvE.POwERs.
To ths People Of the South.
We have shown In our first number that In l77S
tie States which had pseviously declared their
independence Of the British Crown entered into
federal union, solemnly supulating with each
other that 1t should be " perpetual"
We have shown in our second number that the
Congress Of 1877, which reeonm ended the con
vention of 1883, the State Legislatures which ap-
pointed the deleg ates the convention itself, and
the people of the States who ratified 1t, declared
their leading object to be to strengthen and per-
petuate tie " perpetual union, then In existence
To assert that they failed in their object and ex-
changed that union for one which exists only at
the win and pleasure of each individual State. 10
to impeach the wisdom Of the whole generation
Of revolutionary statesmen and render further ar
gument unnecessary. But more ehectually to re-
fute the modern claim to right Of secession In
each State, propose to show that the statesmen
Of 1850 did not fail In t..eir object, and actu
ally gave to their country constitution which
contains within itself the means Of perpetuating
its own existence. .. 60.
How did they 60 to work to effect that object,
They changed the confederation into an etfec-
tive gor1nmsnt, giving 1t the means Of carrying
its operations irithoMf the atd and in spite of
the inter srsnce Of the States.
The Constitution, when II came from the hands
Of the Convention, was but proposition to the
States 1t contained the frame Of government
complete In its legislative executive and judicial
departments. 1t proposed to the sovereign people
Of each State to dvest themselves Of certain pow
ers and vest them in the United States and In the
Government thus formed II proposed to vest in
Congress power to pas all laws necessary and
proper to carry the granted powers into effect. 1t
proposed that these laws should be {" the supreme
lap Of the land, -" anything IN the constitution
Iatos Of any State TO the eontrary notpithsfand-
ing" 1t proposed that the members Of Congress
and Of the State Legislatures, and all executive
aud judicial Officers, both Of the States and the
United States, should be sworn to support the
Constitution. II prescribed special oath to the
President of the United States, to the effect that
be would faithfully eree~ts the otfc. of the
President, and to the best Of his ability preserve
protect and defend the Constitution of the United
States" 1t required him to - take care that the
laws be faithfully executed 20 and to enable him
to perform that duty, and to /" preserve, protect
and defend the Constitution" 1t proposed to put
at his disposition the army, navy, and militia of
the United States. II proposed that levying war
against the United States by any of their citizens
or giving their enemies aid and comfort, should
be treason, punishable as Congress might direct.
Finally, 1t proposed modes Of amending the Con-
shtution, by the assent Of the Leg isaures or con-
ventions Of three-fourths VI the States
The sovereign people Of South Carolina, through
their Convention, acceded to this proposition I'm
all its parts. Upon the sole condition contained
in the instrument itself, that nine States should
do the same thing, they consented and agreed to
part with portion Of their sovereign powers, or
rather to put them into a common stock, and vest
them In common government, whose laws
passed In the exercise Of those powers should be
beyond the reach Of all State authority. Nine
states did consent to do the same thing; the con-
dition precedent was fulfilled, the Constitution
became a compact between the ratifying States:
and since the organization Of the new government
In 17S9 the people of the United States have been
living under ttco gorernnents deriving their
powers nom the same source, that source being
the sovereign people OF he sersrnl States. Each
government, however, has a distinct class Of
powers, the United States possessing all that
relate to foreign nations, and few relating to
Interior affairs, In the due exercise Of which all
the States have a common interest, while the
l.
tutions rights Of person and property-in fine, all
powers of legislation and government not granted
to the United States in the Constitution.
Each government, acting ,cithtn its o1rn sphe,<.
just as independent OF the other az II they were
wholly foreign and separated by oceans, and IL
enc infringes on the ineonsestible rights OF the
othcr, the remedies only such an exist between
Independent nations
The Constitutions Of the two governments
however, differ In this: The State Constitution
are cOmPacts between individuals for their own
government, which can be altered or abolished
by the citizens Of the State, while the Constitution
OF the United states Is a compact between the
sovereign people Of each State with the sovereign
people Of every other State, acting through con-
ventions, which cannot be abolished without thu
consent Of all the parties to IL, though II NAV be
altered in the manner prescribed In Its own pro-
visions.
The laws Of the United States, Ike the lava NJ
the States, reach and bind every citizen HIGH ard
low, and while the United States cannot ab.oIv.
any one from bis obligation to obey the State law.
10 neither can tie States absoive any one from hi.
obligation to abide by the laws of the United
states Each government has its own Judiciary
and enforces its own Constitutional laws witbout
the aid and in spite Of any attem pied let or hin.
drance from the other. Such at least is the true
theory Of our Institutions ......
Does not the foregoing statement of incontesti
BILE facts show the unsoundness and absurdity Of
the doctrine Of secession, H"|t --
In anoth'r paper special attention will be paid
to the arguments by which the secessionists at
tempt to maintain their modern doctrine.
' AMOS KENDALL.
->S>S-
DEPARTMENT NEWS.