Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-06-05
wne B.s. Constitution ESTE biiShe" .
national government

WEDNESDAY MORNING. 'oisr- i''s.l.,----- :, 49,.
,rn y. Consultation Estnbiishe"
National Governmens.
n,s necessary, in this critical period Of our
,.,,,,,,s history, to recur to the fundamental
nrinoiples upon which our Government Is estao'
I,sbed. The question ofthe hour is not mercy
vhstber we have Government de tdeio' oa'
.hstbsr we have one de jurs, or in other Woros,
whs,ber we have 6 National Government ~
The secessiouists allege that the Federal Gov
o,nmsnt cannot coerce States. II by this 'hey
mean that Il cannot, by the exertion Of physical
force. compel the State Governments 10 sneif
Governmental capacity, to do or not 20 40 par
ticular act, the position Is doubtless 'snaDle s'
Rut iftbey mean that the United States mas no
constitutional or legitimate right to punish IN
a,v;duals IN States where portion Of the peo-
nle. under preteuce of authority derived from
State Legislatures or State Conventions nave
renoupced their allegiance to the Federal GOV
arnmept and resist its authority, tnen sney
nlant themselves upon false, dangerous anu un-
constitutional ground.
The Constitution of the United states Is no'a
mere Compact or League between the seVerAi
States in their capacity as sovereign Sta'es'
but Il is the Constitution of the people OF all the
States, acting in their capacity as individuals "
The Union formed by the Constitution is not
:, mere Federation, but National Government
The United States constitute not merely req
Grated ReuubIic, but one distinct and united ma
tion.
That these positions are correct is clear from
the Constitution itself. In the preamble IL is
declared to be ordained and established py tne
neople of the United States collectively, and not
by the States acting separately, The feaeral
Legislature represents the people individually
and collectively, and not States as SUCH Inc
members of the House of Representatives are
chosen directly by the people, and though the
Senators are chosen by the State Legislatures
they are not representatives or delegates from
the State Governments, but from the people Oh
the several States. The State Governments pJ
themselves and separate from the people, nave
norepresentation in the National Legislature
The President, as the Executive Head oil th'
Nation, is chosen through electors by the people
and not by the State Governments de is am
enable directly to the people, and may be i'm
peachei through their representatives in Con-
eress for misconduct in Office. But he is IN NJ
sense responsible to the State Governments
He may call upon the Governors OF the severa
States, as President LINCOLN has recently done'
for aid in enforcing the laws but he has n'
power to compel obedience to the requisition D!
any proceeding against the State Governments
Yet he is bound to take care that the laws b'
faithfully executed. In dischargng this duty
he acts upon individuals, and not upon States
We might enumerste the various power
lodged in the General Government and its differ
ent Depart iments, to show that it is d Govern
ment over individuals, and not merely owe
separate States. The Constitution, or rathe
the people through the Constitution, have con
ferred on it delegated and limited powers; bu
within the scope of these powers they nav
made il supreme. They have established unde
it, as the supreme authority, certain relation
between each individual and the National Gov
eminent. which II is not in the power OF an
State, or ef any number of States, to sorogat
and annul. These relations Of allegiance hdeii
ty and obedience to a constitutional feaers
Government and to constitutional laws, are oino
inc unon. every individual citizen in every Stat'
and can only be changed or modified by chang
in the Constitution in the.mode which the sove
reign people themselves have prescribed In tnf
instrument.
1t il said by Mr.. CALHOUN, who is high au
tbority with the secessionists, in his "Dis
course on the Constitution and Government
the United States" "that the people, acting
the same capacity and in the same way IN whie
they ordained and established the Federal Coz
stitution, can, by their concurrent and unite
voice. change or abolish it, and establish a
other in its place, or dissolve the union' al
resolve themselves into separate and disconnec
ed States" 1t would doubtless be compete
for the people of the whole United States Z
their concurrent AMI united voice. to aite
amend or even abolish the Federal constitutio
since that instrument contains an express pr
vision for ils amendment by the will OF q
people of three-fourths Of the States But u
argument does not help the dsunion or sece
sion cause; for it impliedly admits that 1t is n
in the power of minority Of the whole peop
of the Union to change or annul the relatio
of the people to the Federal Government as e
tablished by the Constitution.
1t is, therefore, clear that the anti-state G.
ercion doctrine, as mainsaired by secessionii
aud their advocates, has not the slightest foul
dation in the Constitution States cannot a
solve their citizens from the obligations tn
owe to the United States Constitution and Go
ernment, and If they are faithless to these, q
are found in armed resistance and rebellio
they must be dealt with as re bells and traito