Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1861-01-09

ia AZ plnimpN inut iNN Y OlNN W lA'i''f p"
contract between The several state. com e
posinr IA. and that Any one Of the states,
which may feel arprieyod, may ei iis
Measure, declare that " will no longer 9o
a nariy to the compact. Thia docliine is
clearly erroneous. The Constitution OF
the United states Is something moro thon
a mere compact, or agreement, between
! tho several States. As applied TO nations,
a compnct IL but n trcaty, which may DO
sbropated at the will of either party re,
sponsible TO tho other party for Us bau
faith in refusing to keep It's engagements,
hut entirely irresponsible to any superior
tribunal. A government, on tho other
hand. whether created by consent, or by
conquest, when clothed with legislative
judicial. and executive powers, is necesse
rily in its nature sovereign and iIom this
soyereignty fows ts right 10 enforce is
laws and dscrees lby civil process, and' III,
in an emergency, by its military and naVni
power. The government owes protection
10 tho people, and they, in turn, owe "
their allegiance. It's laws caunot DO vio-
lated by its citizens, without accountaoili'
ty 10 tie tribunals created to enforce ITS
decrees and punish offenders. ORGANIZED
resistance to II is rebellion. If mccsssfui, ,
it may be purged Of crime by revolution
If unsuccessful, the persons engaged 10
the rebellion may be executed as traitors
Tho government of the United otH'es'
within the limits assigned to it, is Us po-
tentialy in sovereignty, as any other gov
ernmept in the civilized world. The Coz
s.itution, aud laws made in pursuance
| thereof, are expressly declared to be the
supreme law of the land. Under the Con-
stitution, the general government has the
power to raise and support armies, 10
create and maintain navy, and to pro-
vide for calling forth the militia to execute
its laws, suppress insurreetion, and rrepei
invasion. Appropriate statutes have been
enacted 10y Congress, to aid i'll the execu,
ton OF these important governmental
powers.
The creation Of the Federal Govern
ment, With the powers enumerated 10 the
Constitution. was the act of the people oil
the United States, and it is perfectly I'M.
material that the people Of the several
Stotes acted separately within the terri
torial limits of each State. The form OF
their action is OF no consequence, IN view
of the fact that they created n Federal
Government, 10 which they surrendered
certain powers of sovereignty, and deciarN
ed those powers, 30 surrendered, 10 be
supreme, without reserving 10 the State,
or TO the people, the right OF secession,
nulification, or other resistance. Is,
therefore, clear that there is no consu:u-
lional right of secession. Secession is only
another form Of notification. Either,
when attempted to be carried out by force,
is rebellion, and should be treated as such,
by those whose sworn duty 1t is to main
tain the supremacy of tho Constitution
and laws of the United States.
IT is certainly true, that in cases OF great
extremity, when the oppression OF govern,
ment has become so intolerable that civil
war is preferable to longer submission,
there remains the revolutionary right OF
resistance; but where the authority of the
government is limited by written Con-
stitution, and each departr ent Is held IN
check by the other departments, it will
rarely, if ever happen that the citizens
may not be adequately protected, without
resorting to the sacred and inalienable
right to resist and destroy government
which has been perverted to tyranny.
But, while denying the right OF State
to absolye its citizens from the allegiance
which they owe to the Federal Govern
ment, it is nevertheless highly proper that
we should carefully and candidly examine
the reasons which are advanced by those
who have eyinced a determination to de-
stroy the Union of these American States;
and if it shall appear that any OF the
causes of &C mplaiRt are well founded, they
should be unhesitatingiy removed, and ,as
far as possible, repara,iou made for the
past, and security given for The future; for
il is not to be tolerated, that a govern
ment created by the people, and main
tanned for their benefit, should do injus'
tice to any portion Of its citizens.
After asserting her right to withdraw
from the Unicn, South Carolina, Through
her Convention, among other reasons, de-
clares that she is justified i'll exercising, at
this time, that right, because several OF
the States have for years not only refused
TO fulfill their constitutional obligations,
but have enacted laws either nsllitying
the Constitution, or rendering useless the
aots of Congress relative to the surrender
of fugitive slaves; that they have permit
ted the open establishment of societies to
disturb the peace of other States that
the people Of the non-slaveholding States
have aided in the escape of slaves from
their masters, and have incited to seryiie
insurrection those that remain; and have
announced their determination to exclude
the South from the common territory o.
the Union. AS the Representatives OF thu
peoplo of Pennsylvania, it becomes you,
solemn duty to examine these serious
charges, made by the authority of sove
reign State.
Pennsylvania is included in the list
States that are charged with having re
fused compliance with that mandate Q
the Constitution Of the United States
which declares "that no person held h
service or labor in one State, under th,
laws thereof, escaping into another, shall
in consequence Of any law or regulation
therein, be discharged from such service
or labor, but shall be delivered up, o'
claim of the party TO whom such service
or laoor may be due" So far from ad
mitting the truth Of this charge, unhesi
ta,ingly aver, that, upon careful examr
nation, it will be found that the 'egisla
a. on6 :,dicial action of Pennsylvania