The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1861-07-12


order aud as much pride ~, aud reverence for,
the history AID government of their common
country, as any other civilized aud patriotic
people. They knew they could make no ad-
vancement directly IN the teeth Of the strong
and noble sentiment Accordingly they com
menced by an lnsidious debauching Of the pub
tic mind. They invented an Injurious sophism,
which if conceded, was followed by perfectly
| loglca steps through all the incidents 10 the
complete destruction OF the Union. The soEh-
ism itself is that any State Of the Union may
consistently with the National Constitution, and
therefore lawfully and peacefully withdraw
| from the Union without the consent OF the T.
MON or OF any other State.
The liltIe disguise that the supposed right
is to be exercised only for just cause, themselves
to be the sole judge OF IFS justice is too thin to
merit sny notice. With rebellion thus sugar
coae ed they have been dragging the public mind
of their section for more than thirty years, and
Cnil at length they have brought many good
men to a Willingness TO take up arms against
f, the Government the day after some assembly
OF men have enacted the farclcal pretence
OF taking their State out OF the Union, who
could have been brought 10 no such thing the
day before.
/ The sophism derives much, perhaps the whole
Of is currency, from the assumption that there
IS some Omnipotent and Sacred Supremacy per-
taintng TO State, to each State of our Federal
! Union. Our States have neither more nor less
aow~r than that reserved to them in the Union
by 'A' Constitution, no one of them ever bav-
veg oren State cut of the Union. The origi-
.a 1nrS passpd into the Union even before they
cast of their British Colonial Dependence and
the new ones each came into the Union direct
lsr I.t.. L.. l..
! Texas, and even Texas in lis temporary nde-
PendPnce was never designated State. The
new ones only took the designation of States Oh
coming into the Union, while that name was
first adopted for the old ones in and by the Dec
laration Of Independence.
Therein the limited United Colonies were
declared to be free and independent States but
even then the object plainly was not to declare
their independence OF one another, or of the
Union, bat directly the contrary, as their mu-
tual pledges and their mutual action, before, at
the time, and afterwards. abundantly show
| The express plightng of faith by each and all
OF the original thirteen in the Articles of Con-
federation, two years later, that the Union shall
be perpetual, is most conclusive.
Having Fever been States either in substance
or in name, outside OF the Union, whence this
magical omnipotence Of State Rights, asserting
a claim or power to lawfully destroy the Union
itself? Much Is said about the sovereignty Of
the States; but the word, even, is not in the
! National Constitution, nor, as is believed, in any
Of the State constitutions. Wha. is a sovereign
Ity!
In the political sense ofthe term It would not
be far wrong to define ii political community
without political superior. Tested by this, no
one OF our States except Texas was ever SOW
eFegnty and Texas gave up the character on
| coming into the Union, by which act she ac-
knoWedged the constitution ofthe United States
and the laws and treaties of the United States,
her the SnbrStme a@ d The bafsiduon sbdu 70 be oF
The States have their status in the Union,
and they have no other legal status If they
break from this, they can only do 30 against
law and by revolution. The Union aad not
themselves separately procured their indepen-
dence ana tier liberty, by conquest or pur-
chase The UnlGn gave each of them whatever
independence and liberty ii haG.
The Union Is older than any of the States,
and in fact il created them as States. Orgi-
nally some dependent colonies made the Unl-
on, and in turn the Union threw off their cid
dependence for them and made them States,
such as they are. Not ore of them ever had
a State constitution independent OF the Uulon
OF course it is not forgotten that all the new
States framed their Constitutions before they en-
tered the UEIon; nevertheless dependent upon,
and preparatory TO, coming into the Union.
! Unqurstiona5ly the States have the powers
and rights reserved 10 them in and by the Ma
tional Constitution; but among these surely are
not included all conceivable powers, however
mischievous or destructive.
But at most, such only as were known 10
the world at the time as governmental powers,
and certainly power TO destroy the govern
ment itself, has never been known as govern
mental or a merely administrative power.
This relative matter of national power and
State rights, as principle, is no other than the
principle oil generality and locality.
Whatever concerns the whole should be con-
6ded to the whole-the General Government;
while whatever concerns only the State should
be Istt exclusively TO the State. This is all
.hrrn Is If original principle about It. Wheth-
sr tle national Constitution, in defining the
aauniari-s hptwren the two, has applied the
principle with exact accuracy, Is not to b.
questioned We are all bound by that def
nItely, without question Wha! is now com
batted is the position that Secession is consis-
lentwith the Constitution is lawful aud peace
iul:
1t is not contended that there is any ex-
0Eess law for it, and nothing should ever be
implied law which leads to uCjust or ab-
surd consequences.
The Nation purchased with money the coun-
tries out OF which several of these States were
formed. Is it just that they shall go off with
1 out leave and without refuntIng? The Ma
ton paic very large sums, in the aggregate,
bplieve, nearly one hUndred millions, TO re-
! do tba abo IL