Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1861-03-09

time for this number, and must therefore confno
my remarks to the extracts given by Dr.. Hodge.
The whole of this letter should be read in order
to see how utterly Mr.. Madison of 1928, fails to
refute Mr.. Madison of 1889.
Let us see what be said in his "Report" on the
Virginia Resolutions Of 1706. The Report" says:
at appears to your Committee to be plain
principle founded in common sense, illustrated by
common practice, and essential to the nature Of
compoots-that where resort can be bad to no tri-
buna superior to the authority of the parties, the
parties themselves must be the rightful judges, in
the last resort whether the bargain made has been
pursued or violated. The Constitution Of the Unit
ted States formed by the sanction of the States
given by each in its sovereign capacity. The
States, then, being the parties to the constitutional
compact and in their sovereign capacity, it follows
Of necessity that there can bo no tribuna! above
their authority, to decide, in the last resort, whe
ther the compact made by them be violated; aud
consequently, that as the parties to is, hey must
themselves decide in the last resort such questions as
may be Of sufficient magnitude 10 require hei in
deposition"
This language is too plain to be misunderstood
or msconsirued. If the States, as parties to the
compact, have the right to decide such questions
as may be of sufficient magnitude to require their
Interpretation" then it is clear that each State
for itself, is the rghtful judge "whether the com
pact has" or has not, "been riolated. This right
it ia true, is liube to abuss. A State may decide
the compact to be violated" by the Federal Gov
ernment, when no violation has been made On
the ether hand, if we adopt the Did Federal. heo-
ry" that The supreme court is the 6nal judge,
in the last resort, Of the powers which it, and its
co-Depnrtments, may exercise" the evil will be
Infinitely more dangerous, because this places the
Federal Government, the mere creature of the
States, above both Constitutions and people.
DR.. Hodge next quotes the Richmond Enquirer,
a. follows:
No man, no association Of one State or set Of
States, has right to withdraw from the Union 81
it's own account. \ The majority
Of the States which formed the Union must con-
sent to the withdrawal of any one branch Of it..
Until that consent has been obtained, any attempt
to dissolve the Uuiou, and to distract the efhcien-
,y OF its constitutional laws is treason" Tbis ar
gument of "Fdther Ritchey" is a sheer fallacy
! II South Carolina, as one party to the Federal
Compact, bad not The reserUed right'' to secede
from her thiry-two co-Ststes, then, it is equally
true, that the hrty-two co-States had no right to
seeede from South Carolina. Hence the argument
Of the "Richmond Enquirer" that Tho mnjority
Of the States" can authorize "the withdrawal Of
any one branch of it (the UniOn)" is utterly de-
molishe1.
One more quotation from Dr.. Hodge. IIe says :;
1t is only few days since we heard slavehold-
ing minister say that his c urch would as certain
Iy dicpline man for selling G husband away
from his wife, as for drunkenness" leave your
readers to make their own comments on this high.
ly encouraging feature Of "church iicipline."
may in another number recap;ulate the argu-
men;o advanced in these essays, or, perhaps, con-
tinue them il the incoming administration takes a
stand in favor Of coercion.
In the mean time let me suggest to those, who
believe ill., either the right, or the duty Of the Free
to separate from the slave States, the necessity of
promptly holding Convention to deliberate upon
this vital question and to earnestly invite to such
convention every man and every woman, who be-
lieves that peaceabe separation of these con-
federate States would be more in harmony with
the genius Of our institutions, and the sp rt Of
Christianity, than to perpe,uate this guilty Union
by furthur, and continued, "comprOmise" ,ci;h
iniquiy or to pin together ,oA hundred thou
sand bayonets. in the hands Of standing army Of
mereenary soldiers.
B. G. WRIGHT.
RURAL Ills Feb. 22ud 1861.