Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1861-03-09

Ih"ulO's VI NHc OOuSJllulion, bndJ eHc1 sup
posed they were adopting an instrument
that might be destroyed at tho mere voli-
iion of single state and their opinions
have been referred to during this discus.
sion to show that they intended no such fol-
ly. will not quote them again. ! will refer
to more recent authority. Some Of the
cotton states threatened TO secede in 1850
If California was admitted as q free state
and the legislature of Mississippi, assuming
that the people Of the state were dissatisfied
with the compromise measures of 1850,
called q state convention, which passed the
following resolution
"Rrsolrsd That In the opinion Of this convention the
state Is utterly unsanetloned by the edsral Constitution,
viii framed TO ertabsh and not destroy the Unien Of
subyeron Of the Union established and which will not VIZ
luton"
quote this resolution Of the convention
Of Mississippi in 1851, against the recent
action Of her convention adopting an ord.
nance Of secession. The constitution was
not adopted by the states in their corpo
rate capacity as states. The people Of the
different states, acting through state gov
ernmental organizations, adopted It as
government for the people of the U. States.
10 what practical purpose have been the
ideas Of our leading statesmen aud polti-
clans, that contiguous territory should be
acquired for civil and military purposes, il,
when acquired, it may secede without our
consent? What becomes Of the Monroe
doctrine, that we will not allow any foreign
power to interfere upon this continent with
the safety of our form Of government? 1t
was useless to acquire, with or without
price, the Territories Of Louisiana and
Flo'ila ; it was worse than useless to rcan.
mex Texas, if they can at will dissolve their
connection with this Government, without
asking its consent 1t has, for a long
time, been a leading idea with the slave
power, that this Government must purchase,
at any price, Cuba and il it could not be
conquered or stolen, it being essential for
our safety and security. We have all
heard of the Ostend circular, signed by
James Buchanan, John NJ. Mason, and
Pierre Soule, and here will read an eX.
tract from ii
Does Cuba In the possession OF Spain seriously endanger
cur internal peace and the existence Of cherished Union
should this question be answered in the Affirmative then by
every law human aud divine shall be justified in rssng
from Spdn Il We possess the power and this upon The
principle that rsy All individual in tearing
down the burning house OF his neghbor f there no
other OF preventing the flames from destroying his own
home Under such ccumstanec ought neither to count
the cost reg rd the odds which Spain might enlist
against u.s. We forbear to enter the question whether
the present condition Of the Island would justify such
measure We should however, be iecrean to duty be un
worthy Of our gallant orehe and commit base treason
and become second Domingo with all its attendant hor
rors to tho white race and suffer the flames TO extend to our
own neighborng shores seriously to endange actually to
consume the fair fabric Of Union. We hear that the
course and current of events rapidly tending towards such
n acatastrophe"
Mr.. Speaker, suppose that, under the adj
vice of the Ostend manifesto, during the
administration of President Buchanan, the
island of Cuba had been 'wrested from
Spain at cost of 5000, 600 900, and 90
600 lives, for, according to the manifesto,
we ought neither to count the cost, nor re-
gard the odds which Spain might enlist
against u.s. and bad been admitted into
the Union on an equal footing with the
original states, and she, too, should join in
this secession stampede, and should resume
her sovereignty, and again attach herself
TO Spain. What would President Buchan,
an say to this ? Why, he would probably
say She had no right to secede (; but the
! Government has no power to aprevent it.
| Would not the nation and the world prize
highly such craftsmanship? Well, sir, this
is the craftsmanship of President Bnchan.
an, as exhibited to us in bis annual mes
sage. Secession is revolution, and nothing
but revolution and it may be defended, il
the causes are sufficient 10 justify it in the
judgement of the civilized world. / will
not, therefore, enlarge upon that point.
regard it as to clear to admit of further ar.
! gument or controversy.
| Mr.. Speaker, therefore conclude that
we have government worthy of preserva-
ton. But repeat that, if one or more of
tie stars in our constellation have right
to shoot off at will, independent of the
central sun--the Constitution of the u.
| States-then our government cannot inspire
confidence at home or command respect
abroad and we need not rack our brains,
and screw up our consciences to the stick.
ing point of compromise, for it cannot be
compromised into respectabiIity.
With these brief remarks upon that
point, | now come to the consideration of
the alleged causes for the overthrow of this
government, and whether or not they are
sufficient 1t is very difficult TO get at the
exact causes of complaint. When we look
to the ordinances of secession and the
manifeStoes of the seeding states, the in
suhiciencies of the causes for the revolution
which they have inaugurated must strike
every one.
Que of the alleged causes Of complaint
is the action of several Of the northern
states in the passage of personal liberty
bills Now, let me remark here, for it is
true. that a large majority of what are
now termed personal liberty bills, were
enacted more than ten years ago. before
the passage Of the fugitive slave law, and
before James Buchanan was inaugurated
President of the United States. SO far as
any of those laws violate any provision OF
the Constitution of the United States, they
are null and void. Have the southern
states which are now complaining made any
efforts to induce the Legislatures of the
northern states to repeal those laws? Have
they sent commissioners or agents with a
view TO test their constitutionality 7 Not at
all. When any state north does to state
south, as S Carolina did to Massachusetts
when she sought iu peaceable way to in
stitute an amicable suit in the United States
court within the state of S. Carolina tC