Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1860-11-30

This right to seeedc Is dcduced from The
nature Of the Constitution, which they say
is compact between sovereign States, who
have preserved their whole sovereignty, and
therefore are subject to no superior; that
because they made the compact, they can
break it when in their opinion it has been
departed from by the other States. falla-
cious as this course Of reasoning i. il eulists
State pride, and finds advocates in the h9u-
est prejudiccs Of those WIN have MT studied
the nature OF our government sufficiently t.
see the radical error on which it rests.
The people Of the United States formed the
Constitution, acting through the State legIs-
latures, in making the compact, = meet and
discuss It's provisions, and acting in separate
conventions when they ratified til re proyls-
ions but the terms used in its construction.
show it to be a government in which the pen
pie of all the States collectively are represent
ed. We are ONE PEOPLE in the choice Of the
President and Vice President. Here the
States have no other agency than 10 direct
the mode in which the votes shall he given.
The candidates having the majority of all the
votes are chosen. The electors Ut minority
of States may have given their votes Tor one
candidate and yet another may I've ehosen.-
The people, then, and not the States are rep
resented in the executive branch.
In the House OF Representatives. there j,
this difference that the people of one Stat,
do not, as in the case OF President and Nict
President. all vote for all the members. cacl
State electinS only its own Representatives
but this creates no material distinction
When chosen, they are all Representatives o
the United States, not Reprcs utati,cs Of tn,
particular State from which they come. They
are paid by the United States, not by tn,
State nor are they accountable To 1t Tor any
act done in performance Of their legislative
functions and however they may in prac
tiee, as it is their duty to do. consult and
prefer the interests of their particular con
stituents when they come in conflict with any
partial or local interests, yet II is their frs
and highest duty as Representatives Of the
United States, To promote the general good
The Constitution of the United States ther
forms a gorerEmcnt, not league. and wheth
or it be formed ;by compact between the
States, or in any other manner, it character
is the same. Ii is a government in which al
the people are represented, which operates
directly on the people Individually, not upon
the States they retained all the power they
did not grant Bat each State having ex-
pressy parted with SO many powers as II con
stitute jointly with the other States sIngl'
nation, cannot from that period possess any
right 10 secede because such secession doe
not break league, but destroys the unity Of
nation, and any Injury To that unity Ii 10
only breach which would result from th'
contravention of a compact but it is an oil
tense against the whole Union. To say thai
any State may ut pleasure sece'ie from TIN
Union. is to say that the United States arr
"a -. 4 .f-,
70 contend that any part of nation mi-h
diss live it's connection with the othgr parts
10 their injury or ruin, without committin.
any often e. Secession, like any other rcv0
lutionary act, may he morally justified by In
ext emity of oppression bat to cad It
constitutional right, is confounding tn
meaning of terms, and can only he don,
through gross error, or 70 deceive those VIII
are willing TO assert right, but would paus
before they made revolution, or incur th'
penalties consequent upon failure.
Because the Union was formed by compact
it is said the parties 70 that compact may
when they feel themselves agsrieYcd, depar
from it but it is precisely because it is
compact that they cannot. \ contract is al
agreement or binding obligatlon. Ii may b.
its terms have a sanction or penalty for 1t
breach, or il may not Fl it contains NJ
sanction, it may be broken with no otheI
consequence than moral guilt II it have /
sanction, then the breach incurs the dcsig
mated or implied penalty. \ league betweer
independent nations, generally, haS no otlie
sanction than moral one Or ii it shoaie
contain PENALTY, as there is no common sG'
perior. it. cannon he enforced. govern
ment. On the contrary. always has sane
tiorA expressed or implied aud, in our case
it is both necessarily implied ami express y
given. An attempt by f,rce of arms 70 de-
stroy government is an ofense, 10y whatever
means the Constitutional compact may have
been formed and such government has the
right, by the law of soli-deienee, to pass acts
for Furnishing the offender, unless that right
Is mo lifted, restrained or resumed by the
Constitutional act In our system, although