Arkansas true Democrat., 1861-02-28
Pnlitical Inconsistency.


 sometimes unaccountable, and causes ap- parently trivial change political theories with the rapidity of the drama. A few years ago the whig or federal party, together with portion of the democracy, denounc- cd as unconstitutional and impracticable the notification theory of John c. Cal houn. The course of Andrew Jackson has almost cannonized him in the memories of federalists, who never before or since have seen ought in any other democrat to applaud or sanction. Even to this day, they scarcely ever make a speech on the hustings without well-conned panegyric on "Old Hickory" lauding him to the skies for suppressing notification and pre- serving the Union. In the recent presi- dential canvass their orators presented the singular anomaly of eulogizing Jackson, and yet advocating themselves the identical theories of Calhoun in regard to nullifca- ton. They deluded themselves by calling this new-fangled notification " fighting in the unon.' We called attention at the time to the ingenious sophism. It served purpose, however, and if the masses were not deceived by it, the orators, who were speaking merely for the glory of the thing, were not deprived of the pleasure of taking strong resistance grounds and at the same time of introducing the long g-honored eulo- gium on Jackson, which like old wine had become rich and mellow with age It is exceedingly amusing to refer to these poll. ticnl vagaries, not for the purpose of cen sure, but to show how prone the human intellect is to delude itself with spacious errors, and how utterly illogical and incon. sistent are the conclusions of men who are usually acute and argumentative In an amiable spirit therefore we recur to these errors of the past, which amused us at the time, and which have been called up by reading the speech of Hon. Jefferson Davis on retiring from the United States Senate.
 The parallel run between notification and secession by the distinguished Missis- sippian is not less clear and striking than true and just. Notification was fighting in the union"-the remedy of our Bell friends in the recent canvass, and not bad resort when the political body only requires a mild purgative. Secession is for the last stages of disease. It is radical, up-root- ing the seeds of the malady, purifying the blood and giving strength and tone to the system. The following extract from the speech of the first President of the South ern Republic is brief and pointed, and pays a just and passing tribute to great man now no more:
 C It is known to Senators who have served with me here, that have for many years advocated ns an essential attribute of State sovereignty, the right of State to secede from the Union.
 hope none who hear me will confound this ex- presson of mine with the advocacy of the right of State to remain in the Union, and to disreg ,rd it's constitutional obligations by the nulication of the law Such is not my theory Ratification and secession, so often confounded are indeed an tagonstic principles. Notification is 8 remedy which it is sought to apply within the Uniop and against the agent of the States. It is only to be justified when the agent has violated his constitu. tional obligation, and State, assuming to judge for itself, denies the right of the agent thus to act and appeals to the other States of the Union for decision; but when the States themselves, and when the people of the States, have so acted as to convince us that they will not regard our constitu- tional rights, then and then for the first me arises the doctrine of secession in it's practical application
 A great man, who now reposes with his fathers, and who has often been arraigned for a want of featy to the Union, advocated the doctrine Of null lycatiOn because it preSeroed Me Union It was be- cause of his deep-seatcd attachment to the Union; his determination to find some remedy for existing ills short of severance of the ties which bound South Carolina to the other States, that Mr. Cal houn advocated the doctrine of notification, which he proclaimed to be peaceful, to be within the limits of State power, not to disturb the Union but only to be means of bringing the agent before the tribunal of the States for their judgment.
 Secession belongs to a different class of remedies It is to be justified upon the basis that the States are sovereign. There a time when none de- nled it. hope the time may come again. when better comprehension of the theory of our govern ment, and the inalienable rights of the people of the States, will prevent any one from denying that each State is sovereign, and thus may reclaim the grants which it has made to any agent whomso. ever'