Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-06-18

obedia1ee Of subject 20 4 SOVEREIGN under vhcss
protee1on ne Is The sovereign must be fta' pos
rives protection and consequently owes obedience
to him as sovereign dc fact0 Ucon the conquest Of
country the coRqreror Is entitled as sovereign De
facio TO the allegiance Of all who submit 10 his pre-
tecron,''-See 81 Peters.
The application Of this DrjnefrIe AZ u u the
government just created by eleven well orea;aized
States, as sustained by Overwhelming MAORI
ties Of the people, is certainly more inst and
reasonable than 10 apply it TO monarchios where
so many accidents may at any time place an
usurper and tyrant in possession % The gov
government II Is notintendCd to assert the extern
sion Of this principle farther than tOsbo that i
the duty Of all these who choose 70 remain within
the limits of the State, to give cheerful and ready
support TO the laws of the State aud Of the Coafede
rate States, established therein BY the voice of
the people IL is not intended 10 assert the duly of
passive obedience TO government such as is now
established and maintained By the sword in Mary
land against the voice Of he people pfthst STAT. it
is only inteaded to assert that here in Ter1ts.. II
forty-six Thousand voters who csst their suffrae
againt uniting with the Confederate States o1ett
to acknowledge their allsgiaRce 70 the government
established by one hundred and five thousand o.
their fellow citizens, who propose no encroachment
whatever on their rights 10 property or liberty
but all of whom do seHder 10 such minority The
right hand of social Fellowship and political equali
ty.
Mr.. WIldman, in his Laws of Nations states that
few States hayethsir origin in free suffrage The
records of biStery may be searched In vain for az
striking an example of law AMI order in the change
Cove, nment here. Why tins? Because the people
were enlightened and fUrbearing b cause Tue
, eleven State governments were IN complete opera
ton; all asserting the right Of self-government Be
cause every princp OF constitutional liberty previ
ously recOgniz d, has been maintained and perfect
ed IN il execution We ask those who cast theI
SURFACES against the ordinances of the Legislature
and the people, not TO unite with the lincoln GOV
eminent 10 subjugate by force of arms those who
are nearer to them by every tie which binds great
communities together. We say to them that they
have rig 1t to remain in he midst OF the commu
nifty for the purpose Of enabling them to destro,
those amongst whom they do reside and the protec
ton of whose laws they enjoy.
The legal duty as ascertained by well established
law, of every cItlzen of the State and of every
person residing in the State is obey the laws tha
the people have tnscted-laws which will be en-
forced with vigor precisely proportioned to the
danger in which the Community may be placed No
man can be justly held cfiminally responsible for
conforming to the laws OF the country in which h,
lives and for supporting its government
John Quincy Adams, whilst President Of the Uni
ted states in 1928 stated, that "when the Union Oil
one side and one Or more States OF the other wer,
brought into a collision OF arms the relations be
tween the parties were longer those of constitu
tional right but of independent iUrce. Each party
CONSTITUTES the compact tor itself Their construc.
tons are irreconcilabie. There Is no umpire b,
tween them, and the sword is made the ultimate
arbiter between them as independent States, but
not between the members OF Que body DoliticT He
therefore. states, that no man could be guilty OF
treason who acted under the authority of 9 state
for If it were so. every citizen might be crushed
between double allegances between he upper ana
neither mill stone, and the performance of the high
est civic virtue converted into q crime
There Is now formal and solemn war existing
between the United States and the Confederate
States They are separated trCm each other by
well defined boundaries They are independent
Sta es IN fact. They have no common superior o.
judge From these iacts it results "a stated by
Nattel that the obligation Of observing the com
mon laws OF war is absolute and indispensable to
both parties, and the same to which The laws OF
nature obges all nations TO observe between STATED
and State"
The United States and the Confederate States
have each by universal law the right TO purhisb
traitors and spies within their respect We limits
but they are bound by sacred Law of nature and OF
nations 70 observe the laws and usages Of in
gard 10 all prisoners and hence it is that member
the House of Lords stats that if the Lincoln Gov
eminent should undertake to treat persons engaged
IN prvateerlng as pirates, persons taken in war
as traitors the civilized world would raise univer
sci outcry against it as scaDdalous barbarity.
Hostility TO political ofences-ofences created
for the protection of the government against the
people Is Increasing throughout the world This is
because when we look back we see frighiful list
of Judicial murders and military executions of men
of exalted patriotism.
The establishment Of military districts by the
Lincoln Government he suspension of the writ of
hqbeds cO'pGs, and other usurpations look to the
eventual establishment of military governments in
the place OF the present State governments and mil
tary instead of Judicial trials wherever that gov
eminent shall Re able to subjugate State. They
look, also, to the overthrow of constitutional ber
ty and the installation OF permanent Executive,
surrounded BY Pretorian guards and uniting all
power. legislative executive and judicial in his own
hands. II Is the duty of every citizen by the ex-
ertlon OF every means in his power. to prevent the
accomplishment OF such purpose
II II Hr,rprrprva