Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1861-03-15


1t is, therefore, duly presented as an ad-
ditional Article OF our National Constltu-
ton, and as such is, By the choice Of Con-
gress, submitted, for ratification or rcjec-
tion, to the Legislatures of the several
Sta,es-mos, Of which, in the North, are
row in session.
The Gully question, SIS We view it, re-
specring the adoption of this Article is, Is
It "NECESSIRT?' It's e1Peiiency or
it's r;yiyalaess may be granted, but its
necessity may not be SO apparent. Those
who voted against il, believed it TO be ua-
Necessary, and therefore inexpedient The
Constitution, it is thought by many, is a.
ready sufficiently explicit on that point.
This is merely a repetition, il less forcltle
language, Of one Of the doctrines Of the
Chicago Platform, which reads thus:
"Re,oir.9, That the maintenance inviolate
OF The rights OF the SAFES, ami especially the
right Of each State to order and control its
own domestic institutions according 10 It's own
Judgment exclusively, IS essential 10 the bal!
ance Of power on which the perfection and
endurance OF our poliicaHfabrlc depend and
We denounce the lawleSs invasion by armed
force % the soil Of any State or Territory, no
mater under what pre,ext, as among the gra-
vest Of crimes"
Moreover, few weeks ago, on motion
Of another Republican, the same sen,i-
ment as that embodied in the proposed
Amendment passed the House BY aaan-
io,ors vote. To repeat the vote, seemed
cLild's play. To gravely state a selfevi-
deu, fact, was Is silly aud foolish as for a
consresation Of iiyines to vote tha, men
are not at liberty TO kill aud eat their
mothers
We do not suppose one Of the Repub-
leans denies the proposition contained 10
the Amendment-a part Of their own
platform-yet the singular spectacle was
presented of a majority of the Members
present voting agaiust one Of the funda-
mental articles Of their creed, and every
STAKEHOLDER and apologis, voting for it !.
So strange are the workings Of legislative
tJrus
Another objection to its acceptance was,
that il seemed one Of series Of attempted
menaces and Efforts to degrade the Repub-
Icaus, on the part of the Slaveocracy.
Following the Secession robteries and
treasols, they were not willing to look at
anything Ike negotiating with traitors.
They deemed it piece Of useless and un-
necessary ;au,ology.
Our own opinion is, ,ha, the main body
of the Republicans in Congress, and their
allies not strictly of the party, have suffi-
cieu,ly demonstrated their courage and
their faitbfulness to principle, in the face
Of all threats and snares to entrap them.
Therefore-uot out Of fear, or with regard
to the rebels 10 arms, hut for other rea.
sons-we think it would be well for the
Legislature Of Pennsylvania, and Of all the
other States, to ratify this Amendment.
1t may not be necessary" in one sense,
and yet may be in another, Some few
extreme persons in the North have argued
against the principle involved in the
Amendment, which would decide aud
plainly guard the point. Very many hon
est men 10 the South have been led to be-
lievs that the Two Millions Of Repabli.
caus, now coming into power, are in favor
of abolisLing Slavery among them-for
they have been SO told by thousands Of
Democratic speakers and newspapers, and
Presidents and Governors have for years
past, in official Messages, spread the same
cruel and infamous falsehOod. But Re
publican orators and journals generally
have been shut out from those States-so
that the grea, majority Of weil-meaniDg
men there are really labOring under that
great delusion, and are thereby causelessly
embi;tered agains, their Northern b.eih-
rem. To disabuse these people i. may be
necessary to put this Amendment. into the
Constitution, "in black and white" 4
Besides these, in the great contes, be-
tween Anarchy aud Law, waging in sever
al slave holding States, there are many
good and true public men, fighting q des.
perate battle for the General Government
in its integrity, who claim that such a de-
cision, from the grea, mass Of the States,
embodied in the highest and most per-
maneut legal authority, is necessary for
their standing and triumph.
As the Amendment, then, is o mere
iteration Of a weli-hrown and admitted
Republican prihciple-aud as it may do
something to dissipate the evils which
wicked and designing men have created in
the South, and thus greatly strength /.
en- the hands of the better classes-we
should, as at present advised, vote for It's
ratification. If the Slave States choose to /
neglec, or reject it, upon them be The re.
sponsibility. We shall have shown our .
willingness to 60 to every extent possible /
10 satisfy all reasonable men. We shall
stay the ravages OF Treason. We shall
,ii tie true men, among the common peo.