The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1861-07-12

make national CONSTITUTION VI 'nelI OWu,
in which OF necessity they have either
discarded or retained the right OF seces-
sion, as they insist it exists in ours. 1t
thew have discarded it, they thereby
admit that on principle it ought not to
exist in ours. II they have retained 1t.
by their own construction Of ours, that
shows that to be consistent they must
secede from another when they shall find
il the easiest way of settling their debts,
or effecting another selfish or unjust object.
The principle itself is one of disin!egra-
ton, and one which no government can
possibly endure. II all the States, save
ore, should affect the power TO drive that
one out Of .he Union, it is presumed that
the whole class OF the seeded politicians
would at once deny the power, and de-
nounce the act as the greatest outrage
upon State rights. But suppose that
precisely the same act instead OF bting
called driving one out, should be called
the seeding Of the others from that one,
il would be exactly what the seceders
claim 10 do, unless indeed 20 make the
point that the one, because it is a minority,
may righfully do that which the others,
because they are the majority, may not
righuully do.
These politicians are profound in the
rights Of mnoriiies. They are not par.
tial to that power which made the Con-
sliu,ion and speaks from the preamble
calling itself 1--WE, the people" 1t may
well be questioned whether there is to-
day majority of The legally qualified
voters Of any State, except perhaps South
Carolina, in favor OF disunion, There is
much reason to believe that the Union
men are in the majority in many, il not
in all the seeded States. The contrary
has not been demonstrated in any one Of
Them.
! 1t is vcnturcd to affirm those Of Virginia
and Tennessee fear the result Of an cleo
ton held in military camps where the
bayone,s were all on one side OF the ques-
tion voted upon. can scarcely be consid-
cred as demonstrating popular sentiment.
! At such an election all that large class
who are at once for the Union and against
coercion, would be coerced 10 vote against
the Union.
1t may be affirmed, without txfraya-
gancc. tha. the free institutions which we
enjoy have developed the powers and i'm
proved the condition of our whole people
beyond any example in the world. OF
this we now have striking and impress.
i've illustration. So large an army as
the Government has now on foot was
never before known, without n soldier in
it who has not taken his place Of his own
free choice.
But more than this. There are many
single regiments whose members, one
and another, possess full practical knowl-
edge of all the arts and sciences, profess
ions, and whatever else, whether usefu
or elegant, is known TO the whole world.
and there is scarcely one from which
there could moi be selected a President
Cabinet Congress, and perhaps I
Court abundanlly competent to administe
. the government. Nor do say that thi
,, is not true, also, in the army OF our late
friends, now adversaries, in this contest
but it is so much the better reason why
the government which has conferred sucl
benefits on both them and US should no
be broken up.
Whoever in any. section proposes tc
abandon such a Government, would dc
well to consider in Difference to wha
principle it is that he does it, whether
the substitute will be TO give or be in
tended TO give so much good to the peo
pie. There is some foreshadowing OIL
this subject.
Our adversarics have adopted SOM
declarations Of independence, in which
unlike the good old one penned by Je effer
) son, they omit the words care create,
r equal" Why, they have adopted
Q temporary national Constitution, in til
preamble of which, unlike our good oil
one signed by Washington, they omit "w
: the people," and substitute 1--WE the dep
: uties Of the sovereign and independer
o States"
= Why this deliberate pressing out c
$ view the rights of men and the authorit
of the people ? This is essentially peo
/ ple's contest on the side of the Union
! 1t is n struggle for msintaining in III
world that form and substance of Gov
ernment, whose leading object is 10 ele
vate the condition OF men /; to lift artificia
: weights from all shoulders to clear tn
paths Of laudable pursuit, and to afford t
: all an unteltered start and fair chanc
: in the race Of life, yielding to partial an
E temporary departures from necessity
: This is the leading object of the Govern
$ ment for whose existence we contend.
e am most happy TO believe that the plai
l. people understand and appreciate this.
L, is worthy of note, that while in tn
the Governments hour Of trial, larl
numbers of those in the army and nav,
= who have been favored with Offices, ha,
l. resigned and proved false to the han
y that pampered them, not one commC
!? soldier or common sailor is known 10 ha,
i, deserted his flag. Great honor is due
!; those officers who remained true desp
10 10 the example OF their treacherous associate
" :, but the greatest honor and most emphat
fac: of all, is the unanimous frmness
!, the common soldiers and common sailor
- So far as known they successfully r
'.o sisted the traitorous efforts OF those who
~ commands within an hour before the
81 obeyed as absolute law. This is a pa
=, riotic instinct Of plain men. They u
w derstand without an argument, that Il
Sc dactrovinu nf Tho unvernnpnL which w