Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1860-12-13

the purse under its control Congress hes power
to make wsr, and TO make peace; TO raise and
support armies and navies, and 10 conclude treaties
with foreign governments. II 10 invested with
the power to coin money and to regulate the valus
thereof, and TO regulate commsrcs with foreign
nations, and among the several States. ltis not
necessary to enumerate tbs other high Powers
which have been conferred upon the federsl Gov.
ernrnent In order to carry the enumersted pow.
ers into effect. Congress possesses the exclusive
right 10 lay and collect duties on imports. and in
common with the States TO lay and collect all
other taxes.
But the Constitution has not oply conferred
these high powers upon Congress, but It has
adopted effectusl means TO restrain the State
from interfering with their exercise. For that
purpose II has, IN strong probibitory language
expressly declared that "no State shalt enter
into any treaty, alliance, er confederation;
grant letters Of marque and reprisai; coin
money! omit bills Of credit, make anything
but gold und silver tender in payment OF
debts, pass any bill ofattainder. ex post facto
law or laws impairing the obligations OF con-
tracts" Moreover, "without the consent Of
Congress, NJ State shall lay any imposts Of
duties on any impor . or exports, except What
may he absolutely necessary for executingits
Inspection laws" and IL they exceed this am
ount, tha excess shall belong 10 the United
States.
And emo State shall, without the consent
Of Congress, lay any duty OF tonnage, keep
troops. or ships-of-war, in time OF peace, en-
ter into any agreement or compact with an
other State or with aforeign power; or engage
In war, unless actually invaded ,or in such i'm
minent danger as will not admit of delay.
In order still further H. secure the uninter-
rHpted exercise al these high powers against
Stat" interposition, II is provided "that this
constitution aud the laws Of the United States
which shall be made in pursuance thereof,
and all treaties made or which shall be m axe.
under the authority of the UnitedSt which
shall be tbs supreme law Of the land; and the
Judges in every State shall be bound there
by, anything in the constitution or laws OF
one State TO to the contrary notwithstand-
ing"
The solemn sanction OF religion has been
superadded to the obi ations of official duty
and all Senator'S and Representatives of the
United States, all members OF State Legisla-
lures, and all executive or judicial officers,
"both Of the United States and ofthe several
States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation
to support this constitution"
Iu order to carry into effect these powers:
the constitution has es abished a perfect gov
ernment in all its forms. legislative, and ex-
ecutive and judicial; and this government to
the extent OF its powers, acts directly upon
the individual citizens Of every State. and
exercises its own DEGREES by the agency of
its own officers. In this respect it differs en-
tirely from the government under the old con-
federation, which was confined to making
acquisitions on the States in their sovereign
charcter. This left il in the discretion of each
whether to obey or rrefuse, and they declined
; to comply with such acquisitions. 1t thus be-
came necessary for the purpose OF removing
this barrier, aud sin order so form more
perfect Union," 70 establish a government
which could act directly upon the people and
execute its own laws without the intermedi-
agency ofthe States. This has been accom-
plshed by the constitution Of the United
States.
In short, the governm cnt created by the
coDstitution, and deriving its authority from
the sovereign people of each of the several
States has precisely the same rights to ex-
ercse its power over the people OF all these
States in the enumerated cases that each one
Of them possesses over subjects not delegst-
ed to the United States, but preserved to the
States, respectively, or to the people,
To the extent of the deleeated powers the
constitution OF the United States is as much q
part IF the constitution of each State, and il
as binding upon its people, as though it had
been actually inserted therein.
This government, therefore. is great and
powerful government, invested with all the at
tributes OF sovereignty over the special sub
Ijects to which its authority extends. Its
trainers never intended to implant in its bos-
ON the seeds Of its own destruction, nor were
they at its creation guilty Of the absurdity OF
providing for its own dissolution. 1t was
not intended by its trainers to be the baseless
fobric of vision which, at the touch of the
enchanter, would vanish into thin air, but a
substantial and mighty fabric, capable of re.
sisting the slow decay of time and Of defyine
the stoi ms of ages. Indeed, we'll may the
jealous patriots of that day have INDUCED
fears that government of such high powers
might violate the reserved rights Of the States
and wisely did they adopt the rule of strict
construction Of these powers to prevent the
danger! But they did not fear, nor had they
any reason to imagine, that the constitution
would ever be go interpreted as to enable any
State, by her own act, and without the con-
sent of her sister Statas, to discharge her peo
pie from all or any of their federal obliga-
tons.
1t may he asked, are the people of the
States without redress against the tyrrany
and oppression Of the federal government
BY no means. The right of resistance on the
part OF the governed against the oppression Of
their governments cannot be denied. 1t ex-
lists Independently of all constitutions, and
, has been exercised at all periods OF the world
history. Under it old governments have been
place. II is embodied in strong and express
language in our Declaration Of Indepencence
But the distinction must ever be observed
that this is revolution against an established
! government, and not voluntary secession
from it by virtue of an inherent constitution
al right. In short, let us look the danger
, fairly in the face: secession is neither more
nor less than revolution. 1t may or 1t may
r not be ajustifable revolution, but still 1t Ii
revolution.
What, in the meantime, is the responsibility
and true position of the Executive1 He Is
1 b 'und by solemn oath before God and the
country "to take care that the laws be faith
fully executed" and from this obligation he
cannot be absolved by any human power
But what II tho performance Of this duty, Il
whole or in part, has been rendered impracti
y cable by events over which he could bav.
I exercised no controll Such, at the presen
moment, is the case throughout the State o
South Carolina, so far as the laws of the Uni
ted States to secure the ADMINISTRATION O
a justice by means of the Federal Judiciar
are concerned. All the federal officers with
in its limits, through whose agency alon
y these laws can be carried into execut ion, hav
c already resigned. We no longer have Dis
trict Judge, District Attorney or Marsha
8 in South Carolina. In fact, the whole mach
= inery OF the Federal Government, necessar
" for the distribution OF rem edial Justice anon
= the people, has been demolishedi and ii wi
!. be difficult, ifnot impossible, to replace ii.
|, The only acts OF Congress on the ststut
;; hook bearing upon the subject, are those Q
e the 2sth of February, 1875, and 3rd Of Marc
1907. These au horized the President atte