The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1861-02-08
T {
Coercion.

put this question to the people, of late
years, Is not now a presidential candidate.
lhe question is now about country. not
about President. We may hope, ,her.
not to be nlisinterpreted ii we now put
again this pregnant question. ID ''
The shallow paragrsphsts, and poets,
and abolition lecturers, aud .cociologata,
who have made the public opinion of the
Republican party, do not understand the
genious Of free government; they do
not understand our national institntions.-
This is shown by the fact that they have
Misunderstanding in like fools-what tho
founders of the Constitution accomplished.
For the benefit OF all members Of that
party who will reconsider their action, we
wish, as distinctly as possible, to state how
only We can once more live in peace in
this Union made by our fathers. They
made the Cu o. as a perpetual bond
of a enc country. No doubt Of that
They never contemplated nor recognized
any right of secession on the part of any
State. Granted again. But neither did
they ever contemplate, when they formed
;he Constitution, that the madness would
seize numerical ma or:tv in one half of
the county, to use that sectional prepon.
derance, persistently and Systematically TO
GppreSS the other half OF the country. The
trainers of the Constitution supposed there
would rise disputes. They appointed the
Supreme Court OF the United States as the
ultimate artiter, under the Constitution.
They foresaw that cases might arise, "a
they have arisen. in which the constituted
authorities of certain States, disputing the
Federal authority. might refuse TO bow
ID the decisions of that Supreme Court, on
the ground that it was itself but part Of
the Federal governmen'. For such con-
tingencv they acknowIe lrel that human
foresight coull devise no safeguard. But
what was the authority that they really
hoped might avail! to interfere in such
contingeucyl What i, it that the geniu.
of our country snpposes IS a competent
arhiter in such a di,pue2 Undenably.it it
is Pubhc Opinion. Public opinion, based
on free argument, and Oh intelligence aud
good Will.
Or Imcricon ;nstituiionS are based on
Me principle that mankind are capable of
self gore,hnent. Our Institutions repu--
date the idea that men must be governed
by brute force. They appeal, with lofty
and generous oniiience, to the higher and
noJicr qualities of human nature-not TO
fear not to pasSon-not TO servility-
but to reason, to free-wil, to concience, to
The truthf4iness Of mans nature .
This consideration defines and setle,
the question OF cocrcion.' Government
supposes there viii be bad and unruly men
who pervert their own natures, and do
violence to them. These Government.
must coerce and punish. Passion or pre-
judice may, at given time, override sober
judgment in a given town. Nay, it may.
as a passing epidemic, affect whole range.
Of country, and entire States. But, in the
latter case, the colnmuni les affected must
cure themselves, bv the action OF sober sec-
ond thoughts. AS to habitual and net>
tied judgment or opinion, entertained By
who'e communities of States, being over
ridden by external constraint. the very
idea is the abandonment Of tie principle
Of our governmental is the substitution
of an imposed government in the place Of
self government. Every true American
revol at such = proposition.
The United States is a mighty power
against any foreign foe. That It proves so
weak against against any of its own com
ponent parts is but consequence of the
tireruon1 of the people who constitute the
United States. At tbs very proposition Of
coeyc,nq one or more States to obey the
will Of other States, the whole bond Of the
Union has sconaed to cranbe away, It has
not crumbled in reality. The secession
that has been talked, and 'voted and
" ordered" 10y excited and exasperated
communities. is but an appeal to the grand
hirh court of pUELIC OrINIoN. In that
court the plea is entered, and thi.her We
follow and oppose it. llmay be tedious
suit |, NAV last for years. but We INSIST
on lis prosecution there, aud there only.
Public opinion will decide that the iu.t
roclamatious of the South shall be satisfied;
and that then the South and the North
ought to. and must, for the good of each,
acknowledge again the mutual bonds of a
sincere Union.
For this reason they are public enemies
Of The country-of the North As well as
of the South---w talk of arInlng and of
moving our military forces here at the
North. The militia raised at HE South
viii not invade the North. There is 70
threat-no possbihry-no wish OF such
thing. If, with violence, and agaI',st pub
lie faith, excited communities b;ve seized
on some forts and arseua.7 teiongiDg 10
the Federal Covernment--.o Ear as these
are already accnmp'I>Lsd faGie-lt is the
property Of great people t" be exceed
ingIy patient, to ke very slow to Tesept>
nent, especially ~hen the psovocation
comes from Communities consttutive Of
the county, The blow that is to strike
a brotb ar can hardly be too long delayed.
jS'r gcnrs will no, be too long 10 wait
! fo-t redress of all these grievances against
} the Federal power, on the part ol some
Southern communities. We will not have
to wait tha. long-in the avoiding Of all
colison-before we will have the pleasure
of seeing the schsm healed, and the coun-
try again happy in good understanding.
HoRsEs AID MeN.-Mr. Rarey is now
in New York, giving illustrations of his
peculiar power in the horse tanning line.
In one of his exhibitions, he brought upon