Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1860-11-08
New Series---Vol, XIV, No. 2.

did not, if necessary. use ,le militia The
army and navy, Ia t'.-,.y .ast "-at ..'s
latcs be .Jaitatui{y etecu'.d, and in prfSsrs-
ing, fy0tcting, and dJcndag tic Cas- I
int on Of the United States Could 4e.
without official perjuring, and becoming
traitor himself, fold his arms and say this
lrou(d be coer ing a S ate, and under such
Plea suffer the Constitution and laws 70 be
subverted? If bloodshei ensuod, who
would be responsible-the President, who
would be. to The best Of his abdH.y, at
tempting to perform his sworn duty, the
traitors who were attempting to subvert the
Government?
Your doctrine, l suppose, Is that tho
State authorities or Il State Convention may
declare State out OF the Union. and tlus
ahSolve all its citizens from ailesleuce to
the United States.
Now each State, bv convention elect-
ed by the people, agreed with every other
State, by the adoption Of the CoustltutjcN.
that all its provisions and the laws passed
in pursuance thereof, should be 'ihe su-
pnne lar # the lond.
They all agreed to take portion of the
power Heretofore possessed by their re
spectiyc State governments aud vest them
in common government (bascd on PIE
cisoly the same authority as their State
governments, whose Constitution, and tha
laws passed in pursuance thereof, should
be above the reach of all State authority
How, then, can any act Of State absolva
is citizens from obedience to this 'Su-
prcme tar Of the iaad,' declared by its
highest authority. convention elected by
the people, to be binding, 'onythntg in the
CoGstit4to4 Q&d lars of any State to the
contrary Notwithstanding
To me it is Il wonder that tny man can
entertain an idea to my mind so absurd.
The theory Of our Government obviously
is that the citizen owes allegiance to ms
State Government to the ertrht II its re-
ScrUed po1cerS, and TO the General GQyerR-
ment TO the ecteat Of ats granted poieerS,
and that no act of the General Govern
ment can relieve him from allegiance to his
State, and 10 act of his State can relieve
him from his allegiance to the United
States
Let me net be misunderstood. ! De not
deny the right of rebellion in the people
Of any State when unconstitutional outra-
ges shall be committed on their rights and
institutions, and all hope for redress by
peaceful means have vanished But de-
ny that tae language pi aspiring dema-
gogues, or the election Of one Of them to
the Presidency, would constitute such an
outrage, though a just cause for alarm.
| also deny that in such an event the
Al IL ~.
dress. 1t is not to be found, however, in
personal dcnuncations OF eminent demo-
Gratis, in attempting 10 force or the demo
cratic party new and useless issues, or in
threats Of disunion. Let all this cease,
now and forever. BE just to tha Northern
democracy; in devotion to the Union emu
late Washington and jackson, and you
will rally an irresistible force, who, by the
aid Of the ballot-b box only, will rescue your
institutions from danger and firmly main
tain every constitutional right.
You say that Southern men are demand
ing only their constitutional rights. DO
you think you have constitutional right
to destroy the Comtitation ? Such, indeed,
is the claim Of .ht to secede from the
Union, if based on any other ground than
right Of rebellion for gross and irremedi-
able wrongs.
Yop say that the South Caroiipians vii!
even suspect that he (meanng me) is gov
crned by disappointment and the revenge
consequent thereon and that under 9th
er circumstances he entertained another
sort Of sentiments | plead -Ai.ly to tl.e
! charge Of disappointment, thoaga i. bus
/ filled me with sorrow rather than revenge.
I Ny disappointment was in the apparent
/ fact that the present Administration had
not the sagacity to perceive that their pol
/ icy would inevitably destroy the democrat
ic party, and minister to the designs of
those whose ultimate object IS the dcstruc-
/ ton Of the Union.
As evidence of my consistency, you
/ quote certain sayings of Senator Douglas
| might, with propriety, demur to this tcs-
timony but adopt those quotations as IN
the main my sentim. nts then and now IN
! changed and Interchangeable. lbcleyc that
fealty to the Constitution in the North and
in the Sonth is the only means by which
the Union can be preserved | do not
| doubt that when the theory ofSenator Sew
| ard, false in fact, and reasonable IN design,
that slave labor and free labor cannot ex-
/ ist in the same community, becomes the
! settled rule Of action in the General Gov
ernment, the Union will come to an end
But my faith is equally strong that it is in
the hands of the friends of the Copsttu
ton in the South, ky cordial union with
its friends in the North, to avert this ca
tastrophe and all its consequent calami-
1 ties.
| In conclusion, I implore you and those
who act with you, to abandon your denuH-
! Citations Of men with whom YOU must ultl-