The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1861-07-06

sense and as mich of devotion to law and order,
and as much pride in its reverence Tor the hlsto-
nv and government of their common country, as
any other civilized and patriotic people. They
knew they could make no advancement directly
in the teeth of these strong ana nopie seh'l-
ments accordingly they commenced an lnsloious
debauching Of the public mind. They invented
an ingenious sophism, which II CONCEDED, was lol-
lowed by perfectly logical steps through All the
incidents of the complete destruction OF the On,
ion The sophism itself, is that any State OF
the Union may consistently with the natioh
constitu ton, and therefore lawfully and peace
fully withdraw from the Union without the
consent of the Union or of any other State. The
little disguise that the supposed right Is to be
exercised only for just cause, themselves to the
sole Judges of its JUSTICE is too thin to merit any
notice. With rebellion thus sugar coated they
have been dragging the public mind OF their
section for more than thirty years, anc at
length they have brought many good men to a
willingness to take up arms against the Govern
nent, the day after some assemblages OF men
have enacted a farcica pretense of taking their
State out of the Union who could have been
brought to do no such thing the day be-
fore This sophism derives much, perhaps the
whole, Of its currency from the assumption
that there is some omnipotence and second su-
premacy 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 to one of them ever having
been State out of the Union. The orig inal
ones passed into the Union before they cast off
their British colonial depencnce, and the new
ones camo into the Union directly from sys-
tenn of dependence, excepting Texas. And even
Texas, in it's temporary independence, was never
designated State. The new ones on y took the
desgna ton of State on coming into the Union,
while that name was first adopted by the old
ones in and by the Declaration Of Independence.
Therein the united colonies were declared to be
free and independent States, but even the object
plainly was not to declare their independence
of one another in the Union, but strictly the
contrary, us the mutual pledge and mutual ac-
ton before, at the time, and Afterwards album
dainty shows. The express plighting of faiths
of the original thirteen States in the articles of
Confederation two years later, that the Union
should be perpetual is not conclusive, having
never been States, either in substance or in name,
outsi lie of the Union. whence the gical ON
impotence OF State Rights asserting Il claim of
power to lawfully destroy the Union itself
Much is said about the sovereignty of the
States but the word, cven is not in tie national
Contribution, nor, as is believed, 10 any Of Che
the politicaI sense Of the term Would it be
far from wrong to define it q political superior
Tested by this, none Of out States, except Tex
us, was d sovereignty. and even Texas gave up
the character on coming into the Union, by
which act she acknowledged the Constitution of
the United States, made in pursuance of States
which have their status in the Union and thus
have no other lcgal status. II they break from
this they can only do SO against law and by rev
olutlon. The Union and not the States sepa-
rately procured their independence and liberty
by conquest or purchase. The Union gave each
of them whatever independence and liberty it
has, The Union is older than any of the States,
and in fact, has called them as States original
ly. Some dependent colonies made the Union
and in time the Union threw off their old de-
pendence for them aud made them States such
as they are. Not one Of them ever had State
constitution independent of the Union. Of
course it is not forgotten that all the new States
formed their constitutions before they entered
the Union, nevertheless dependent upon and
preparing to come into the Union. Unques-
tionably the States have the powers and rights
reserved to them in and by the National Consti-
tuition But among these surely are not inclu-
ded all conceivable powers, however mischievous
or destructive but at most only such as were
known IN the world at the time, and certainly
power to destroy the Government itself had
never been known in Il governmental, or as
merely administrative power. This relative
matter of national power and State rights as
principle is no other than the principle of gene
rallty and locality; whatever concerns the
whole should be confined to the whole Govern
ment; while whatever only concerns the State
should be left exclusively to the State This Is
all there is of original principle about it. Wheth.
er the National Constitution in defining boun-
darles between the two has applied the prinei-
pie with exact accuracy is not te be cushioned.
We are all bound by that defining without
question. What is now combatted is the posi-.
ton that secession is consistent with the Con-
situation, is lawful and peaceful
1t is not contended that there is any express
law for it, and nothing should ever be inferred
as law which leads to unjust or absurd conse-
quences. The nations purchased with money
the countries out of which several of these
States were formed. Is it just that they shall
go off without leave or refunding! The nation
paid very large sums believe, nearly $780,
900, 900, to relieve Florida of the aboriginal
tribes Is it just that she shall now be- off
without consent and without return? The ma .
ton Is now in debt for the money applied for
the benefit OF these so called seeding States,
IN common with the rest. Is it just either that
creuitors shall go unpaid, or the remaining
States pay Tor the whole? A part of the pres
ent national debt was contracted to paw old
debts ior Texas. Is it just that she shall leave
and pay no part of this herself? Again, if one
otate may secede, so may another and when
All nave secs ded, none are left to pay the debts.
Is this quite just to creditors? ? Did we notify !
them OF this sage view of ours when we bor-
r,,y IaI tbnI. r.