Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-07-11

NnOle n ucDJ VI SOuU,UUU,OOU now is itSS
sum per head than was the debt of our revo-
luton when we came ont OF that struggle,
and the money value in the country bears even
a greater proportion. Surely each man has as
strong motive now to preserve our liberties as
each had then to establish them. a right re- |
suit at this time will he worth more to the
world than ten times the men and ten times
the money. The evidence reaching us from
the country leaves no doubt that the material
for the work is abundant, and that it needs
only the hand OF legislation to give it sanction
and the hand Of the Executive to give it prac-
teal shape and efficiency. One OF the great
est perplexities Of the Government is to avoid
receiving troops faster than il can provide for
them. In word the people will save their
Government II the Government will do its
part only indillerently we'll. 1t might seem
at frs thought to be Of little difference
whether the present movement at the South
be called secession or rebellion. The movers
however, well understand the difference
1hoy knew at the beginning that they could
never raise their treason to any responsible
magnitude by any name which implies viola
ton Of law. They knew their people possess
ed as much devotion TO law and order, as
much pride and reverence to the history and
government Of their common country as any
other civilized and patriotic people. They
knew they could make no advanc ement di-
rectly in the teeth of these strong and noble
sentiments They accordingly commenced
by an insidious debauching of the public
mind they invented an ingenious sophism,
which. II conceded was followed by perfect
logical steps through all the incidents of the
complete destruction of the Uuion. The
sophism itself is that any State of the Union
may consistently with the nations constitu-
tion, and therefore lawfully and peacefully
withdraw from the Union without the consent
of the Union or Of any other State. A little
disguise that the supposed right is to be excr-
cised only for just cause, themselves to be
the sole judges of its justice is too thin
to merit any notice. With rebellion thus
sugar coated, they have beon drugging
the minds of their section for more than twen--
ty years, until at length they have bro't many
good men to willingness to take up arms
against the Government the day after some
assemblage of men have enacted the tarcal
sentence of taking their State out ofthc I'm
ion, who could have been brought to no such
thing the day before this sophism derives
much perhaps all its currency from the as
sumption that there is some omnipotent and
sacred supremacy pertaining 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 of tho
Union. The original ones passed into the
Union even before they cast off their British
Colonial dependence, and the new ones came
into the Union directly from a condition of
dependence, excepting Texas, and even Texas
in its temporary independence was never de-
signated as a State. The new ones only were
designated States en- coming into the Union,
| " hile that name was only first adopted for the
old ones in and by the Declaration of indie
pcndcnce. Therein the united colonies were
declared Tree and independent of one another
| of the Union, but directly the contrary, as
their mutual pledge and their mutual action
before, at the time and afterward, abund antly
shows. The express pighting of faith by each
and all of the original thirteen States, in the
articles of confederation two years later, that
the Union shall be perpetual, is most conclu-
sive, having never been States either in sub.
stance or name outside the Union. Whence
this magical omnipotence of States rights,
asserting claim Of power to destroy the
Union itselfi Much is said about the SOW
cregnty of the States; but the word
even is not in the National Constitution, nor
as is believed in any of the State consitu
tions. What is sovereignty With a particu-
lar sense of the term, would it be far wrong
TO declare it a political community without IA
political SUPERIOR Tested by this no one Of
our States; except Texas, was sovereignty,
and even Texas gave up the character in
coming into the Union, ly which act she ac>
knowledgel the Constitution of the United
States, and laws and treaties of the United
States; made in pursuance of the Constitu-
tion, to be for her supreme law. The States
have their statutes in the Union they have
no other legal statutes. ]. they break from
this they only do so against law by revolu-
ton The Union, and not themselves sepa-
rately, procured their independence and their
liberty by canquest or purchase, The Union
gave each of them whatever of independence
and liberty it has. The Union is older than
any of the States. In fact it created them as
States originally. Some dependent colonies
made the Union, and in return the Uhon
threw Off their old dependence for them, and
made the States such as they are. Not one
of them ever had u State Constitution indie
pendent OF the Union. or course it is not
forgotten that all the new States formed thcI
constitutions before they entered the Union.
nevertheless dependent on anu preparatory to
coming into the Union.
Unqucstionably, the States have the powers
and rights reserved TO them by tho National
Constitution, but among these surely are not
included all conceivable powers, however mis-
chievious or destructive; but at most rsuch
only as were known in this world at the time
as governmental powers, and certainly the
power to destroy the Government itself had
never been known as governmental. AS a
merely administrative power, this relative ma T.
ter OF national power and States rights as a
principle is no other than principle OF gen.
eralityaud locality. Whatever concerns tho
whole should be Conhdcd to the whole General
Government white whatever concerns the State
should be lett exc lusively to tho State. This
is ali there is of tho original principle about
! it. Whatever the n ational Convention, in
defining the boundaries between tho two as
| applied to the principle with exact accuracy
| is not TO be questioned. We are all bound
| by that definition. What is now combatted
| is the position that secession is consistent
with tho Constitution, is lawful aud peaceful
1t is not contcnded that there is any express
law for it, and nothing should ever be implied
AS law which leads to unjust and absurd con
sequences. The nation purchased with mon
! cy the countries out OF which several ofthcse
States were formed, Is it just that they
should go of without leave or without refund
mgl The nation paid very large sums dn the
aggregate. | believe, nearly 500, ,00O, ,0OO) to
relieve Florida from the Aboriginal tribes -
! Is it just that she should now go off without
consent, or without any return. The nation
is now in debt for money applied for the bon
eft of these so called seeded States in com
mon with the rest. Is it Just that creditors
shall go unpaid, or the present States pay
the wholei A part of the present national
debt was contracted to pay tho old debt Of
! Texas. Is it just that she shall leave and pay
no part OF this herself Again, ii one State
may sccodc, so may another, and when all
shall have seeded and none is left to pay
the debts, is this quite right to creditorsl
| Did we notify them of this sage view of ours