East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1860-12-27

pretenu THAT sne Wouiu nave occupied ner
present position il Lincoln had been de-
feated, and yet, are you not surprised TO
see so many of our own people turning
"rebelsn and "traitors" at her bidding?---
are you not indeed surprised ct yourself?
Rebel and traitor! Very imposing and
high-sounding designations in the esti-
nation of some, perhaps, but have no
particular desire that they should attach
to my name---either now, or in after life.
Ny aspirations do not run, IN that line.
South Carolina, spurning the counsels
and cooperation of Virginia and other
Southern States, has of her own accord,
and upon her own hook, chosen to raise
a mighty and fearful issue with the Gen
eral Government, and upon the General
Government rests the responsibility of
settling the question. Hands off and
fair-play to both, say /. In its present
stage, we have nothing to do with il,
and, so far as am concerned, turn her
over to "Uncle SAM and If she can
maintain her position against that res
pectable and powerful old gentleman, let
her have all the honor and glory and bene.
fit of the achievement to herself. hope
she may have good and merry time Of
it. She will still be State Of the Union,
IN q state of rebellion, and have not q
shadow of doubt either Of the right or
the power to control her. the only ques-
ton would be, is ii porth whizes Would
it not be better to let her 60 out, and
stay ont, until she had made the expert
ment, and, like the prodigal son, return
to her home to eat up the fatted calf?
When should we be safe in declaring
par for the defense of our honor, or our
rights, or for the protection Of our peo.
pie, if in the midst of the war, the Union
could be dissolved, and the Government
destroyed, whenever, some one Of the
States might be disappointed in the cleo
ton or her interest would be promoted
by doing so, or because IL ,comld enchancs
the price Of cotton 10 open direct taade pih
the enemy? What Government on earth
would thereafter treat us, as one of the
nations Of the world? or treat us with re.
spect? l do not wish to be disrespcctful
to anybody---and most surely not to you,
but l hope you will pardon me for saying
that one of the inconceivable and irrecon-
cilable things Of this world to my mind,
is that an idea, of such unmixed and un-
mitigated nonsense and absurdity as that
of the right Of State to secede at pleas.
ure, should ever have obtained place in
the mind Of any man, who was not IN alb
solute lunatic. Mems minds are differ
emily organized, L know, and we SEQ
things through different optics, and /
dare say you aud others look upon me, in
the same light, as look upon you and
upon them. We'll, be it so; hoaors are
easy, and we break even. rr-
1t has become quite favorite and
fashionable mode of expression to say,
"this IS not Government Of force; tho Cor
ernment Das not made by force, and cannot
be kept together by Jorce.",
1t is very true that the Governmet was
not made by force, and it is for that Gerry
reason that there is no right to break il
up, and that it can be kept together by
force. Whether this is desirable mode
of doing it, is altogether different ques-
ton. If hhad been formed by Jorcs-if
some tyrannical despot had forced Gov
ornment upon the people, which had new
cr obtained their approval or sssent--
then any Of the parties would be justified
in throwing it off whenever they could
get rid of it. But ii is prec,sely becanss IL
,cas not made By fore,-if some tyrsnni-
cal despot had forced Government upon
the people, which had never obtained
their approval or asscnt-then any Of tho
parties would be justified in throwing it
off whenever they could get rid of it,
But ii as precisely because 1t pas not made
By force, but that, on the other hand, it
was free and voluntary compact, entered
into one with another, and each one with
all the rest, that there is power to en-
force the compact.
Debts are not and cannot be created
by force; but, if voluntarily entered into,
the payment Of the obligation may be
enforced by the strong arm of the law;
and the compact between the States,
have been voluntarily entered into, may
in like manner be enforced, if necessary,
by the strong arm of the Government.
and it is no Government at all if il 10 not
OF sufficient force to protect itself against
treason and rebellion on the part of its
own citizens. If it is not Government
of force, why was Congress clothed with
the power "to provide for calling forth
the militia, to erecdts The tdscs Of the Union
suppress iasmrection, and repel inpdsions," :"
whether they come from within or with
out? Pshaw that's all fal-lal, to tickle
the ears of groundlings. 1t WAS . Gov.
ernment Of force, and very efficient force
in 1888, when the force bill passed q
Democratic Congress, in the House BY
vote of l49 to 4s, and in the Senate by
81 to 1. When and how has the Con-
stitution been changed since that time,
or is it only because atatcsmen have
grown more wise oflate? Established this
doctrine Of secession, and il is at once
settled that there is an obsoluts impossi.
bility Of ever forming . fixed, permanent
and stable Government out of two or
more States for, if our Constitution does
not make this permanent Government
asdesigned by its founders, then language
cannot be employed that would make it
SO, and our institutions are no better