Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1861-07-09

sequences. The nation purchased with
money the countries out of which several
of these States were formed. it is just
that they should go off without leave or
without refunding? TIE nation paid very
large sums, in the aggregate, i believe,
nearly $l00,00O.0 900, to relieve Florida
from the aboriginal tribes. Is it just that
she should now go off without consent or
without any returnf The nation is now
in debt for money applied for the benefit
of these so called seeded States, in COM
mon with the rest. Is it just either that
creditors shall go unpaid or the remaining
pay the whole? A part of the present
nation debt was contracted to pay the old
debt of Texas. Is it Just that sho shall
leave and pay no part of tbi herself?-
Again, if one State may secede so may
another, and when all shall have seceeed,
none is left to pay the debts. Is this quite
Just to creditorsf Did we notify them of
this sage view of ours when we borrowed
their money? If we now recognize this
doctrine by allowing the seceders to go in
peace it is difficult to see what we can do
if others choose to go, or to ext at terms
upon which they will promise to remain.
The seeeders insist that our Constitution
admits of secession. They have assumed
TO make II national constitution of their
own in which, of neces :ity, they have
either discarded or retained the right Of
secession as they insist it exists in ours
If they have discarded it they thereby
admit that on principle it ought not to
exist in ours. If they have retained it bv
their construction of ours it shows that to
be consistent they must secede from one
another when they shall find it the easiest
way of settling their debts or effecIing
another selfish or unjust object.
| The principle itself is one Of disintegra-
| ton and on which no Government can
endure. If all the States save one should
affect the power to drive that one out of
! the Union, it is presumed the whole class
OF the seeded politicians would at once
deny the power and and denounce the act
as the greatest outrage upon State rights.
But suppose that precisely the SAFE net,
instead of being called driving one out,
should be called the seeding" of the 9th
ers from the one, it would be exactly what
the seceders claim to do. unless indeed,
they make the point that the one, because
it is a minority, may rightfully do that
which the others, because they are the
majority, may not rightfully do.
These politicians are profound in the
rights of minorities. They are not partial
to that power which made the Constitution
and speaks from the preamble calling
itself 1--WE the people," 1t may we'll be
questioned whether there is to day a ma
jority of the legally qualified voters of any
State, except, perhaps, South Carolina, in
favor of disunion. There is much reason
to believe that the Union men are in ma
iority in many if not in all of the seeded
States. The contrary has not been DEM
onstrated in any one of them. 1t is ven
tured to affirm even those of Virginia and
Tennessee-for the result of elections held
in military camps, where the bayonets
were all on one side of the question voted
upon-can scarcely be considered as dem
onstrating the popular sentiment at such
an election. All that large class who are
at once for the Union and against coercion
would be cOer ,ed 10 vote against the Union.
1t even may be affirmed without extrava-
gance that the free institutions which we
ENJOY have developed the powers and
improved the condition Of our whole people
beyond any example in the world. OF this
we now have a striking and impressive
illustration. So large an army as the
| Government has now on foot was never
, before known, without a soldier in II who
has not taken bis place there of his own
free choice. But more than this, there are
many single regiments whose members.
| one and another. possess full practical
! knowledge IF the arts and sciences and
professions, and whatever else, whether
I useful or elegant, is known tt the whole
world end there is scarcely one from
which there could not he selected a Presi.
dent, Cabinet, Congress, and perhaps
Court, abundantly competent to admin
lister the Government. Nor do | say this
Is not true of our late frienGs--now enemies
IN this contest but is it So much the better
reason why the Government which has
conferred such benefits on bath them and
on us should not lie broken M? Whoever
| III any section proposes q abandon such q
/ Government would do well to consider IN
Difference TO what principle it is tina. he
. does 1t; whether the substitute viii give
/ or be intended to give So much god To- the
! people. There is some furesbadowinr on
/ this subject. Our adyersaries haze al0ptei
some declarations of Independence, in
which, unlike the good old one penned by
! jefferson, they emit the words "are created
equal" Why? They have adopted
| temporary national constitution, in the
/ preamble of which, unlike our god old
one signed by Washington, they omit, 1--WE.
! the people" AMI substitute, We. the depu-
/ ties IF the Sovereign and Indepen1ent
! States. Why this deliberate pressing our
Of view the rights of men and the author.
| Ity Ct the people? This is essentially a
| peoples contest on the side Of the Union
1t Is struggle for maintaining in the
world that form and substance of Govern
ment, whose leading object is to elevate
the condition of men, to lift artificial
L oil cIr
paths of laudable pursuits. and to afford
all an unfettered start and a fair chance in
the race Of life, Welding to partial and
temporary departures from necessity
This is the leading object of that form of
government for whose existence we contend
am most happy to believe that the nlain
people understand and appreciate this 1t
Is worthy of note that while in this the
governments hour of trial, large numbers
OF those IN the army and navy who have
been favored with the Offices have resigned
and proved false to the hand that pampered
them, not one common soldier or common
sailor is known to have deserted his fac
ureat honor is due to those officers who
remained true despite the example of their
treacherous associates. But the greatest
honor and most emphatic fact of all is the
unanimous hrmness of the common soldiers
and common sailors. To the last man. so
lar as known, they successfully resisted the
traltorous effects Of those whose command
within an hour before they obeyed as
absolute law. This is patriotic instinct
OF plain men. They understand without
an argument that the DESTROYING of the
Government which was made by Washing
ton means no good for them. Our popuIsr
Government has often been called an
experiment. Two points in it, however.
our people have settled, viz: The success,
ful establishing and the successful admin
Isterllg of il. One still remains. L. O..