Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1861-07-12


indges justice DO thin 70 merit any noo wi,h
rebellion thuss eoafed they have bpen drueepE ",
ntnoa o t1er section for moro than fuonJ ycaft Until
nea toatsu rms sssinst re az s.r
seme nsaemees Of men have enacted the rciA sntcncs
ssius ,ss's saso ogt q the Union, who could hsys
ism derives nueh perinps ahof ia currency from ihs
thst there = some and sacred
gremaey pertaining 70 each State ofour Federal Unlon
Our stntes have neither less powbr than that
reserved 70 them in the Union by the tonstution no
one o. them ever having been State Of the Union The
original passed into the Uhon even hofe tbey csst
on their British Colonial Dependence Ihd Us new ones
came into the Union directly from condition Of depend
ence, excepting Texas and even Texas IN IL temporary
dependence was never desgnaed as State. The nov
ones only designated States on coming tnto the
Union, while that was only first adopted the old
IN and BY the Declaration ofIndepcndencc Therein
the united colonies declared FREQ and Independent
ofone another ofthe Unon but directly the confary az
their mutual pledge and their mutual action BEFORE
~ sa SOanddsPf d an shows Iss s5Pssss
States In the articles Of confederation years Later
that the Union tsal Dc perpetqs e most conclusive.
outside the Union. Whence this magical omnipoenoe Of
states rights asserting claim Of power to destroy the
States but the word Is not In the National Cona
tuition Is believed In any Of the State eonstitu
the term would it be far wrong 10 declare IL political
community without political superor3 Tested by this
even Texas gave up the character IN coming 5pts the
Union BY which act she acknowledged the Constitution
OF the United States and laws and treaties Of the Uued
States made In pursuance Of the Consultation 70 be
her law The States have their statutes in the
Union they have other legal statutes II thee break
from this they only do against law BY rsyoiuton.
The Union and not themselves separately their
Independence and their liberty by conquest or purchas
The Union gave each of them bafever of indsncndens
and liberty it has The Union Is older than any OF the
States In fact u created them as States originally.
Some dependent colonies ade the Union and IN return
the Union threw OF their old dependence for them and
made the States such they Not Of them
course IL h not forgotten that all the new states formed
their constitutions before they entered the Union
etheless dependent and preparatory coming into
the Union
Unquestionsbly, the States have the
powers aud rights reserved to them by
the National Constitution, but among
these surely are not included all conceiy-
able powers, however mischievous or de-
struciive; but such only as were known
in this world at the time as governmental
powers, and certainly the power to de-
stroy the Government itself had never
been known as governmental. As amere-
ly administrative power. this relative mat
ter Of national power and States rights
as principle is no other than a principle
of generality and locality. Whatever CON
Germs the whole should be con6ded to the
whole General Government, while what
ever concerns the State should be left ex-
clusively to the State. This is all there
is of the original principle about it
Whatever the National Constitution, in
defining boundaries between the two, as
applied to the principle with exact accur-
acy is not to be questioned. We are all
bound by that definition. What is now
combatted is the position that secession is
consistent with the Constitution, is lawful
and peaceful. 1t is not contended that
there is any express law for it, and moth
lug should ever be implied as law which
leads to unjust and absurd consequences.
The nation purchased with money the
countries out Of which several Of these
States were formed. Is il just that they
should go off without leave or without
refunding? The nation paid very large
sums in the aggregate, | believe, near
ly 800. 900 000) TO relieve Florida from
the Aboriginal tribes. Is it just that she
should now 20 off without consent, or
without any return. The nation is now
in debt for money applied for the benefit of
these so called seeded States in common
with the rest. 1t is just that creditors shall
60 unpaid. or the present States pay the
whole? A part of the present national
debt was contracted to pay the old debt
Of Texas. 1t is just that she shall leave
and pay no part Of this herself? Again,
if one Stale may secede. SO may another,
and when all shall have seeded, and none
is left to pay the debts, is this quite right
to creditors? Did we notify them of this
sage view Of ours when we borrowed
their money. If we now recognize this
doctrine by allowing the seceders TO go in
peace, it is difficult TO see what we can
do. Others choose 10 go or to extort
terms upon which they will promise TO
remain. The seceders insist that our
Constitution admits of secession. They
have assumed to make national cousti
tuition of their own in which Of necessity
they have either discarded or retained the
right of secession, as they Insist it exists
in ours. If they have discarded it, they
thereby admit that on principle it ought
not to exist in ours. If they have retain
ed it by their Iown construction of ours,
that shows that to be consistent, they
must secede from another when they shall
6nd it the easiest way Of settling Gbeir
debts, or effecting another selfish or un-
Just object. The principle itself is one
Of fdisintegration, and ou which no gov
ernment can possibly endure. II all the
States save one should affect the power
10 drive that one out OF the Union, j, is
presumed that the whole class of the se-
ceded politicians would at ouce deny the
power, and denounce the act as the great
est outrage upon Si.te rights. But sup
pose that precisely the same act instead Of
being called driving one out should be
called the seeding Of the others from that
one. Itwould be exactly what the Sc
ceders claim to do, unless indeed to make
the point that the one. because it is a mi
nority, may rightfully do that which the
others, because they are the majority,
may not rigbtfully do. These politicians
are profound in the rights of minorities.
They are not partial to that power which
made the Constitution and speaks from
the preamble calling itself "We. the peo-
ple." 1t may we'll be questioned whether
there is to day majority of the legally
qualified voters Of any State except per-
haps South Carolina, in favor Of disun-
ion. t-f 4 s6i
There is much reason to believe that
the Union men are ia the msjori:y in
many ifnot in all the seceded States.-
The contrary has not been demonstrated
in any one Of them. II is vsalursd to
affirm that those even in Virginia and