Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1861-07-13

State Of our Federal Union. Oar States
have neither more nor less power than that
reserved to them 80 the Uuiou by the Con.
stitution. no one Of them ever having been o
State out Of the Union. The original ones
passed into the Union even before they cast
off their British colonial dependence, and the
new ones each came into the Union directly
into the Union directly from a condition Of
dependence, excepting Texas; aud even
Texas in its temporary independence, was
oever designated q State. The new ones
only took the designation Of States on coming
into the Union while that uame was fret
adopted for the old ones 10 and by the
Declaration Of Independence. Therein the
United Colonies were declared to be free and
Independent States
But even then the object plainly was not to de-.
clare their independence Of one another. or of the
Union, bat directly the contrary, as their mutual
pledge and THEN mutual action, before, at the
time and afterwards, abundantly show. The
press plghtng Of faith, by each and all the origi-
nal thirteen, in the Articles of Confederation
} two years later that "the Union shall be perpe'
tual," is most conclusive. Having never been
I States, either in substance sr name outside of
the Union, whence this magical omnipotence Of
State Rights asserting claim Of power to law.
| fully destroy the Union itself! Much is said
about the sovereignty of the States, but the
word even, is not in the National Constitution,
nor, as ia believed, in any Of the State Constitu.
| tons. What as sovereignty, in tie political
sense of the term! Would it be far wrong to Je.
fine it "a political community without political
superior ~ Tested by this, one Of our States
except Texas ever was sovereignty, and even
Texas gave up the character on coming into tho
Union, by which act she acknowledged the Con
stution of the United States, and the laws and
treaties of the United States made in pursuance
of the Constitution, to be for hei the supreme
law Of the land The States have their status in
the Union, and they have no other legal status.
If they break from this, they only do
ugainst law, and by revolution. The Union, and
not themselves separated, procured their inde'
pendence and their liberty. By conquest or
purchase, the Union gave each of them whatever
of independence and liberty it has, The T.
is older than any of the States, and in Z
created them as States Originally sor
pendent colonies made the Union, and, j.
the Union threw of their old dependence
and made them States, such they are.
of them ever had State Constitution il
ent of the Union.
Of course, it is not forgotten that all
State framed their Constitutions before T.
tered the Union nevertheless dependen'
and preparatory to coming into the Unior
Unquestionably, the States have the
, and rights reserved to them in and by tt"-UIL
tional Constitution, but among these, surely, are
not included all conceivable powers, however mis-
chevious or destructive, but at most, such only
as are known in the world at the time as govern.
mental powers, and certainly power to destroy
! the Government itself had never known govern
/ mental mere administrative power.
a This relative matter OF national power snd
. State rights a principle is other than the
. principle OF generality and locality.
Whatever concerns the whole should be con-
fded to the whole to the General Government;
q while whatever concerns only the State should
, be left exclusively to the State This 10 all there
I is of original principle about it. Whether the
A National Constitution, in defining boundaries be-
tween the two, has applied the principle with
exact accuracy, is not 10 be questioned. We are
also bound by that defining, without question:
What is now combatted is the position that So
) cession is CONSTANT with the Constitution, IL
y lawful and peaceful. 1t is not contended that
o there is any express law for it, and nothing should
. . ever be implied law which leads to unjust or
" absurd consequences.
The nation purchased with money the coun'
10 tries out Of which several OF these States were
~ formed. Is it just that they shall go Off without
10 leave and without reiunding The nation paid
u very large sums-in the aggregate, believe, of u
Al hundred millions-to relieve Florida of the abo'
ot rigina tribes. Is it unjust that she shall now go
T. off without consent or without making any re-
m turn The nation is now in debt for money ap.
y piled for the benefit OF these called seeded
10 States in with the rest. Is it Just either
that creditors shall go unpaid, or the remaining
m States pay the whole! Part of the present ma
" tiona debt contracted to pay the old debts oil
}; Texas. Is it just that she shall leave and pay
W no part of this herself!
it Again, if one State may secede, so may
ly another, and when ell shall have seeded
to none left to pay the debts Is this quite jus,
to to creditors? Did We notify them of this
sage view of ours when we borrowed theii
ID money? Ii we now recognize this Goctrius
on by allowing the Seceders to 60 in peace, i: ia
CO difficult TO see what We can do If Others
bt choose to go, or to extort terms upon wh!ct
IT, they will promise 10 remain.
Oh The Seceders insist that our Constitution
ne admits Of secession. They have assumed t
Do make a Dational constitution OF their own
es which OF necessity they have either discarded
lg or retained the right of secession as the!
d insist it exists in ours If they have discard
II ed it, they thereby admit that on principle i
ny ought not to be 10 oars If they have retain
ed by their own construction OF ours, the
oi show that to be consistent they must seced
'e- from one another whenever they shall find
or the easiest way of settling their debts, o
er' etfectiDg any other selfish or unjust object
ey The principle itself is Que of disntegratiou
10 and upon which no Government can posSibl
Gu endure.
hlr If oil the States save one should assert th
Us power to drive that one out Of the Unon,
as is presumed the whole class of seceder poll
ny tcians would OF eGce deny the power, an
as deuouuce the act as the greatest outrsg
le' upon State rights. But suppose that pre-
nj cisely the same act instead OF being calle
10 driving the one out, should be called th
h' seeding of the others from that one, it woul
he be exactly what the seceders claim to d.
W WIus unless, indeed, they make the point that th
oy one, because it is a minority, may rightfull
v'' do. These politicians are subtle and profoun
ne on the right of minorities they are not pal
tial TO that power which made the Constitl
be tion, aud speaks from the preamble, callin
nal itself "The People" 1t may we'll be que'
nd toned whether there is to-day majority (
,ut the legally qualified voters of any Stat
ler except, perhaps, South Carolina, in favor {
'ed disunon There is much reason TO beley
se, that the Union men are the majority in man,
ole if not 10 every other one, Of the so-calle
my seeded States. As the contrary has uC