The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1861-08-22
Commercial Advertiser.
General Jackson upon Secession.

The following passages are taken from the
Proclamation Of Gen. jackson, when in 1885,
South Carolina threatened u annul the federal
revenue laws as she now undertake. with other
Cotton States 10 reject all federal laws and federal
control, and set up a government on her own
responsibility. They are peculiarly applicable
20 the present crisis. We can only hope that ii
will BE- met by the present executive with as
strong a hand and as clear = head a those bv
which Old Hickory twenty-eight years ago
brought back South Carolina 10 her allegiance
70 the Union
The Constitution Of the United States forms a
government, not a league, and whether il be
formed by compact between the States, or in any
other manner, ITS character II the same. IL is a
government in which all the people are repre-
sented, which operates directly ON the people in
dividually, not upon the States they retained
all the power they did not grant. Bat each
State having expressly parted with 50 many
powers as TO constitute jointly with the other
States q single nation, cannot from that period
possess any right % secede, because such secession
does not break a league, but destroys the unity
Of q nation, and any injury to that unity i not
only a breach which would result from the con-
trayentiOn of 4 compact, but it Is an Offense
against the Union. To say that any State NAV
at pleasure secede from the Union, i to say
that the United States are not a nation because
IL would be a sOlecism to contend that any uart
OF a nation might dissolve its connection with the
other parts, 10 their injury OF ruin, without com
hitting any Offense. Secession. like any other
revolutionary act, may be morally justified by
the extremity of oppression but 10 call it 4 con-
stitutionai right, Is confounding the meaning Of
terms, and can only bs done through gross error.
or TO deceive those who are willing TO assert a
right, but would pause before they made a reyO-
luton, or incur the penalties consequent upon a
failure.
Because the Union was formed by COMPACT, it
IL said the parties to that compact may, when
thev FaeI fhamGalva. aUgr1avaI fararr Erv, - %
but it is precisely because it Is a compact that
they cannot. \ compact ~ an agreement or
binding obligation. IL may by its terms have q
sanction or penalty for its breach, or it may not.
If 1t contains no sanction, il may be broken with
no other consequence than moral guilt: if il
have q sanction, then the breach incurs the desig-
mated or implied penalty. \ league between in
dependent nations, generally, has no sanction
other than n moral enc or If it should contain a
penalty, as there il no common superior, il can
not be enforced. A government, on the contrary,
always has a sanction, express or implied and,
in our case, 1t is both necessarily implied and
expressly given An attempt by force of arms TO
destroy q government is an offense. by whatever
means the Constitutional COMPACT NAV have been
formed and such government has the right, by
the law OF self-defense, to pass acts for Furnishing
the offender, unless that right is modified, re-
strained OF resumed by the Constitutional act.
In our system, although it is modified in the
case OF treason, yet authority is expressly given to
pass all laws necessary to carry its powers into
effect, and under this grant provision has been
made for Furnishing acts which obstruct the due
administration of the laws.
Carolina is one of these proud States. Her
arms have defended-her best blood has cemented
this happy Union And then add, if you can,
without horror and remOrse, this happy Union
we will dissolye-this picture of peace and pros
perity we will deface-this free intercourse we
will interrupt-these fertile fields we will deluge
with blood-the protection of that glorions flag
we renounce-the very name of Americans we
discard. And for what, mistaken men, for what
do you throw away these inestimable blessings
for what would you exchange your share in the
advantages and honor of the Union? For the
dream of a separate Independence dream in
terrupted by bloody conflicts with your neigh
bors, and a vile dependence on a foreign power.
IL your leaders could succeed in establishing a
separation, what would be your situation? Are
you united at home-are you free from the ap-
prehension of civil discord, with all its fearful
consequences? Do our neighboring Republics,
every day suffering some new revolution, or con-
tending with some new nsurrectiOn-do they
excite your envy? But the dictates of a high
duty oblige me solemnly to announce that you
cannot succeed. The laws of the United must be
executed. L have no discretionary power on the
subject-my duty is emphatically pronounced in
the Constitution Those who told YOU that YOU
might peaceably prevent their execution, deceived
you-thev could not have been deceived them
Selves lney KNOW tnaI q 1OrclDle opposition
could alone prevent the execution of the laws,
and they know that such opposition must be
repealed. Their object is disuniOn disunion, by
armed force, ls TREASON. Are you really ready
to incur its guilt? If you are, on the head of
the instigators of the act be the dreadful conse-
auenees-on their heads be the dishonor. but on
yours may fall the punishment-On your unhappy
State will inevitably fall all the evils of the con-
fict you force upon the Government of YOUR
country. 1t cannot accede to the mad project of
disuniOn of which you would be the first victims
its first magistrate cannot, if he would, avoid the
performance of his duty-the consequence must
be fearful for you, distressing to your fellow
citizens here, and to the friends of good govern
ment throughout the world.
adjure you, as YOU prize the peace
Of your country, the lives of its best citizens.
and your own fair fame, to retrace your steps.
Snatch from the archives of your State the dis
organizing edict of its conventiOn-bid its MEM
bers to re-assemble, and promulgate the decided
expressions of your will to remain in the path
which alone can conduct you TO safety, prosperity
and honor-tell them that, compared to disunion.
al other evils are light, because that brings with
it an accumulation of all-declare that you will
never take the field unless the star-spangled ban
ner of your country float over yOu-that you will
not be stigmatized when dead, and dishonored
and scorned while you live, as the authors of the
first attack on the Constitution of your country 4,
its destroyers you cannot be. You may dis
turb Its peace, you may interrupt the course of
Its prosperity, you may cloud its reputation for
srability-but Its tranquility will be restored,
its prosperity will return, and the stain upon its
national character will be transferred, and remain
an eternal blot on the memory of those who
caused the disorder.