The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1861-07-11

luStcI lnau IL Can proVlue Tor thcin. In q
word, the people will save their Government
II the Government will only do its part in
differently well.
II might seem at first thought TO be of lit
tie difference whether the present movement
at the South bc called secession or rebellion.
Tho movers however, well understand the
difference. They knew az the beginning
that they could never raise their treason to
any respectable magnitude by any name
which implies violation of law. They knew
their people possessed as much devotion to
law and order, as much pride, reverence
for the history of thcjr common country, as
any other civilized aud patriotic people.
They knew they could not make advance
mcnt directly in the teeth of these strong
and noble sentiments.
They accordingly commenced by an insid-
ious dcbauching Of the public mind. They
invented an Ingenious sophsm, which, il
conceded, was followed by perfectly logical
steps thrO' all the incidents of the complete
destruction of the Union. The sophism it.
self is, that any State ol the Union may con-
sstcntly with the nations Constitution, and
therefore lawfully and peacefully. withdraw
from the Union without the consent of the
Union or OF any other State. \ little dis
%uise that the supposed right is to be excl
c'scd only for just cause, themselves to be
the sole judges Of it's justice, il too thin to
merit any notice.
VITA rebellion thus sugar-coatcl, they
have been drugging the minds Of their sec
ton for more than 30 years, until at length
they have brought many good men TO viii
Ibgncss TO take up arms against tlIc Gov
Crnncnt the day after some assembagc Of
men have enacted the larcjcal sentence of
taking their State out OF the Union, who
could have been brought TO no such thing
the day before
This sophiam derives much, perhaps the
whole Of lis currency, from ihc assumption
that there is some omnipotcut anl sacred
supremacy pertaining to each State of our
Federal Union. Our States have neither
more nor less power than that reserved to
thcm in tho Union by the Constitutions not
one of them ever having been State out of
the Union. The original ones passed into
The Union, even before they cast off their
British colonial dependence excepting Tex
as. and even Texas, in its temporary indie
rCndcnce, was never DESIGNATED as a State
The nrw ones only were designated States
on coming into the Union. while that name
was only first adopted for the old ones in
and by the Declaration of Independence.
I
" free and independent Stalcs,' but even
then the object plainly was, not to declare
their Independence of one another or of the
Union, but directly the contrary, as their
m,lblal pledge and their mutual action be-
fore, at the time and altcrward abundantiy
show. The express piighrjng of faith by
each and all of the original thirteen States
in the Articles of Confederation, two years
later, that the Union shall be perpetual" is
most conclusive. Having never been States
either in Substance or in name. outside the
Union, whence this magical omuipotence Of
States rights, asserting a claim of power to
lawfully destroy the Union itself?
Much is said about the sovereignty of the
States, but the word oven is not in the Ma
tional Constitution, nor, as is believed, in
any of the State Constitutions.
What is a sovereignty? With particular
sense of the term, would it be far wrong to
declare it political community without
political superior? Tested by this. no one
Of our States. except Texas. was sovcr-
cignty, and even Texas gave up that char
actcr on coming into the Union, by which
act she acknowledged the Constitution of
the United States, and the laws and treaties
OF the United States made III pursuance of
the Constitution, to be her supreme law.
Tho States have their status IN the Union,
and they have no other legal status. If they
break from this, they only do so against law
by revolution. The Union and not them
selves separately procured their independ-
cncc, and their liberty by conquest or pur-
chase. The Union gave each of them what
ever Of independence or liberty it has.
The Union is older than amy of the States.
and in fact il created them as States origin
ally. Some dependent Colonies made the
Union, and i'll return, the Union threw Off
their old dependence for them and made
the States such as they are. Not one Of
them ever had a Stare Constitution indie
pendent Of the Union, OF course, it is not
forgotten that all the new States formed
their Constitution before they entered tie
Union, nevertheless dependent upon and
preparatory to coming inro tho Unoa.
PROFESSIONALLY, the States have the pow
ers and rights reserved to them by the Ma
uonal Constitution, but among these surely
are not included all conceivable powers.
however mischievouS and destructive, but
at most such only as were known in the
world at the time us governmental powers.
and certainly the power TO odcStroy the Gov
ernmcnt itself had never been known as d
governmental one. As merely admins
tratiVc power, this relative matter OF nation
al power and States rights, as principle.
is DO other than principle Of generality
and locality. Whatever concerns the whole
should he confdel to the whole Gene. q,
while whatever concerns the
State should hc left exclusively to the State.
This is NIL there is Of the original plinci-
pie aboutit.
What is now combutted is the position
that secession is consistent with the Consti-
lawful and peaceful. 1t is not
coUtcndcl that there is amy express law for
it. ami nothing should ever hc implied rs
law which leads TO unjust and absurd con-
acqucnScS.
The nation purchased with money the
countries out of which several Oi these
states were formed. Is it Just that they
should so off without leave or rclmd,ng?
The nation paid over large sums, in the AZ
gregatc, | believe, nearly SlO0,OC0,O00 to re-
lcvc Florida from the aboriginal tribes. Is
il just that she should go off without con-
sent or without any return? The nation is
now in debt for money applied for the ben
c!it of these SO-callcl socedCd States. in
common with the rest. Is it Just, either
that creditors shall 20 unpaid OF the remain
ing States pay the whole? a part of the
present national debt was contracted to pav
the old debts of Texas. Is il Just that she
shall leave and pay no part Of this herself?
Again, II one State may svcede. SO may
another; and when al shall have scccdcd.
rome is left to pay the debts. Ia this quite
just 10 creditors? Did we notify them of
this sage view of ours when we borrowed
their money? If we now recognize this
doctrine by allowing the sccedcrS TO 60 in
IL -, Il al l..