Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1861-07-13

ous sophism which, If conceded, was. fol-
o wed by perfectly logical steps through all
he incidents to the complete destruction of
he Union The sophism itself is that any
State of the Union may, consistently with
he national Constitution, and therefore law
ully and peacefully, withdraw from the
Union, without the consent Of the Union, or
If any other State. The little disguise, that
he supposed right is to be exercised only
Ior q just cause because they themselves are
to be the sole Judges of its justice, is too
thin to merit any notice.
With rebellion thus sugar-coated, they
have been drugging the public mind Of their
section for more than thirty years, and un.
til at length they have brought many good
men to willingness to take up arms against
the government the day after some assem-
blage of men have enacted the farcicnl pre-
tense of taking their State out of the Union,
who could have brought to no such thing the
day before. This sophism derives much,
perhaps the whole OF its currency, from the
assumption that there is some omnpotent
and sacred supremacy pertaining to n State,
to each State of our Federal Union. Our
States have neither more nor less power
than that reserved to them in the Union by
the Constitution no one Of them ever having
been State ont of the Union. The origi-
nal ones passed into the Union even before
they cast of their British colonial depend
ence, and the new ones each came into the
Union directly from q condition of depend
ence, excepting Texas and even Texas, in
its temporary independence, was never des-
ignated State. The new ones only took
the designation of States on coming into the
Union while that name was first adopted
for the old ones in and by the Declaration OF
Independence. Therein the United Colonies
were declared to be free and independent
States.
But even then the object was plainly not
to declare their independence of one anoth-
er, or of the Union, but directly the contra
~, as their mutual pledge and their mutual
action before, at the time, aud afterwards,
abundautly show. The express plightiug
of faith, by each and all of the original
thirteen, in the articles Of confederation.
two wears later, that "the Union shall be
perpetual" is most conclusive. Having
never been States, either in substance or
in name, outside of the Union, whence this
magical omnipotence of State rights, assert
ing claim Of power to lawfully destroy the
Union itself2 Much is said about the SOW
ereignty Of the States, but the word even is
not in the national Constitution, nor as is
believed, in any of the State Constitutions.
What is a sovereignty in the political sense
of the term? Would it be far wrong to de-
fine it "a political community without po-
ltical superior ?" Tested by this, no one
of our States, except Texas, ever was SOW
ereignty, aud even Texas gave up the char
acter on coming into the Union, 10y which
act she acknowledged the Constitution of
the United States, ard the laws Of the Uni
ted States, made in pursuance OF the Con
stitution, to be for her the supreme law Of
the land. The States have their status in
the Union, and they have no other legal
status. If they break from this, they can
only do so against law and by revolution
The Union and not themselves separated,
procured their independence and their lib
erty. By conquest or purchase, the Union
gave each of them whatever of indepen-
dence and liberty it has.
The Union is older than any Of the States,
and in fact, it created them as States. Ori-
ginaily, some dependent colonies made the
/ Union, and, in turn, the Union threw OF
their old dependence for them, and made
| them States, such as they are not one OF
| them ever had State Constitution indepen
| dent of the Union. OF course it is not for
gotten that all the new States framed theiI
Constitutions before they entered the Union
nevertheless dependent upon, and prepara
tory to coming into the Union. Unquestion
ably the States have the powers and right;
reserved to them in and by the national Con
stitution but among these, surely, are moi
included all conceivable powers, however
mischieyous OF destructive, but at most such
only as were known in the world at the tint
as governmental powers, and certainly {
power to destroy the government itself wat
never known as governmental or merely
administrative power.
This relative matter Of national powe
and State rights as a principle is no othe
than the principle of generality and locality
| Whatever concerns the whole should be con
fided to the whole, to the general govern
ment while whatever concerns only th
State should be left exclusively to the State
This is all there is Of original principle abou
it, Whether the national Constitution, il
defining boundaries between the two, ha
applied the principle with exact accuracy,i
not to be questioned. We are also boun'
by that defining without question. What i
now combatted is the position that secession
is consistent with the Constitution, is law
full and peaceful. 1t is not contended tina
there is any express law for it, and nothin
should ever be implied as law which lead
to unjust or absurd consequences.
The nation purchased with money tn
countries out of which several Of thes
States were formed Is it just that the
shall go off without leave and without re
funding? The nation paid very large sum
in the aggregate, believe, hundre
millions-to relieve Florida Of the aborig
nal tribes. Is it just that she shall now 9
off without consent or without making an
return? The nation is now in dcbt for NOR
ey applied to the benefit of these so-calle
seeded States in common with the rest
it lust either that creditors shall go unpaiC
or the remaining States pay the whole 2
Part of the present national debt was col
tracted to pay the old debts of Texas.
it Just that she shall leave and pay no pal
of this herself3
Again, if one State may secede, so ma
another, and when all shall have seeded
none is left to pay the debts. Is this quit
Just to creditorsY Did we notify them
this sage view of ours when we borrowe
their money! If we now recognize tn
doctrine by allowing the seceders to 60
peace, it is difficult to see what we can do
others choose to 90, or to eStort terms upC
1