The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1861-01-24

ways has greater ability to aocommo-
date them by the exercise of more cool.
ness and courage; the use of more
various and more liberal means, and
the display, if need be, of greater force.
Every one knows how placable we our
selves are in controversies with Great
Britain, France and Spain, and yet
how exacting we have been in our in
tercourse with new Grenada, Paraguay
and San Juan de Nicaragua.
Mr.. President, no one will dispute
our forefathers' maxim that the CON-
mon safety of all is the safety of each
of the States. While they remain
united, the Federal Government COM
bines all the materials and all the forces
of the several States; organizes their
defences on one general principle: har-
monies and assimulates them with one
system watches for them with a single
eye, which it turns in all directions, and
moves all agents under the control of
one executive head. A nation so con-
stituted is safe against assault or even
insult. War produces always a speedy
exhaustion of money and severe
strain upon credit. The treasures and
credits of small confederacies would Of
ten prove inadequate. Those of the
Union are always ample.
have thus far kept out of view the
relations which must arise between the
Confederacies themselves. They would
be small and inconsiderable nations,
bordering on each other, and therefore,
according to all political philosophy,
natural enemies. In addition to the
many treaties which each must make
with foreign powers, and the causes of
war which they would give by violat-
ing them, each of the Cenfederacies
must also maintain treaties with all the
others, and so be liable to give them
frequent offense. They would necesar-
I lily have different interests resulting
from their establishment of different
policies of revenue, of mining, manu-
features and navigation, of immigration,
and perhaps the slave trade. Each
would stipulate with foreign nations for
advantages peculiar to itself, and injur-
lOUS to Its rivals.
If, indeed, it were necessary that the
Union should be broken up, it would
be in the last degree important that the
new Confederacies to be formed should
be as nearly as possible equal in strength
and power, that mutual fear, mutual
respect, might inspire them with eau
ton against mutual offense. But such
equality would not long be maintained.
One Confederacy would rise in the
scale of political Importance, and the
others would view it thenceforward
with envy and apprehension. Jealous
les would bring on frequent and retail.
atory wars, and all these wars, from
the peculiar circumstances of the Con.
federacies, would have the nature and
character of civil war.
Dissolution, therefore, is for the peo-
pie of this country perpetual civil war.
To mitigate it, and obtain occasional
rest, what else could they accept but
the system of adjusting the balance OF
power which has obtained in Europe,
; in which the few strong nations dictate
the very terms on which all the others
} shall be content to live. When this
hateful system should fall at last, for.
foreign nations would intervene, now in
favor of one, and then in aid of anoth.
; er, and thus our country having ex.
PEELED all European powers from the
continent, would relapse into an aggra
vated form of its colonial experience,
} and like Italy, Turkey, India and China
become the theatre of transatlantic
intervention and rapacity. If, howev,
er, we grant to the new Confederacies
exemption from complications among
each other, and with foreign States
still there is too much reason to believe
that not one of them could long main.
7 tain a Republican form of govern
ment.
Universal suffrage and the absence
of standing army, is essential to the
republican system. The world is yet
to see a single selfsustaining State Of
that kind, or even any considerations
: of such States except our own. Can
: ada leans on Great Britain not unwil
lingly, and switzerland is guaranteed
J by interested monarchical States. Oul
own experiment has thus far been sue
cessful, because by the continual addi
J tion of new States, the influence o
. each of the members of the Union il
constantly restrained. No one, Of
course, can fortell the way and manner
) of travel, but history indicates with
unerring certainty, the end which the
! several confederacies would reach
: Licentiousness would render life intol
erable, and they would sooner or later
purchase tranquility and domestic safe
: ty by the surrender Of liberty, and
yield themselves up to the protection
of military despotism.
, Indulge me, sir, in one or two details
under this head. First, it is only sixty
: days since the disunion movement be
gan. Already those who are engaged
in it, have canvassed with portentious
freedom, the possible recombinations o.
the States, when discovered, and the
: feasible alliances of those recombina
! tions with European nations alliances
, as unnatural, and which would prove
: ultimately as pestilential to society
J here, AS that of the Tlascalans with the
Spaniards who promised them revenge
upon their anscient enemies, the Aztecs
! Secondly, This disunion movement