The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1861-01-10
Personal Liberty Bills and the Right of
States to seCede from the Union.

North have been competed 10 see That there
was serious trouble ahead. owing to tbs
triumph q their principles. and that IN
doubleday several OF the slave holding
states would Withdraw from the Federal
Government. we have heard much about
secession and the right of States to secede
this right being contended for by some
few in the Nor,h--but most of the con-
servative Democrats and all the Republi-
cans here deny the right of any State to
withdraw from the Union in any manner
whateve
While admitting that this is the position
occupied by most of the conservative men
of the North, irrespective of party. there
is one difference. and great one 1t is,
between the members of the Republican
and Democratic parties. The Republicans
are in favor of coercing the Southern
States back into the Union when they Sc
ode, without making any reparation to
Hose 5 .ates, for the outrages and insults
offered to them and their institutions, by
the Northern Abolition States, by the pas
sage Of personal liberty bills, by mobbing
United States officers when they go into
those states to perform their sworn duties
and by rescung fugitives from their own
ers and ai.llng them in making good their
escane. This is the position taken by
mos, Of the leading Republicans of the
North. with. however, few honorable ex
ceptiOns.
While the Democrats deny the right Of
secession to any state, they also deny the
right Of states 10 pass laws contrary to the
Fugitive Slave Law. and contend that if
coercion is right in one case, it is right in
the general government to compel the
southern states to remain in the Union, 1t
is also right that it should compel those
Abolition states to repeal their Personal
Liberty Bills; and Democrats say that until
those laws are repealed, the government
has no right TO attempt coercion.
That those Personal Liberty Bills are
contrary to the spiri. and provisions of the
Constitution, is clear to ever5 reasonable
person. If those states bave passed un-
constitutional laws and their citizens have
taken license from them and have viola
ted the Federal compact--have been up
held and protected by uaconstituiionsll.
laws have not those states re6eIIet1? ..nd
is it not as clearly the duty Of the govern
ment to eosrce In Ibis case, as if those
states had assembled in convention and
boldly declared that they would no longer
be governed BY the Constitution of the
United States?
Most OF the leading Republicans through
ont tile Northern states say shat the south
has iakeu this course in order t. get the
north to make Concessions to them, and
that they are opposed to making any such
concessions, whatever, but they are IN .fa
cor of the Un;on(2) s5ut they are opposed
to repeating their unconstitutional lars, and
are in favor Of compelling the south tc
submit to their insults and injuries, which
are nowmost unreasonable and outrageous
but which are beng added to every year
every tiunetbe Legislatures Of the Northern
States conyeR3.
This is as reasonable and patriotic as
the majority Of the Republicans Of ;he
North sc. Ii spirit and in principle they
are E6rse ir-aiits and more unreasonable
than Geor.e LIZ. Of England was, who's
outEages ana oppression the sons o: Amer
lea would no: submit to- 1t is madness
blindness, to talk about compelling tht
southern states Ia remain in the Unior
while those Personal Liberty Bills stant
on the Statues of one-haif the Northern
states. Men al the North see the Injustic'
of such IN attempt on the par, of the gen
eral government, and thousands upon thou
sands of them will refuse 20 tax, mp arm:
against their brothers of the south whose
rights as citizens Of tile United States they
bee have been shamefully outraged and
lrampled upon by the fanatics of the north
II the Abolition states will strike from
their Statutes those unfriendly. unjust. and
unconstitutional laws and then manifest
as much patience with the wrongs the
south Is now committing and Will contin'
ne to commit in the future. as those states
Lave With the insults and wrongs of the
Northern Aboiitionists. there will be nc
danger OF final dissolution OF the Union
After the Northern states have made
proper atonement lor ihe wrongs they
have committed, the slave holding states
will ses that It Is to their interest to re
main in the Union, OF come back INTO 1t
if they have wilhd,sRu from II aud thei
our road 70 national prosperity peace ahc
baop;nexi win ~. unobstrus,ed by the