The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-09-13

trovertible evidence, though not provable in
court of law, that in case of civil war,
the aid of Great Britain to effect that pur-
pose would be as surely resorted to, as it
would be indispensibly necessary to the de-
sign"
Mr.. Adams stated also, that if force
should be resorted to by the government to
quell that resistance 1.-THE resistance organ.
izing in Massachusetts, it would produce a
civil war, and in that event he had no doubt
that the leaders of the party would receive
the co operation of Great Britain"
The Secession party, thou gh not called
by that name, became triumphaDtly power
full throughout New England. The admin
istration saw the danger of collision, tenn
porised with the traitors, conciliated, COM
promised. and avoided, as last and danger.
ous necessity, any resort to strong coercive
measures. To save the Union, Democrats
backed down ingloriously, amid the taunts
and jeers of their political enemies, and re-
pealed those great party measures, the en-
barge and enforcing acts, which were the
alleged cause of the traitorous proceedings
and threatenings of the. New England pol
iticians.
Whatever the effect on their party, this
change of front saved the loyal men of that
day from an experimental trial of the
strength OF the Government:
But this did not satisfy the New England
Federalists. They demanded power in the
General Government-ofices and emolu-
ments. This was fully declared in an ad.
dress sent forth by the Massachusetts Leg.
islature to the people of the New England
States, which concludes with the following
appeal: Choose, then, fellow citizens, be-
tween the condition of citizens OF free
State, possessing its equal weight and in.
huence 10 the National Government, or that
of Colony, free in name, but, in fact
enslaved by sister States"
When the country subsequently became
involved in war with England, the New
England secessionists, Massachusetts,, as
before taking the lead, became more active
and violent than ever.
The Massachusetts, House, in reply tc
the Governors anti-war speech, ascribed
the origin of the war to the total exclusion
of the Federalists from any share in the
national government; and, "to the influence
of worthless foreigners over the press, the
Cabinet and Congress; to a jealousy of the
commercial States, envy of their prosperity
fear of their growing strength, contempt
for their pursuits, and ignorance of their
true character and importance to the Gu
pidity of certain States for the wilderness
reserved for the miserable aboriginees; to
a violent passion for conquest
and, above all, to inveterate and determined
hostility to England, having been made the
basis Of party power" 4 "Such, u
said the address, "were the true reasons oi
the war"-"the freedom of commerce and
the rights of seaman" was "pretense."
President Madison, acting in strict con-
formity to law of Congress, called upon
the States for troops to enter the service Of
the United States, for the defence of the
country. The State OF Massachusetts,
other New England States following the
example, nullified this law, and proceeded
to raise money and embody State Guard,
thereby assuming an attitude of defence
towards the general government.
For this purpose Massachusetts, made an
appropriation of million dollars, and pro-
vided for an exclusively State army of ten
thousand men.
The legislature Of Massachusetts, which
in 'e8 had so severely condemned the reso-
lutions Of Virginia and Kentucky-decIar-
ing the right to nullify by acts of their
own, the unconstitutional legislation Of
Congress, or what they deemed to be such
had then, during the war of 1912, in
the crisis of national peril, actually nulli-
fed the laws of the United States. The
legislature of that State passed law forbid
ding the use of their jails for the con-
fnement Of traitors or deserters from the
American army; or British prisoners Of
war and went so far in their treason, as to
direct and compel by law, all jailors, to set
free all British officers, prisoners Of wal
in their custody.
These traitorous proceedings were sancti.
fed by the higher law piety Of the clerica
politicians Of New England, who taugh,