Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1861-02-07

wonld have yindicated at least the
rectitude Of their intentions before
the world fear, however, that The
fine for such remedy has passed
and that several of the Southern
St.,es viii have seeded before such
conference could now be bad =
! Wba, then shall Tennessee DO! The
call Of the Legislature bytfe Governor
Of the State in extra session. | thlDk
under the circumstances, was eml'
nently proper. And If there should
be dissolution of the Union by a
secession Of Southern States, there
ought TO be a call OF State Con'en-
ton fresh from the people TO deter
mine what should be the action ol
Tennessee She ought to make the
announce nent in. her sovereign Ca
naci,y whether she will countenance
or resist coercion by Fed' raj arms;
and declare her election whether
she will stay with the North or go
with the South. Such course
seems 10 me to be necessary Tor her
own protection, and for siding IN the
preservation of the national peace.
and for aver.ing bloodshed in "A civil
and seryile war. | maintain that
there is no constitutional power for
the coercion Of State in the FEEDER
al Government. The proposition to
confer it was expressly made and de-
liberately denied. it was deemed
wiser to trust the federation Of the
S ates 10 the patriotism and dlscre-
ton Of the people than to invest ioe
Federal arm with the power oil "A NIL
iiary despoiism to compel it. There
is. il is true, a clear, legal dlstlnc-
ton between the Executive author
ity bv necessary ard defensive means
to enforce the Federal laws within a
State OF the Union and the uneon-
s!isutioual aggressive authority to
coerce a State andrule it by militia
ry force.
The first is conferred ard enjuined,
and the latter denied and therefore
prohibited. The power, however, to
enforce the Federal laws within a
State of the Union is supplemented
to,aud can,indeed, only come in aid oil
the Judicial and ministerial agencies
in the lawful attempt to administer
and execute the laws OF the Gener-
al Governm mt within State OF the
Union. But if the State becomes
IA foreign State by secession. with no
power in The Federal Government 20
force ii back, then can the Federal
Government enforce the Federal laws
in such foreign State, oatside OF The
places over which il has exclusive
jurisdiction by sec ssion from such
State? | think not.
The Gay, therefore. that Lincoln
would att, mpt by milithy force 70
coercc a State woull max dis a,i-
niais!raiion with 'he nsnrpaiions ol
I. .tyrant. 1t would bea subyerslon
~of all written limitations OF iowrI
and : conversion Of the Federal Gov
ernment, into military ddsrotism
Shall be then, by an ait'npt tt
coerce. usurp The po~ers of atyran''
Shall be cutlrone himself an ,mpe
ror at Washington? surround him
sch with body guard nj the White
House? aud rule he State and th'
pecple by the sword, amidst civil ant
seryile war; ! foi one, answer = NO
no, never; iApplause.) And, in m,
opinion the brave sons OF Tennessee
who fear no foe. would be ready t
resist the myrmidcus OF such
tyrant at the points Of fifty theus
aud aayonets, (Applause Coereio
is synun, nous in idea aud action wit
, universal, civil and servile War; wit
, universal revolution and bloodshe'
Those Who are for war. for blood, IC
m m4ssacre and for atrocities more horr
bic than those which characterized th
, reien of terror in The French Rs
oluiion; let them say they are ''
: cotscion! ! repeat, for one, | sha
never consen: to the exercise of sue
9 power by the Federal Executive,
I lend my assistaDcs 10 such an ohjet
y LIT Tennessee then, in her so
' ereign capacity utter her voice
the ear of Lincoln and the civillz'
n world that he shall not afilict tn
# land With the calainities Of war,
' coerce sovereign States into subm'
.s sion. to bis tyrannical power vi
h her consent, anl when the people
v convention, utter that voice, let 0
,ae a and all stand by it With united ire