Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1860-12-12
VOL. 7.---NO. 16.

ry for executing its inspection laws 20 and, il
they exceed this amount, the excess shall be-
long TO the United States. And ssno State
shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any
duty on tonnage; keep troops, or ships Of war;
In time OF peace enter into any agreement or
compact with another State, or with foreign
power; or engage in war, unless actually in
yaded, or in such imminent danger as will not
admit of delay" In order still further to Sc
cure the uninterrupted exercise of these high
powers agtinst State interposition, it is proyi-
died ssthat this Constitution and the laws of the
United States which shall be made in pursu-
ance thereof; and all treaties made, or which
shall be made, under the authority of the u
nlted States, shall be the supreme law of the
land; and the judges in every State shall be
bound thereby, anything In tho Constitution
or laws of any State to the contrary notwith-
standing" The solemn sanction Of religion
has been superadded to the obligations of OFF,
cial duty, and all senators and repre- sentatives
of the United States, all members of State le-
gislatures. and executive and judicial officers,
s'both of the United States and of the several
States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation
to support this Constitution In order to
carry into effect these powers, the Constitution
has established perfect Government in all its
forms, Legislative. Executive, and Judicial;
and this Government, to the extent of its pow
of every State, and executes its own DEGREES
by the agency of its own officers. In this res
pect ii differs entirely from the Government
under the old Confederation, which was con-
fined to making acquisitions on the States In
their sovereign character. This left il In the
discretion of each whether to obey OF refuse,
and they often declined to comply with such
acquisitions. 1t thus became nesessary, for
the purpose of removing this barrier, and sin
order to form more perfect UnioR," to es-
tablish Government which could act direct
ly upon the people, and execute its own laws
without the intermediate agency of ffe States.
This has been accomplished by ths Constitu-
tion of the United States. In short, the Gov
ernment created byithc Constitution, and de-
irving its authority from the sovereigs people
of each of the several States, has precisely the
same right to exercise its power over the peo-
pie of all these States, in the enumerated ca
ses, that each one OF them possesses over sub
jects not delegated to the United States, but
preserved to the States, respectively, or to
the people," To the extent of the delegated
powers the Constitution of the United States
is as much part of the constitution of each
State, and is as binding upon its people as
though it had been textually inserted therein.
This Government, therefore, is a great and
powerful Government, invested with all tho
tributes of sovereignty over the special sub
jects to which its authority extends. Its fra
the seeds OF its own destruction, nor were
they at its creation guilty or the absufdity Of
providing tor its own dissolution. Ii was not
intended by its trainers to be the baseless fab
ric of vision which, at the touch of tho en-
chanter, would vanish into thin air, buf sub
stantial and mighty fabric, capable OF resist
ing the slow decay of time and of DEFY ing the
storms of ages. Indeed, well may the Jealous
patriots OF that day have indulged fears that
government of such high powers might violate
the reserved rights of the States, and wisely
did they adopt the rule of strict constructions
of these powers to prevent the dangeri But
they did not fear, nor had they any reason to
imagine. that the Constitution would ever be
so interpreted as to enable any State, by her
own act, and without the consent of her sis
ter States, TO discharge her people from all
or any of their Federal obligations.
SECESSION Is REVOLUTION.
1t may be asked, then, are the people Of the
States without redress against the tyranny and
oppression of the Federal Government By
no means. The right of resistance on tho
part of the governed against the oppression
of their governments cannot be denied. 1t
exists Independently of all constitutions and
has been exercised at all periods of the worlds
history. Under it old governments have been
destroyed, and new ones have taken their
place. 1t is embodied in strong and express
language in our Declaration of Independence,
But the distinction must ever be observed,
that this is revolution against an established
Government, and not a voluntary secession
from it by virtue of an inherent constitutional
right. In short, let us look the danger fairly
in the face Secession is neither more nor
less than revolution. 1t may or II may not be-
a jusifable revolution, but still it is revolution
POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT.
What, in the meantime, is the responsibility
and true position of the Executiye7 He is
bound by solemn oath, before God and the
"to take care that the laws be faith
fully executed" and from this obligation he
cannot be absolved by any human power. But
what If the performance of this duty, in whole
or in part, has been rendered impractica BILE by
events over which he could have exercised no
controll Such, at the present moment, is the
case throughout the State of South Carolina,
so far as the laws of the United States, TO Sc
cure the administration of Justice by means OF
the Federal Judiciary, are concerned. All
the Federal officers within its limits, through
whose agency alone these laws can be carried
into execution, have already resigned. We
no longer have district judge, district at
torney, or marshal, in South Carolina. In
fact, the whole machinery of the Federal Gov
necessary for the distribution of re-
medal justice among the people, has been de-
molishcd; and it would be difficult, il not i'm
possible, to replace it. The only acts of Con-
gress on the statute book, bearing upon this
subject. are those of the 2sth of February,
lI65, and Sd of March, 1907. These author
ize the President, after he shall have ascer-
tanned that the marshal with his posse comitatss
Is unable to execute civil or criminal process
in any particular case, to call forth the militia
and employ the army and navy TO aid him in
performing this service, Having first by Procia-
nation commanded the insurgents ssto dispense
and retire peaceahiy to their respective d
BODIES, within limited time" This duty
by possibility be performed tn State
where no judicial authority exists to Issue pro-
cess and where thera La no marslaI 10 execuf..