Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1861-02-14

ator Tor momens longer Would Teier 10
the fact, that when the Constitution contem-
plates amendm enis to he made to il. they are
amendments tc ba made to 1t by the States,
as States, either by their Legislatures or by
Conventions, as may be arranged but in
each instance the spspd,9ents gould not
be carried by popular vote, but each State
upon the amendments. The State which tbs
| honorable Senator represents, with its pspu-
lation, would give a vote equal to the State
represen: led b., the Senator from New York
q single vote. There was no idea of refer
ring il broadcast 70 .he people, as consoi-
dated mass. That is all wish to say.
Mr. SIMMONS-I did un lerstand the
Senator to make objection. If read those
resolutions Alright, these amendm ents are to
be adopted if they are approved of by the
people of three-fourths Of the States, each
State having but one vote. That is the way
| read the resolutions. One of them, | am
pretty aure. says SO. read it yesterday
4
that the amendments are to be referred to
the peopls of the States, and that the origi-
nal proposition was m mate to the people of the
States; and why was it; Ii was because
this Constitution took from the State author
tiles many of the powers that the people he'd
given to their State Legislatures and they
were not going to have mass meeting, and
let the people of Virginia take away the
rights that had been given by the people of
South Carolina to their State Legislature. =
They must be the same constituent body that
granted these rights to their State Govern
NEXT, that should taks them back again and
grant them to this Government. That is the
distinction. Nobody else was competent TO
take away the rights of the people of Rhode
| Island but the people of Rhode Island ,hsni-
selves and go with all the rest of the States
That is the reason, and the cn'y reason, that
this Constitution was sent to the States not
because it was a confederation, as the Sena,
tor reiterates again to-day, but because pow
ers were given in the Constitution to the ma.
tional Government, that could not be taken
from the States by anybody but those who
| gave those powers to th .m and they took
those powers from the States in ratifying this
Constitution, and gave them to the national
Government. have no douot the Senator
from Keatucky, IN his resolutions, has pro-
vided the same mode that is pointed out n
the Constitution, to let the people vote in
each State for or against these amendments
Am mistaken in that?
Mr.. CRIrTENDEN-Th resolutions
whiek | offered provided no means of that
sort; but the Senator from Pennsylvania,
| | Mr.. Bigler, has been 30 good as to intro
duce bill here, prescribing the mode IN
| which the vote shall be taken, as it was ia
ken at the Presidential election, and by the
same officers.
| Mr.. SIKxoss-I have ssen it somewhere IN
the printed proceedings. That would certain
| ly be the way. Thtrs is no other way to do
1t under the Constitution. Every .suggss-
tion, every argument made use of by every
man who spoke 10 this debate in the Con :
veDtion as to whether the Constitution should
be ratified by the Legislatures or by the peo.
pie, no matter wbstber they were in favor cf
Confederation or in fsvcr of National Gov
ernment. furnishes complete answer to all
the arguments that have been brought up
here Of the right Of State to secede. Mr..
Ellsworth, as much Of Fedsralst as be was
denied that right under the confederation ;
and every national man from that time down
has always denied it. Now, Mr. Presiden',
having disposed of that question. 50 far as
choose to speak On it in this connection. l
como to tie provisions for its amendment !;
and have to say to my worthy and distin-
guished from Kentucky that consider his
plan grossly v:olative to the Constitution
itself. He knows that speak of it kindly !;
but cannot in my conscience believe other~
wise than l have stated. i know these
troubles. l feel as much regret as / know
he feels at such unwarraatable troubles
brought upon US from SO trifirg causes, as
conceive; 5ut cannot vote for these reso-
lutions, because think they violate
the very spirit of the instrument under
which we cit here. Here is proposition to
add i've new sections to the Constitution,
and to make them aid two classes of the
present Constitution irrepealable and una
mendable. should like to ask the Sena-
tor if ne aas thought quite well enough, and
is quite certain enough, that these proposi>
tions are sound, to make them, like the laws
of the Medcs aud Persians, unaltarabls, ia a
Free Government? ! have read them over
but twice. know they are wholly imprac.
ticable in Rhode Island. We have no such
thing in Rhode Island as country organi.
cation that you can sue to recover the value
of slave. You must have somebody to sue.
You must have an organization. / have not
read them with view TO criticise them. /
am speaking of them generally. Here is an
Instrument founded by our fathers. 1t has
been 10 opperatioE three quarters of a centu>
ry. and the cenntry has fourishsd under it
as no other country has ever before done un-
der heaven. There is in that instrument but
one single clause irrepealable, and that is the
clause which gives the State of Rhode Island
as many Senators as the State Kentucky
That you cannot repeal without unanimous