The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1861-06-07
FRIEN D..
For The Gazette
SECESSION AND COERCION.

Il To those whg sincerely desire the harm IN ious
grestofation of the Federal Union and the main.
4teDance of the Constitution and Constuutiona
I Law, no inquiry can be more deeply interest.
KIng, none more absorbing, than such as mas
sIead the loyal citizen to clear ascertanmen
'Eoi his duty in the present deplorable condition
\ OF our country.
" On the one hand we are told by the Souit
Rthat they have right TO secede from the Union
\ Eand TO establish for themselves a separate anc
s,ndependent Government. On the other the
North declares that no such right exists, iha
Rsecession IS a violation Of the Constitution, anc
athat they as cohServators OF it, have a right tc
Hcoerce the South and BY arms compel a return
8to Constitutional allegiance and duty.
Il Ia vain have we examined the Constitution
lsfor the rights claimed by :he South and equal
Hiy in vain for those claimeb by the North
sCan any one point out any Constitutional pro-
avislon authorizing the right of an armed coer-
cion
n We remember TO have seen in the course oi
Sour reading that in May, 1887, when the Con-
Vention Which framed the Constitution of the
limited States met in Philadelphia, Edmund
Randolph, ESQ.,, one Of the Delegates from Vir-
sginIa, presented for the consideration of the
sConyentlon and as a basis for the Constitution,
Fifteen resolutions, prominent amongst which
slhe sixth embodied the following:
" "Resolued, that the National Leg
s''isIature ought to be empowered to negative
Fall laws passed by the several States, contra
s''venng in the opinion Of the National LegisIa-
s'eture, the articles of union, o. any treaty SUBJ
assisting under the authority of the Union and
ssito call forth the force of the Union against
s"any membeT OF the Union failing 10 fulfil its
s"duteS under the articles thereof.
The last clause OF this resolution, "aufhoyiz-
.''ing an ererfioa Of the force Of the aohoie, a.
'gGiaSt delinquent Sfate," being under coz
ssideratIon, James Madison twho is called by
3many the Father of the Constitution observed,
that the more hp reflected 'son the use OF force,
s.rhe more be doubted the praclcabIlty, the
sfjustice and the efficacy OF II when applied 10
ls'people colIectivelyland not Individually. A
s''union OF the States containing such an ingre-
5s'dIent, seemed 10 provide for It's own deStruc-
sHtIon. The use OF force against State would
Il ''look more like a declaration of war than an
a''inAietion of punishment and would probably
;''be considered by the party attacked as dis
,"soIution Of all previous compacts by which ii
I"mIght be bound. He hoped that such sys-
l''tem would be framed as might render this
|''resource unnecessary, and moved that the
l"clause be postponed. This motion was agreed
I''to unanimously" And when a few days af-
ter, Mr.. Pnckney moved in the Convention,
f'rhat the National Legislature should have au.i
Ighorlty TO negative all laws which they should
|"judge to be improper" Mr.. Madison remarked;
amongst other things, as followss " Experience,
'hae eviaced constant tendency 10 the
"StatEs 10 encroach on the Federal authority !
$50 violate national treaties; to infringe the!
srights and interests of each other TO oppress.
s'the weaker patty within their respective ju-;
jurisdictions. A negative was the mildest ex-
sspedient that could be devised for preventing
tsthese mischieiS. The existence of such a check
sswould prevent attempts to commit them:
asShould no such pgecaution be engrafied, the
ssonly remedy would be an appeal to coercion.s
s'Was such remedy eligible? Was ii pracil-
"cable Could the national resources, If exe-s
'cuted TO the utmost, enforce a national decree
ssagainst Massachusetts,, abetted, perhaps, byg
ssseVeral OF her neighbors It would no, be-
apossible. Any government for the!
ssUnited States, formed on the supposed pract-!
''cability of using force against the unconstitu-1
.Hiona proceedings Of the States, would prove,
''as visionary and iallacious as The government
"of Congress"