Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-03-07


real ones you fly from, will you risk the com
mission of SO fearful a mistaken All profess
to be content in the Union If all their con-
stitutional rights can be maintained. Is it,
true, thcn, that any right plainly written in
The constitution has been deniedi ! think
not. Happily, the human mind is so con-
stituted that no party. can reach to the
audacity of doing this. Think, ifyou can, OF
a single instance in which a plainly written
provision of the constitution has ever been
denied. If by the mere force of numbers
a majority shall deprive a minority of any
clearly written constitutional right, IL might
in moral point of view justify rcvolu-
tion. 1t certainly would il such right were
vital one-but such is not our case All
the vital rights ef minorities and of indi-
viduals are so plainly assured to them
by affirmation and negotiations, guarantees
aud prohibitions in the Constitution, that contro.
versies never arise concerning them, hu no or
grnc lazy can be raNed with provision vision specific
cur in practical administrations. No foresight
can Anticipate, nor any document Of reasonable
length contain express provisions for all possible
ques ions shall ugitivos from labor be surrend
cred by National State authoritvi The con.
slit ition does not expressly say May Congress
prohibi, Slavery in the Terrioriesl The Consti
tuition does not expressly say. Must Congress
protect slavery IN the Territories' The Con .tiu-
lion res not expressly say. From questions Of
this class spring all our constitutional controyer
sies and we divide upon them into ma joritles and
minoriiies. II the minority will not acquescr,
the majority must, or the Government must cease
There is no other alternative for continuing the
Government but acquiescence on one side or the
other. minority. in such case, will secede
rather than acquiesce; they make precedent
which in turn will divide and ruin them,or min
rity ol their own will seeede from them uhens
ever a majority refuses to he controlled by such
minority FOR instance, why may not any p)r.
ZION OF n new ConederaCy, year or two hence
arbitrarily secede againi Precisely as portions o
the present Union now claim to sccede from III
All who cherish disunon sentiments are now be-
ing educated TO the exact temper of doing this.
Is there such perfect indentity Of interests
among the States to compose new Union as tc
produce harmony only, and prevent renewed Sc
ces,ion2 Plainly the central idea of secession is
the essence of anarchy. A majority held in re-
strant 10y constitutional checks and limitations and
always changing easily with deliberate changes ci
popular opinions aud sentiments, is the only true
sovereign of free people. Whoever rejects it,
does Ot necessity fv to anarchy or despotism
unanimty Is impossible. The rule of maioit,
as II permanent arrangement Il wholly inadmssi
BILE, so that rejecting the majority principle, an
archy and despotsm in some form is all that j,
left. do not forget the position assumedby some
that constitutional quesonst are to be decided by
tn Supreme Court, nor do deny that such dccis
ions must be binding in any ease upon the parte,
TO suit as TO the object of that suit, while the,
re also entitled to very high respect and consid
erat on in all parallel cases bv all other depart
meuts of the Government, while it is obviousl,
rossibc that such decision may be erroneous il
any given still the evil effect following il be
ing limited to that particular with the chanc
that it may be ovcrrucd and never become prece
dent for other cases can better be borne than tn
evils Of different practice. At the same time
the candid citizen must confess that if the polio
4 of the government, upon vital questions atfectn;
the whole people, is to be irrcvocabl fXcdby tn
decision of the Supreme Court the instant they are
made in ordinary litigation between parties /
personal actions, the people will have ceased to
their own rulers, having to that extent, PRACTICAL
resigned their government iuto the hands Of tha
eminent tribunal, Nor is there in this view an,
assault upon the Court or the Judges. 1t is dut
from which they may not shrink to decide case
! properly brought before them, and it is no fau
of the RI if others seek to turn their decisions t.
political purposes. One section of our cOuntr
believes slavery is right and ought to be extende
while the other believes it is a wrong and ougi
not to be extended. This is the only substantiI
dispute; for the fugitive slave clause of the Cor
stituton and the laws for the suppression of tn
foreign slave trade are each "A well cnforcc,
perhaps as any law can be in n community wher
the moral sense Of the people imperfrctly support
the law itself Wouhl the great body of the pee
pie abide by the dry legal obligation in both cases
after the separation of the sections, more thai
bciorc2 The foreign slavc-trade, now imperfect
~ suppressed, would be ultimately revived will
out restriction in one section; while fugitiy
slaves, now only partially surrendered, would NJ
be surrendered ut all by the other.
: Physically speaking we cannot separate, we car
not remove our respective sections from each othc
nor build an impnSsibe wall between then.
D ,,,,I 4. hp al ~
the presence, and beyond the reach of each othc
, but the different parts of our country cannot d
this. They cannot but remain face to face, aud u
intercourse. either amicable or hostile must cor
tinue between them. i it possible then to max
that intercourse more advantageous. or more Snu Snu
factory nftcr separating, than before? Can allei
make treaties easier than friends can make law
10 Can treaties be faithfully enforced betwc'
% aliens than laws among friends? suppose YOU
' to war you cannot fight always and when cft'
q much loss both sides. md no gain on either, 20
cease fighting the old identical question N to tern
d of intercourse iS again upon you. lhlS countr
with its institutions, belongs to the people WI
. inhabit il. Whenever they shall grow weary OF Il
existing government they can exercise their COZ
IS 1itutional right of amending It, or their reyol
n tonnry right to dismember or overthrow IT. ca
not be ignorant of the fact that many WHr,hy o.
90 nj Con stitutiUn amended. While make no recui
w mcndations of amendments. fully. recognize u
VI righttul authority of tho people over the who
'e subject to be exercised in either Of the modes pl
III scribed in the instrument itself and should, und
no fair opportunity being offered to the people to
n, upon it. will venture to add, that to mo the O.
-, yanton mode seems preierabla lnaSmnch as IL
vi lows the amendments TO originate with the peol
" themselves, instead only of permitting them
al t&hsA or reject proposition originated by 9TH
Il. notespeoially chosen for the purpose, and WIN
N might not be precisely such nS they would not W
-, ~ to either except or refuse. ! understand prov
w sed amendment to the constitution; which amen
oi mcnt, however, have not seen, has passed Co
he grcss to the ccct that the iodernl government sh
ng never interfere with the domestic institutions
w. the States including that Of persons held to seryl
In
IN, depart from my purpose not to speak OF parucn
Nv amendments 50 far ns To say mat hoWlng sue
Nv ptovisIon to be now implied ~ Constitutional Ia
or | have no objections to its being made express a
les irrcvucuhle. The Chief Magistrate derives MI
tn authority from the people and they have CONFER
=" none upon him to Fix terms for the separation
the States. The people themselves can do
he also il they choose, but the executive as ;,
~ has nothing to do with it, His duty is to ad dminis
III present government US IL came To hls hands anu
u" transmit unImpalted by him tn his successor
ly Why should there not be patient confidence
be the ultimate Justice OF the peoplei Is there
lg better ar equal hope IN the worldi In our pr
art en dlilarcnrcs is eithet party without iaith OF
la. ing in the right II the Almighty Ruler ot
'o iiuns with his eternal truth and justice he on
Il; side ol the North. or on yours ui the South,
VI uuth and thni Justice will surely prevail by
~ uhgment of this great tribunal, the Ameri
'o' people.
1n By tho frame of the government un
=" which We live, this same people have wis
y, given their public servants but litter poN
,"e Tor mischief and have with equal wiSd
o provided tor the return OF that little to Il
w. own hands at verv short intervals. While
'oo' people retain their virtie and vigilance,
:" administration by any extreme ofwckodn
w or folly, can very seriously iniure the goyt
Nv mcnt in the short space of four years.
lux countrymcn, one and all, think calmly
m well upon this whole subject. Nothin Va