Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-03-07

Union at all; these States have never been
united, but they have been living together in a
kind Of unlawful co.habitation and when the
gentlemen are able to establish that principle.
then will be more willing to enable them TO
destroy that Illicit intercourse.
said, Mr.. President, that it was not my
purpose to argue the question Of constitutional
la~ involved in this proposition but trust
that 1t might not be considered improper to adj
vert for moment 10 the operation OF that
principle, if granted TO be true MANY times
the proper construction Of u lew may be best
aScertuined BY following it out into it's prac,
cal results Well now, sir never could con
ceiye that when the Federal Government was
purchasing the territory OF Louisiana, and ;he
freedom Of the mouth Of the Mississippi and
Of the Gulf, for the purpose CT protecting and
encouraging the great trade Of the interior em
pire Of States. which by the sagacity of our
wise men was forescen springing w in the
West Il say could not conceive that this gov.
ernment would have made that purchase at the
expense cf u great deal Of money, and of
great deal oi trouble, upon the contingency
that the little State Of LouiSiarm--notwith
Standing that the General Government had
paid for the freedom Of the Cult, and the free
dom Of the mouth of the Missssippi-might
at her own pleasure foreciose these great nd
vsntagcs Of commerce against all these interior
States.
Again, sir, capnot suppose that the pur.
chase oi Florida-another little State-which
cost Us III the first place, | believe, some five
millions, anu gooa many more millions in es.
tabliShlnS forts and arSenalS, and in driving the
lndianS out OF marshes, until the sum that that
little State has Cost us wall amount perhaps to
h!ty millions-i say never can suppose that
our government made that purchase, and ex
pended all that money, under the contingency
that that lille State, after all these services
had been rendered, after her territory had been
made free. after the savageS had been driven
from her domain, might quietly walk out Of
the Union and leave us the bills to pay.
Again, sir, there is Texas, an empirc in it.
sell, which cost us some ten or fifteen millions
to acquire; in the first place, which cost US by
the war brought upon this country, hundreds
Of millions. You, sir, remember, and retnem.
Der myself that the very ettvrt TO acquire this
great State had well nigh dissolved the Union,
that /. agitated 1t from centre 10 circumference
and we encountered all that for what! Is it
that now, when she has scarcely more than just
been admitted to the Union, when We have
scarcely the agitation occasioaed by her acqu-
S,tion mas subsidized. she MAJ walk out Of the
Union, and leave Us in this predrcamcnt Il
seems to me that 10 admit such soecism
in the fundamental law Of the Government
would be. was going to say, ridiculous.
But, Ar. President, let us look at 4 few more
consequences. Ii that doctrine Of the right OF
State to sccede at her own good will and
Ma h..f Sir VI may pDu n
war, tue enemy may be pressing us hard, and
yet in tine very hour Of our trial. in the very crisis
Of The country's extremity, State may take
off her hat, make hes:aoow, walk out Of the
Cnion, and out of danger; and if she be inde.
pendent when she goes, may form treaty Of
alliance with the enemies 0f the Government.
and turn her guns against her former associ-
a,cs. Or she may wait until the war is con.
cluded-a war i'll which the blood of her con-
federates may have been shed in defending her
soil--is she, when the enemy is repelled, when
the debt incurred by the war is resting OH the
country, to politely make her bow, retire from
the Union, and leave the balance of the States
to pay the debt Incurred in defending her soil,
and in rndicatins her honor? Can it be pos
slb!. that Washington, ami Madison, and Frank.
lin, and the other sages Of the Revolution have
Organized Government upon such An absurd
basis rs this-if the doctrine that State has u
Constitutional right to secede Is held to be
true:
But Sir, when did this doctrine first ind q
lodse,rent i'll the public In!nd. think, sir,
| it is rather modern Invention. If have read
| Alright the debates in the Virginia Convention
! for the ratification oi the Federal Constitution,
| the idea Of the right ut State to secede vas
absolutely spuEned from TIE councils Of that
great body. know, sir, where We are to iiad
this We find it in tine celebrated resolutions
aud proceedings &C the Virginia and Kentucky
Legislatures in i!eS-'9s What, sir, is the
correct Interpretation given 10 the construction
| Of the doctrine contained ia these resolu
rions and proceedings? 10 whom shall We
apply for the correct exposition Of 1t? We
would 70, sir, TO an artiGcer for correct ex
| p!anetion Of machine; We would go 70 law
Siver for correct exposition Of r 'a~, and
| although, these resolutions have been quoted
as authority, get Mr. Madison, their author
frequently stated in his letters TO Mr.. Everett
| Mr. Trist, Mr.. Cabel and Mr.. Stephenson
| that no such construction can properly b,
placed upon these resolutions and proceedings
| No. sir. it was new idea IL was al idea re
| pudia.ed BY Mr. Madison, at the very time I"
the adoption of our Federal Constitution.
will read very short extract from letter
written by Mr.. Madison to Alexander HaIni
! tou, in 1883, while the question Of ratifying
the Federal Constitution was yet pending IN
the State of New York Here, sir, is The Ian.
euage which he used in the letter to which
nave referred, and which was written Ut that
early day:
"Tas Constitution requires az adoption in
TITO and Jorerer. 1t has been so adopted by
the other States An adoption for . limited
time would be as defective as an adoption oil
some of the articles only. IN short, any con-
di,ion schutecer must CitiGte the Tdtyttat'un-
What the new Congress- BY virtue Of the pow
er to admit new States, may be able and dis
posed to do in SUCH case do not enquire, as
suppose that is not the material point at pre-
sent have not o tpouient to add more than
my ivrvcnt wishes for your success and haPpl-
us,s. The iGsa, ana these arc the words 70
which | wish particularly to refer, gf Tsserv-
inn the right to soithclraU aoas started at RtcA-
,aoud. and considered as conditional ratllca-
lion. which was itSe;l abandoaea IS wofse
than rejection
There, sir, in the first place, is the opinion
Of Mr.. Madison himself, tie anthor, aud, l
might almost say the finisher Of that great in,
sr,IIment The Consultation Of these United
States
|: is true, sir, we had !. little srrinkling oi
secession in the early history Of this Govern,
,aent, but not much. The first that we had
appeared, believe, in the Hartford Conyen-
ton. 1t was there, think, that the doctrine
was first crlunciated Very little Of it, howcv-
er, appeared until afterwards, about the year
1880. 1t then made its appearance, but the
iroa logic Oh General Jackson, and the inexora-
bic decree OF the great Democratic party put
i.s heel en- it ,hst day, and it never rose from
the defeat it then received until very recently
General Jackson said:
TO say that any State mag ut pleasure Sc,
cede lrorn the Union, is to say that the United
States are not nation; because it would be